A Dickens of a good time

Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic “A Christmas Carol” will be presented at three Ocean County Library branches in December.

Charles Dickens made a fortune on the story by editing it to one hour in length and traveling throughout Europe and America performing a one man reading of his edited version.

Traveling Literary Theater has taken Dickens very own edited version and is performing it with 3 actors beautifully clad in Victorian garb. London stage actor James Dyne will host the production and act as both the narrator and Ebenezer Scrooge.

This production is geared for teens and adults and is not suitable for small children.

The productions will be held at the following library branches:

Waretown, 112 Main Street (609) 693-5133, Mon. Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.

Plumsted, 119 Evergreen Rd., New Egypt (609) 758-7888, Wed. Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.

Tuckerton, 380 Bay Av, (609) 296-1470, Mon. Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.

The programs are free and open to the public. Contact the branch or visit the library Website http://www.theoceancountylibrary.org to reserve a seat. A reservation is necessary to attend these performances.

Please be aware that some programs may have a waiting list or may be at capacity at the time of your call. Be sure to make your reservations early.

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Improve your odds at finding a job

Three Ocean County Library branches will present ten additional classes in January to assist people looking for a job.

The classes follow an original offering of courses that were sponsored through the New Jersey State Library’s Broadband Technology Opportunity Project, or BTOP.  It is funded by a $5.1 million federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a $1.65 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The classes will be offered at the Jackson, Lakewood and Toms River branches.

The classes will help participants learn to prepare resumes and cover letters, locate job information on the Internet, and use email and attachments during job searches.  They will also teach people basic word processing skills using Microsoft Word.

The instructors can also help people whose computer skills range from only being able to manipulate a mouse to performing advanced tasks.

One of the classes, “Basic Word and Email for Job Seekers,” will be offered in Spanish at the Lakewood branch.

In addition to sponsoring the classes, BTOP also provided funds for the libraries to purchase computers and upgrade connectivity to the Internet.

The schedule for the January classes includes:

 Wed., 1/18; 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Toms River branch, Basic Windows and Internet Explorer for Job Seekers

Thurs., 1/19; 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Jackson branch, Basic Windows and Internet Explorer for Job Seekers

Fri., 1/20; 1 – 5 p.m. in the Jackson branch, Basic Email and Word for Job Seekers

Sat., 1/21; 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Toms River branch, Basic Email and Word for Job Seekers

Mon., 1/23; 6 – 8 p.m. in the Lakewood branch, Using the Internet for Job Seekers

Tues., 1/24; 6 – 8 p.m. in the Lakewood branch, Using E-Mail for Job Seekers

Wed., 1/25; 1 – 5 p.m. in the Jackson branch, Using the Internet for Job Seekers

Thurs., 1/26; 1 – 5 p.m. in the Toms River branch, Basic Email and Word for Job Seekers

Fri., 1/27; 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Lakewood branch, Basic Word & Email (in Spanish)  for Job Seekers

Sat., 1/28; 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Toms River branch, Using the Internet for Job Seekers

Additional information for job seekers can be found at njworks.org .

The programs are free and open to the public.  For more information or to register for this program go to the library’s Website www.theoceancountylibrary.org or telephone the operator (732) 349-6200 or (609) 971-0514.

Please be aware that some programs may have waiting lists or may be at capacity at the time of your call. People are encouraged to register early.

Ocean County Library has additional resources to assist people in their job search.  Visit your local branch to setup an appointment with a qualified staff member.

Inaugural seventhreetwo music event held on Mancini Hall stage

Ocean County Library presented the inaugural event in Toms River’s new local music series seventhreetwo (7pm, 3rd Thursday, 2 bands). Sixty-three people attended, most in their 20s and 30s, and enjoyed solo performances by two singer-songwriters: Lauren Marsh of Pennington, NJ, who played ukulele and piano; and John Muccino, originally of Toms River and now residing in Philadelphia, who played piano and guitar.

The audience was thrilled to be able to attend a show minutes from home and are looking forward to December 15, when bands Ba Babes and Tiny Teeth will perform on the Mancini Hall stage.

Upper Shores Cheesecake Champion Crowned

The customers of the Upper Shores branch had a lot of fun choosing the winner of the 4^th annual Cheesecake Challenge. Student pianists entertained the eighty patrons who dropped by to taste a sampling and choose a winner from the five entries that were prepared byour  staff.

After the ballots were carefully tallied, Ms. Joyce Sabie’s entry was declared the most delicious. Joyce was then crowned Cheesecake Queen, in an anything but solemn coronation ceremony.

How Will We Read: In Public Libraries?

Libraries have proven themselves to be invaluable resources for the public.  ALA’s Molly Raphael and C. M. Rubin discuss the future of libraries in a Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/how-will-we-read-in-publi_b_1103601.html 

10 things to know about libraries:

1. Americans go to school, public and academic libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies.
2. There are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S. (total of 16,604 including branches).
3. 59% of adults in the U.S. have a public library card.
4. Reference librarians in the nation’s public and academic libraries answer nearly 5.7 million questions weekly.
5. Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without internet connections at home, school or work (98.7% of public libraries provide public access to the internet).
6. Public libraries are one of the greatest equalizers for equitable access to information regardless of race, creed or income level.
7. In these times of economic crisis, over 65% of public libraries provide services for job seekers.
8. Americans spend more than twice as much on candy as they do on public libraries.
9. Americans spend $34.95 a year for the public library (and check out an average of more than seven books a year)
10. A public library provides a safe, warm, friendly place for a poor family to read with their children.

Helping students find a LGBT-welcoming college

As high school students look toward their future they scrutinize their list of colleges, whittling it to find which they can afford, which has the right combination of classes to meet their career goals, and which is far enough away from home to assure their independence.

But some students are also looking to find the colleges and universities that are welcoming to LGBT students and the Ocean County Library can help them by presenting a program to examine the options.

The Toms River branch, 101 Washington St., will host “Choosing a Gay Friendly College: A Conversation and Reception” for students 14 and older Tuesday Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

 Michael LaSala, author and director of the MSW program at the Rutgers School of Social Work; Christian Oliviera, Program Director for Garden State Equity and founding member of Rutgers University’s Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for gay men; and members and alumni of the Ocean County College Rainbow Alliance along with their advisor Megan Procaccini will discuss the importance of finding a welcoming college atmosphere.

 Members of the Toms River Gay-Straight Book Club will volunteer their laptops to help participants examine a database that presents information about the Campus Climate Index, a national assessment tool by designed by Campus Pride, and other Internet resources.

 Campus Pride, launched in October 2002, is a national nonprofit organization working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students.

 The program is free.  Registration for the program is encouraged but not required.

 The program is sponsored by Insight Out, Ocean County Library’s Diversity Focus Team; Toms River Gay Straight Book Club; Jersey Shore PFLAG; Ocean County College Office of Multicultural Services; The Ocean County Human Rights Commission; and the Toms River South Gay Straight Alliance.

Folktales from the British Isles, hear here!

The wit and wisdom, the humor and horror, and the hubris and humanity of a people are often found in their oral traditions.

Raconteur David Emerson retells and embellishes the colorful and ancient tales of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall in a presentation Wednesday Nov. 30^th at 7 p.m. in the Long Beach Island library branch, 217 S. Central Av, Surf City.

The program is funded through the Horizon Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and is sponsored by the Friends of the Island Library.

This family program is appropriate for all ages.  It is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

For more information or to register, click on the Calendar of Events icon beneath the Events and News tab on the library Web site www.theoceancountylibrary.org or telephone the branch (609) 494-2480.