Celebrating National Library Week! Monmouth County Library "Welcome to the Library" Bookmark Design Challenge!

Calling all artists! To celebrate National Library Week, the Monmouth County Library is looking for artists of all ages to help design our next bookmarks. Show us what you love about the library with your awesome artwork!

Please submit your designs as a JPEG file to MonCoLibrary2021@gmail.com with the subject line "Bookmark Challenge" for the opportunity to be featured on our next printed bookmarks!*

Artwork categories include Grades K-4; Grades 5-8; Grades 9-12; and Adult. If you need help submitting your design, scanners and computers are available and free to use at your local library branch. Bring a USB drive to save your file. 

Entries will be accepted April 1 through April 30. Check your local library branch for the printed bookmarks  in mid-May.

Entry Guidelines:

- Limit one entry per person or group

- Entries may not include licensed characters or any other copyrighted art or logos

- Email submissions should include artist's first name, home library branch and grade level

- Design could be vertical or horizontal and must fit final size as example shown (on our website)

Looking for a design idea? Try a coloring book-style black and white image!

*Upon submission, all entries become property of Monmouth County Library and may be reproduced for distribution and shared on the Library's website and social media sites. 

An ongoing event, A Day in the Life of a Quaranteen asks for a written documentary of your life during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Entries can be essays, poems, journal entries, or written song describing your life, thoughts, and feelings about COVID-19. One to two submissions will be displayed in our quarterly teen newsletter.  One volunteer hour is possible per article for participants. Your article will need to be approved by a library staff member before you will be given service hours.  Articles need to follow the guidelines to be approved, and may be sent back to you if anything is missing.  

Age: Must be between grades 7-12

Library Card: Must have a valid Monmouth County Library Card. 

Service Hours Given: 1 hour per article submission upon library approval. 

Limit of two submissions per person. 

Submission: Please submit your article through this Google Form. 

Attention Parent/Guardian: It is highly recommended that your teen is responsible for all correspondence regarding the Teen Volunteer Program; starting with the review submission process and continuing throughout their volunteer service. This program strives to prepare your child for his/her first job. We feel that the more responsibility that volunteers have in the successful execution of completing their service, the better prepared he or she will be to apply for jobs and enter the workforce. When at all possible, please ask your teen to call, email, organize, and initiate!  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Earn community service credit  by reviewing teen books! The Monmouth County Library is looking for teens in grades 7-12 who would be willing to read a teen novel and write a brief review.

Age: Must be between grades 7-12 

Books: Must be of appropriate reading level. You can check out books from MCL (either virtually or physically).

Hours Given: 1 hour per book 

Limit of books per month -  4

Length:  Min 100 Words, Max 300 Words

Specific Information:

Written reviews should include a short paragraph summarizing the book, no spoilers, please! The next paragraph should be a critical evaluation of the book of your choosing and include your personal response with specific examples to support praise or criticism. The review should be spoiler-free, thorough, and engaging. 

Submission: Submit your review using our Google Form here.

Review Gallery:  Upon submission and staff approval, your review will become part of our review gallery.  Visit our review gallery here. 

Your review will need to be approved by a Library staff member before you will be given service hours credit. Book reviews need to follow the guidelines above to be approved and may be sent back to you if anything is missing.

Attention Parent/Guardian: It is highly recommended that your teen is responsible for all correspondence regarding the Teen Volunteer Program; starting with the review submission process and continuing throughout their volunteer service. This program strives to prepare your child for his/her first job. We feel that the more responsibility that volunteers have in the successful execution of completing their service the better prepared he or she will be to apply for jobs and enter the workforce. When at all possible, please ask your teen to call, email, organize, and initiate!  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Please note that the books in our teen sections cover a wide range of ages and vary in content and maturity level. Parents and/or guardians have the right and responsibility to determine their own children’s access to library resources. 

Yoga to De-Stress and Relax Series  includes Breathing, Stretching and Movement Unwind, improve flexibility, and relax your mind with Yoga. Master Yogi Steven Russell of Becoming Sound suggests three sequences to help de-stress your body and your mind. 

