As a former manager of a local library and the present director of the Library Development Bureau of the New Jersey State Library, I have seen how the libraries within the New Jersey Library Network use their facilities as community centers that reach teens before they have joined gangs, during their involvement and afterward when they are seeking new alternatives. New Jersey libraries are in the position to provide community leaders information they need to initiate solutions and the assistance of professional librarians to find the latest materials in print and on the web. Municipalities and community groups looking for a partner in finding the solutions to keeping our communities gang-free would be wise look to their local library. 

The New Jersey Library Network has more than 2,000 public, school and special libraries throughout New Jersey’s 21 counties. Last year over 42 million people attended public libraries alone. When it comes to reaching teens, our libraries are actively involved in building relationships and creating environments that meet the needs of teens. We have worked to fill our shelves with books, music and movies that are geared to their interests. We have created Teen Advisory Boards made up of teens that create programs and help us to select the materials that are of interest to them. Last year we added a specific teen focus to the statewide Summer Reading Program and they read over 70,000 books. Not only have our New Jersey libraries successfully connected to teens at public and school libraries, many have also created outreach and provided services to juvenile detention centers, teen mothers, and the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender) communities. Initiatives such as the gang task force at Linden High School, where once a year, an inmate from the local prison gives a scared straight talk to the kids, help educate teens about gangs. So when communities are looking to reach teens, the first call they make should be to their local library.  

A quick survey of New Jersey libraries has indicated libraries are an excellent place to serve as the meeting place for community members to learn about gangs. For example, last spring the Mercer County Library held two two-part sessions entitled Gang Intervention and Prevention.  It was presented by the Juvenile Justice Commission and the program was on gang identification, education, and community action.  Librarian Susan Conlon, Princeton Public Library, has noted that her library has worked with groups in the Princeton community to help build awareness.  

Librarians play a vital role in providing much needed information to community leaders and educators. Exemplifying this role is Librarian Janice Cooper of Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan who wrote a WebQuest (an online lesson) on gangs. WebQuests are lesson plans that draw most of their support materials from the Internet. They also attempt to help students think at the highest levels as they tackle "real life" tasks. In this lesson, high school students were asked to create media campaigns focused on middle school students to help them decide to stay out or get out of gangs. The lesson included a hot list of gang resources, novels for students about gangs and websites featuring youth gang statistics and a site featuring New Jersey youth gang statistics. Librarians can also be a resource for effective presenters and programs when groups are looking to put together conferences or workshops.  Experts at researching topics, your local librarians are excellent sources to find the newest information related to gangs in print and online. They often have compiled book and web lists that can be printed out and distributed to staff and community members. Librarians can also assist people in using the statewide online resource JerseyClicks that provides full text articles, free to NJ library card holders and the interlibrary loan system, JerseyCat that will search for requested books from over 800 libraries in New Jersey and the nation. These resources are especially helpful to make sure you are using the most up to date and complete information when researching topics related to gang activity. 

As community partners, NJ Libraries are committed to our youth and need to be at the table whenever municipalities are looking to find successful solutions. To reach your local library online go to www.njlibraries.org  

Jeffrey A. Kesper is the Director of the New Jersey State Library Development Bureau which leads New Jersey libraries into the future by initiating solutions to the increasingly complex problems facing libraries. He can be reached at jkesper@njstatelib.org.