Camden County Library System wins state early literacy programming award and continues operations

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Library System has been awarded the 2020 Best Practices in Early Childhood Literacy Award by the New Jersey State Library. The award recognizes excellence in early childhood programming in New Jersey libraries. Camden County was recognized for its successful Story Time in the Park program.

The Story Time in the Park program engages families and removes service barriers by bringing library services into the communities served by the system’s eight branches. These “pop-up” story times include stories, songs, stretches and activities, as well as a portable assortment of children’s books that can be checked out onsite.

“While we are disappointed that our story times cannot be held in the parks this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, our library team is continuing to deliver critical childhood programming and services online,” said Freeholder Melinda Kane, liaison to the Library System. “The Freeholder Board and our team throughout the Library System are committed to delivering quality library services and programming to our residents. We are thankful for this honor and recognition from the New Jersey State Library, and for the families who made this program so successful by joining us in the parks week after week.”

The Camden County Library System is continuing to reinvent itself amidst this crisis, providing a variety of services to residents. Library staff are now delivering live online programming, including the Little Reader’s Theater, which had over 10,000 views during the month of April. Online digital services such as Hoopla, Rosetta Stone, Ancestry.com, and Tutor.com have been accessed over 28,500 times in the past month.

Staff at individual branches are calling regular library patrons to offer information about library services and answer questions.  Staff have provided information on how to access digital services, how to make reading lists in the Library’s catalog, and how to access online programming.

Additionally, the Library System is continuing to provide all Camden County residents with a free instant online library card to access streaming movies, ebooks, audiobooks, online genealogy resources and other digital resources during the pandemic.

For more information, to view available online services and programming, and to sign up for a free library card, visit the Library’s website at www.camdencountylibrary.org.