Series will free-cycle throughout the month and  may be found on Weekend beginning on Thursdays (after 5pm) through Sunday evenings.

 All Library programs and concerts are protected by copyright law; recording in any manner, without written presenter permission, is strictly prohibited.

Link into this  Weekend's session here: Yoga for Relaxation: Stretching 

You may also access the sessions via  the Library's Website. 

Celebrating National Library Week! Monmouth County Library "Welcome to the Library" Bookmark Design Challenge!

Calling all artists! To celebrate National Library Week, the Monmouth County Library is looking for artists of all ages to help design our next bookmarks. Show us what you love about the library with your awesome artwork!

Please submit your designs as a JPEG file to MonCoLibrary2021@gmail.com with the subject line "Bookmark Challenge" for the opportunity to be featured on our next printed bookmarks!*

Artwork categories include Grades K-4; Grades 5-8; Grades 9-12; and Adult. If you need help submitting your design, scanners and computers are available and free to use at your local library branch. Bring a USB drive to save your file. 

Entries will be accepted April 1 through April 30. Check your local library branch for the printed bookmarks  in mid-May.

Entry Guidelines:

- Limit one entry per person or group

- Entries may not include licensed characters or any other copyrighted art or logos

- Email submissions should include artist's first name, home library branch and grade level

- Design could be vertical or horizontal and must fit final size as example shown (on our website)

Looking for a design idea? Try a coloring book-style black and white image!

*Upon submission, all entries become property of Monmouth County Library and may be reproduced for distribution and shared on the Library's website and social media sites. 

Available to view through Friday, April 30  with this link!

Two women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage. Drawing on an impressive variety of ethnic folk styles, this award-winning duo plays everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer frailachs and haunting Gypsy melodies, spicing the mix with the distinctive rhythms of Balkan dance music, the lush sounds of Scandinavian twin fiddling, and original compositions written in traditional style. 

Simple Gifts consists of founding member Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon. Littleton began her musical studies with classical violin lessons at the age of seven. She graduated from Princeton University with a minor in music and a specialty of Philosophy of Music. She served as Principal Second Violin in the Nittany Valley Symphony, and in addition to violin, Linda plays hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery, 5-strong banjo, and recorders. Hirshon grew up singing and at age 10 began violin lessons, ultimately leading her to study folk guitar. She graduated from Grinell College in Iowa, having designed her own specialty "Traditional Music in American Culture." During the 1970s, Karen toured nationally with the bluegrass band Whestone Run and helped found the American old-time group, rustical Quality String Band, with which she has released two albums. 

 All Library programs and concerts are protected by copyright law; recording in any manner, without written presenter permission, is strictly prohibited.

Internet access is required to attend. Please click on the Library's website for access through the end of April 2021. 

Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry has released her first book, A Tour of Historic Colts Neck. This guide for individuals, who want to visit the 13 historic sites that have been designated in the township, includes a brief history of each location and photos from historic and current scenes. This book is presented by the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee.  A longtime resident of Colts Neck, Ms. Burry served on the Township Committee and as mayor, as well as helped create historic preservation committees. 

Burry holds a degree in political science and history, graduated cum laude from Wagner College;  is the recipient of the M.Claire French Award for her leadership in historical preservation; and was the Person of the Year by the Monmouth County Historical Association.  

 All Library programs and concerts are protected by copyright law; recording in any manner, without written presenter permission, is strictly prohibited.

Session will be conducted on Zoom and is  free of charge. Registration and internet access are required to attend. Register below to receive emailed information on how to access the conversation. The link will be emailed the day before the program between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, after registration closes at 12 noon.

Energize yourself midday with Yoga!  Master Yogi Steven Russell of Becoming Yoga suggests three sequences to help invigorate, focus and activate your brain and body.

Each virtual session is about 30 minutes; this program is free, no library card needed. 

 All Library programs and concerts are protected by copyright law; recording in any manner is strictly prohibited.

Series changes throughout the month and  may be found HERE and/or on   the Library's Website weekdays between 11am and 2pm