Dear Editor:
This year, with fewer funds, we again had a successful Summer Reading Program at the Jersey City Free Public Library. The 2010 summer reading theme was Make a Splash @ Your Library for children in grades K-5, and Make Waves @ Your Library for young adults in grades 6-8 and up. The yearly themes are established by the CSLP – Collaborative Summer Library Program, a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.
This year, 1,142 children participated in all programs, with 577 of them reading a total of 15,595 books during the 2010 Summer Reading Program. The year’s SRP ran from June 21 to Aug. 13. During this period, children participated in hundreds of reading, craft, and games sessions, in addition to watching selected movies throughout our nine branches and the Main Library. We had Hugh Carola of Hackensack RiverKeeper, Inc., who presented two free informative lectures with slides about the Hackensack River. Also, Donald Kummerfeld of Meteo Systems presented a free interactive PowerPoint show entitled, “Water: the Unique & Most Essential Resource on Planet Earth.” We took 66 children and 55 young adults to Liberty Science Center right here in our own Jersey City, where children enjoyed exhibits, science movies, and much more.
We would like to thank our supporters for helping the Jersey City Free Public Library continue to provide such programs and activities during the summer. On behalf of the SRP 2010 Committee, Library Director Priscilla Gardner, Library Administration, and Library Board President James K. Morley and the entire Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Mr. Hugh Carola and Mr. Donald Kummerfeld for their presentations; Mr. Joseph Macchi, Director of JC Department of Recreation, for helping provide buses for the two trips to the Liberty Science Center; and to Ms. Mary McDonald of Liberty Science Center for the free passes provided to visit the center.
Hussein Odeh
Supervising Librarian
Coordinator, SRP 2010