New Jersey

Offsetting the Diploma Deficit

Today, the high school dropout rate has reached epidemic levels. There are nearly 40 million Americans without a high school diploma—and those adults looking to return to high school have limited options. The startling figures below from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey, uncover just how many adults in each state has less … Read more

History Made Awesome

By Adam W.  I was lucky to walk into a library with an amazing legacy that was invisible to most people on the campus. I say I was lucky because I was able to change it. I discovered a copy of the De Divina Proportione (Divine Proportion), which is a 1509 mathematical treatise illustrated by … Read more

Books in a New World

By Sandra C.  For my father, a man who came to this country battered by the Holocaust and hopeful that he could raise his children with the few resources he had, the public library was a true Godsend. He brought my sister and me here every Saturday, and it was among the musty shelves and … Read more

Future Architect in the Library

By Sue P.  Third-grade career day, everyone dressed-up as their future career-self, sitting in the gym listening to parents talk about their professions, proved to be the day that set my future. My best friend’s dad, an architect, showed us the new county library building he was designing. It struck me because it was so … Read more

It Got Under My Skin!

By Marie P.  During high school and college, I was fortunate to work in the Children’s Department of my local library. As an Economics major, I was going to Wall Street after college and going to make “real money”. That never happened because I became a US Navy wife and my career became whatever job … Read more

The Treasure Trove

By Jacqueline S.  My mother was an avid reader. She passed her love of literature on to me. Each week when I was a child we walked to our local library and found new treasures. My mother set a wonderful example. Part of the reason I was a fine student and English teacher was because … Read more

My Home Office

By Emily S.

As a District Sales Manager for Cengage Learning who doesn’t report to an official office space, I was finding it difficult to accomplish much in my home office. Distractions like laundry and tidying the house kept me from being as productive as I knew I could and should be. I ventured out to my local library and found exactly what I needed-a space that allowed me serenity, the luxury of turning my phone ringer off, and a place that encouraged thinking. I was able to stay focused and there was something about being surrounded by books written by high level thinkers that helped me raise my game. I was able to accomplish more in a 5 hour clip than most people I know who were reporting to an office for 10 hours.

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