NJCFB: New Jersey Center for the Book

Past Events in 2010

The Miss Rumphius Award
2010

The Miss Rumphius Award is based on the title character of Barbara Cooney’s wonderful book, Miss Rumphius, which won the National Book Award in 1983, this award honors librarians, school media specialists, and educators who are stellar in spreading ideas and literacy.

The winner of the Miss Rumphius Award for 2010 is Dana Sheridan. Dr. Sheridan is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University.

Her award is for an extraordinary media project entitled The BiblioFiles, which was inspired by a correspondence between Dana Sheridan and the late Lloyd Alexander, The BiblioFiles is a web-based Cotsen Children’s Library’s program that features one-on-one interviews with a variety of children’s chapter book authors.

Listeners of all ages can access and bookmark the website (www.princeton.edu/bibliofiles) and simply click and listen to author interviews. The site includes a “Featured Author” as well as an “Audio Archive” so listeners can access any interview from the past. As of December 2010 the featured author is Maiya Williams, and authors in the audio archive include Jeanne Birdsall, Joseph Delaney, Jacqueline Kelly, Wendy Mass, Kenneth Oppel, Brandon Sanderson, Trenton Lee Stewart, and Kaye Umansky. Still to come in 2011 are M.T. Anderson and Marie Rutkoski. While many of The BiblioFiles authors are bestsellers and award winners, Cotsen hopes to bring attention to authors whose books aren’t as recent, well known, or widely read. It is Cotsen’s goal that The BiblioFiles will also serve as a literary resource to librarians, teachers, parents, children, and fans.

Dana received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia. Whileher academic career focused on how children learn in informal, out-of-school dana, dottie environments, her professional passion has always been the design of dynamic hands-on programs for children. Dana has designed programs for patients at the University of Virginia's Children's Hospital, developed tours for UVa's Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, and coordinated programs at the Virginia Discovery Museum.

Additionally, she has served as a consultant for children's programs and exhibitions developed by a variety of institutions, including the National Park Service, the Princeton Center for Complex Materials, the Historical Society of Princeton, and the Philadelphia Zoo.

Letters About Literature 2009-2010

The Letters about Literature State reception to recognize the oustanding literary talents of the young writers, fourth through twelfth grades, in the State of New Jersey, was held on May 12. 2010 at Drumthwacket, the Governor's residence in Princeton.

Letters About Literature is a national reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, presented in partnership with Target and affiliated state centers for the book. The task for young readers is to, “Write a letter to an author explaining how his or her work somehow changed your view of the world or yourself.”There are three levels of competition:

      Level I: Grades 4-6
     Level II: Grades 7-8
      Level III: Grades 9-12

Click here to view information on the 2009-2010 Letters About Literature competition

NJ Center for the Book and Monmouth County Library
presented

Science is FUNdamental
a day of exciting and enlightening events
September 26, 2010, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Rockets and robots shooting for the stars…

Science is fundamental, and on Sunday, September 26, 2010, it was free to the public at Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The New Jersey Center for the Book and Monmouth County Library invited the public to participate in a program featuring astronomy, physics and robotics that will launch a month-long focus on the excitement of science.

Former astronaut Bob Cenker was the featured speaker during the Sunday, September 26, program. Participants in the program included Mike Centrella, Phil Burkholder, Mike Lemonick, Fred Carl, Jim Raleigh and representatives of StarLab.

Exhibits and programs were provided by the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, High Technology High School, Biotechnology High School and Health Sciences High School. The Boy Scout Council of Monmouth County will sponsor programs and badges in science.

The mission of the Science is FUNdamental program initiative is “to underscore the importance columbiaflag of science literacy in today’s environment,” according to Renee B. Swartz, who chairs both the NJ Center for the Book and the Monmouth County Library Commission. All programs are free and open to the public.

See what it was all about -- click to view the planning committee video

Beginning Sept. 26, the NJ Center for the Book together with the Monmouth County Library hosted a series of science-themed programs for all ages at the Library Headquarters in Manalapan and various other county library branches.

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Letters about Literature 2009-2010
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