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October 2007 - March 2008
Starting December 1st 2007 the New Jersey Department of Personnel will be accepting applications for the law enforcement exams. These cover police, sheriff, correctional guards and any other positions that involve law enforcement. But only for positions within the state of New Jersey. These are not exams for federal law enforcement (FBI, ATF, etc.) positions. The applications are usually available for a two month period and have a specific date by which they must be in the hands of the Dept. of Personnel. That date will be printed on the cover of the application. This process only occurs every two years so if you miss this window of opportunity the next will not be until December 2009. And we do have study aids to assist you once you have been given a date for the exam.
In Spring 2008 the New Jersey Department of Personnel will be posting the application for the firefighter's examination. Like the law enforcement exams you must file an application with the state Dept. of Personnel in order to be considered for the examination. Again this is on a biannual basis and the next opportunity to apply will not occur until 2010.
Both the law enforcement and firefighter exam information is listed on the New Jersey Department of Personnel website. And you can also print out all the necessary applications from that website.
ELIZABETH BERG: The Boston Globe writes "Elizabeth Berg's gift as a storyteller lies most profoundly in her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, the remarkable in the everyday". Probably best known for her Oprah book Open House, she credits her caring for patients as a nurse for ten years with her ability to understand human nature, about hope and fear, love and loss, regret and triumph, and about relationships. Her current book Dream When You're Feeling Blue is set in Chicago during World War II. The story is centered on the three Heaney sisters, Kitty, Louise, and Tish. While the first two have seen their boyfriends off to war, Tish samples the opportunities at the local USO. But there is a war on and while Berg gives us a picture of life on the homefront, it is what is occurring on the battlefield that brings the action to a head. All must deal with loss and the life that goes on in the end. Ms Berg has been compared to Alice Hoffman and Anne Tyler. She has many other books which can be found in the Fiction section of the Library under her last name.
JENNIFER CRUSIE: Jennifer writes two different types of books. As a solo author she explores women's experiences with relationships, as part of a community, friendships and creativity. Probably her best known title is Crazy for You. However her latest book is a collaboration with Bob Mayer called Agnes and the Hitman. Falling into the romantic adventure category, this is the story of Agnes, a food writer, and Shane, a hitman who is also a bad shot. Agnes is in the midst of preparing for a wedding when Shane climbs through her window with a contract to protect her. It seems his uncle might have left five million dollars in her house. The scene is set for an uproarious event as Agnes and Shane have to deal with everyone from florists to mobsters to the very dangerous mother of the bride. Their earlier collaboration, Don't Look Down, involves Lucy Armstrong who has been hired to finish an action/adventure movie. The only problem is her ex is the stunt coordinator, a Green Beret is military advisor, the lead is miscast and finally somebody is trying to kill the movie, literally. All Crusie's books can be found in the Fiction section under her last name.
PATRICK O'BRIAN: Patrick O'Brian (whose birth name was Richard Patrick Russ) is most famous for his Aubrey-Maturin series set during the Napoleonic Wars. The series of twenty books chronicles the adventures of Capt. Jack Aubrey and surgeon Dr. Maturin in the Royal Navy fighting Napoleon. Many of the incidents in these books were consolidated into the movie Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe (which we own). Now W. W. Norton & Co. has reprinted a story written by O'Brian in the mid-fifties. The Road to Samarcand is the story of a teenage American boy who loses his missionary parents and ends up chasing archaeological treasures across the Gobi Desert with his seafaring uncle. While set on land the narrative includes all the features of O'Brian's stories from astronomical observations to local cuisine.
STEVE BERRY: Steve Berry's books will be popular with anyone who liked The DaVinci Code. His first book The Amber Room dealt with the search for the killers of a man who knew secrets about the Amber Room, a room constructed of panels of amber that graced one of the Czar's palaces. He continued his Russian theme with the Romanov Prophecy which speculated on the survival of Czar Nicholas's two youngest children who in turn were able to continue the line. In The Third Secret he tackled the third prophecy given to the children at Fatima and the impact of that prophecy on the world. In The Alexandria Link a book dealer must find the lost Library of Alexandria in order to save his son. In his most recent book (December 2007) Berry in the Venetian Betrayal takes on the mystery of the location of Alexander the Greats final resting place. From Denmark to Venice and finally to Central Asia, the search for Alexander involves both drama and danger.
