The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is excited to announce the two libraries selected for the inaugural implementation of our Prime Time Family Reading program: the North Bergen Free Public Library (Hudson County) and the Gloucester County Library System (Greenwich Branch).
Both libraries will host their Prime Time Family Reading series this fall, centering on the theme “Nourish,” which will explore cultural identity through food and community connections.
Prime Time Family Reading is designed to engage families in reading and discussion, fostering a love of learning and promoting humanities topics. Each selected library brings a unique approach to serving their community while aligning with the program’s core priorities.
Getting families reading together, and thereby supporting literacy throughout the Garden State, changes lives, opens doors for new individuals and communities, and helps to enrich our statewide dialogue about the diverse cultures that make New Jersey strong!
About the Libraries
The North Bergen Free Public Library serves a highly diverse community with a significant immigrant population. Nearly three-quarters of the the total population speaks a language other than English at home, and half of the population is foreign-born. The library plans to focus its programming on engaging low-income families, partnering with Meadowview Village, a local low-income housing development, to host the program within the development to facilitate attendance. The program’s community focus is a strong fit for North Bergen, which already provides robust offerings including citizenship classes and career coaching.
The Gloucester County Library System – Greenwich Branch serves a community with higher levels of racial diversity and lower average income levels than the broader county. Priding itself on high levels of engagement with its existing youth programs, the branch has built strong relationships with local elementary and middle schools, a food pantry, and local businesses, which they will leverage for the program. Their aim for the program is that a third of participating families are new to the library, encouraging further engagement with lifelong reading and learning.
More Information
- The book list for the “Nourish” theme can be found at https://primetimefamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/F-Nourish.pdf.
- More information about the national Prime Time Family Reading program at https://primetimefamily.org/about/.
- More information on NJCH’s implementation of Prime Time Family Reading can be found at https://njhumanities.org/programs/prime-time-reading/.