KAREN KINGSBURY: Noted inspirational author Kingsbury has two new books out. Between Sundays is a story of redemption and love where life's real victories are won on the field and Just Beyond the Clouds, the story of a protective brother who wants to shield his Down Syndrome brother from the world and the teacher who tries to teach the brother to be independent. Kingsbury has written the Sunrise and Baxter Family series as well as a number of stand alone novels. She is one of the most significant female Christian novelists of today along with Janette Oke (A pioneer in inspirational fiction many of whose books have been made into movies for the Hallmark Channel), Robin Lee Hatcher (winner of Christy, RITA, and RWA awards), Terri Blackstock (who mixes faith and suspense in page-turning novels), Beverly Lewis (who has written series set among the Amish in Lancaster County, PA), and Jan Karon (author of the Mitford series).
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER 2007
JANUARY 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
The ability to speak a language other than English is becoming more and more a necessity in our world. To help you the Library has purchased many of the Pimsleur series. The Pimsleur approach is used by the FBI, CIA and business professionals to teach other languages quickly. Moreover we also have versions of this system which teach English to speakers of other languages in which the instruction is done in the other language (i.e. Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Russian, etc).
The non-English languages include:
Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin), Dutch, French, Haitian Creole, Modern Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Ojibwe, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Thai, and Ukrainian.
Some of these programs are on CD while others are on tape. These circulate for two weeks and if no one is waiting they can be renewed.
In our busy world often people do not have the time to read. In response to requests we now have the complete Contemporary English version of the Bible on CD. Comprising 30 individual volumes arranged chronologically beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. Also included are the Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha.
Each volume consists of one to three CDs, circulates for two weeks, and can be renewed if no one is waiting.
Thanks to a grant from Edith Goodrich (a former employee) the South Plainfield Public Library is able to offer a homebound delivery service. This service is not limited to seniors but is available to anyone who is homebound and cannot get to the Library.
If you (or someone you know) would like to avail themselves of the service just let the Library know. We will have you fill out a form letting us know all about your reading interests. Moreover this service supplies more than books. We can supply audiobooks and videos.
Volunteers will deliver the materials and pick them up when you let us know you are finished with them.
So if you cannot come to the Library let the library come to you!
The Board of Trustees of the South Plainfield Public Library at their December meeting have enacted the following policies as of 1/1/2008:
The South Plainfield Public Library strives to provide a pleasant atmosphere for our patrons and take seriously any behavior problems. If you see anything that disturbs you please feel free to let one of our staff know.
Visit our Policies page for additional information on library policies.
All the activities listed below are Free!
Tax time is here again with a few changes this year. First, and most importantly, Congress only passed this year's "patch" for the Alternative Minimum Tax late in December. The IRS could not provide all the appropriate forms until the law was passed so there was a delay in sending those forms out. The law has been passed and the updated tax materials are available on the IRS website and eventually hard copies will be sent to the distribution points (such as libraries). Again, I want to emphasize you MUST go to irs.gov for any United States government tax materials. Every year we get patrons who end up on irs.com. This is a commercial website and will charge you for materials you can get FREE at irs.gov. So please be careful and only go to the government website (unless of course you are looking for a commercial tax preparer).
Of course the Library will have a supply of all the standard federal and New Jersey tax forms. However we are dependent upon delivery of the forms by the various governments.
Should you need materials before we receive them you can go to the following sites:
Should you need any other state's tax materials they are usually available online at that state's website. And, since April 15th is a Tuesday in 2008, that is the day by midnight on which you will need to have filed your tax returns.
Visit our Tax page for additional tax information.
The South Plainfield Public Library has three different ways for patrons to renew materials. One way is to call the Library when it is open and speak to a staff member.
The other two ways are 24/7 (but you must renew before midnight of the day on which the items are due, if you renew after midnight the items will be considered late by the system). You can call ELVIS, our automated renewal system. Or if you have a computer you can renew materials through our website. If you call ELVIS you need to have both your South Plainfield Library card and the materials you are renewing on hand. If you renew through our website all you need is your Library card. You will see a list of all the items you have checked out and can choose which you want to renew.
The only problem you might encounter using the two 24/7 systems is that you may find that you cannot renew an item. There are several reasons that might occur. If another patron has a hold on an item, if you have renewed it too many times, if it is an interlibrary loan, then you will not be able to renew the item and you would be responsible for any overdue fines. Therefore it is best either to renew materials ahead of the due date or if it is at the date to be returned to call and speak to a staff member. The Library does not want to charge anyone overdue fees so we urge all patrons to be aware of when items are due and if they are not going to return them, to renew them.
Visit our Renewals page for additional information.
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