Find Bargain Books and More at Jackson Friends’ Annual Sale

JACKSON TOWNSHIP – Freshening up your reading, viewing or listening collection? Hunting for bargains? Stock up and save during the Jackson Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale, Tuesday, June 25 through Saturday, June 29 at the Ocean County Library Jackson Branch.

The sale will take place during normal Branch operating hours all five days:

• Tuesday, June 25 through Thursday, June 27 – 9 AM until 9 PM
• Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 – 9 AM until 5 PM

Browse our gently-used hardcover and softcover books, music compact discs and DVD movies or programs. Proceeds from each cash-only transaction will benefit the OCL Jackson Branch.

The Friends are volunteers who support the Library through fundraising, programs and advocacy. New members are always welcome. Membership applications are available at all OCL branches and reading centers and at https://theoceancountylibrary.org/oclfriends.

For more information, stop by the OCL Jackson Branch, 2 Jackson Drive, call (732) 928-4400 or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at https://theoceancountylibrary.org and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Embark on a New Adventure: ‘DnD’ for Teens at the Ocean County Library

TOMS RIVER – If you’re a teen who’s never played Dungeons and Dragons and wanted to try it, learn from experienced players at the Ocean County Library. “Dungeons and Dragons for Teens” will take place at three OCL branches, all starting at 6:30 PM.

• Long Beach Island Branch – Wednesday, June 26, 217 South Central Avenue, Surf City, (609) 494-2480. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclLbiDnD.
• Manchester Branch – Monday, July 29, 21 Colonial Drive, (732) 657-7600. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclManchesterDnD.
• Barnegat Branch – Wednesday, July 31, 112 Burr Street, (609) 698-3331. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclBarnegatDnD.

Join in on a short and simple beginner-friendly adventure. Create your personal character, take action and see how the Dragon Master interprets the results.

This free fun program is open to new and experienced players alike. Space is limited, so be sure to register. For more information, stop by or call any participating branch, or visit www.theoceancountylibrary.org/events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Tween’s Vivid Art is Summer Display at Ocean County Library Jackson Branch

JACKSON TOWNSHIP – The works of Ocean County artist Jason B are on display through the end of August at the Ocean County Library Jackson Branch. Jason has studied art for more than six years – and that’s fully half his life.

Reserved and unpretentious, this budding artist has let his imagination flow through his hands practically since he first held a crayon. As he recalled, blank paper allowed him freedom of expression.

“I just picked it up and thought, ‘Hmmm. This could be fun.’ And instantly, I developed a bond.”

With enthusiastic family support, Jason joined art clubs in Waretown, Barnegat and Manahawkin. He developed fondness for watercolors and found that the more he learned, the more he wanted to explore.

Jason began flexing his own imagination, turning random shapes drawn by his family into recognizable objects. He later taught himself to draw the human form. A Jason B. anime became a hot commodity among his friends. He created handmade copies – 15 in all.

His work was seen in an exhibit by Barnegat Recreation’s “Young Picasso” program in the OCL Barnegat Branch. As a first-grader at his community’s Founders’ Day festivities, he captured Best in Show and first prize in his age group for a crayon rendering he titled “Cardinal in Winter.”

For all that, Jason places no emphasis on competition in art. He finds satisfaction in people relating to the art that emerges from his emotional core. It’s his own de-stressing mechanism. “I just go in my room and start to draw. It calms me right down.”

Entering middle school, the A-B Honor Roll student will balance classwork, extracurriculars, homework, cross-country running and time with friends while exploring a career in architecture, but art will still have a valued spot in his schedule.

“I haven’t done enough oils or pastels,” Jason remarked. “I want to do more of that.” He’s increasingly working from real life, bringing his own fertile imagination to what he sees.
Jason’s exhibit is free and open to the public during normal Branch operating hours. For more information, stop by the OCL Jackson Branch, 2 Jackson Drive, call (732) 928-4400, or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Preserve Your Past: Photo Saving Tips at the Ocean County Library Toms River Branch

TOMS RIVER – Photographs in your personal collection provide links to your history, and they can grow tattered over time. Learn how identify, preserve and interpret your old photos in a workshop at the Ocean County Library Toms River Branch, 10 AM Saturday, June 22.

The Wheeler Room, home to the Library’s archival items, will be the setting for museum consultant Lindsey Smith, founder of the ExhibitsmithTM content development firm and its HangerbeeTM garment preservation arm. Her introductory session will incorporate authentic examples of 19th- and 20th-century images.

Lindsey has applied her curating and exhibition experience for more than 20 years, showing individuals and groups how to organize and care for their collectibles and valuable historical artifacts.

Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclTrFam for this free program. For more information, stop by the OCL Toms River Branch, 101 Washington Street, call (732) 349-6200, or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Psych Thriller Fans, Meet the ‘Queen of Twists’ in Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk

TOMS RIVER – Love those shadowy fictional tales with more unexpected turns than a mega-rollercoaster? Buckle up for an Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk with the “Queen of Twists,” Freida McFadden, 8 PM Thursday, June 13.

Freida’s knack for seat-squirming suspense catapulted her to the best-selling ranks of The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon Charts. The International Thriller Writers and Goodreads Choice Award winner’s novels have been translated into more than 30 languages.

The third installment of her popular “Housemaid” series, The Housemaid is Watching, will debut Tuesday, June 11. It joins The Housemaid, The Housemaid’s Secret, and more than a dozen more McFadden thrillers that are available in print, audiobook and eBook versions at the Ocean County Library.

Readers catch up with Millie Calloway, no longer cleaning houses, enjoying family life in a home with a huge yard in a quiet enclave. But an icy neighbor and housemaid next door leave Millie uneasy. Her husband leaves the house long after dark. Are they being watched? And why did a woman living nearby warn her, “Be careful of your neighbors?”

When she isn’t spinning spine-tingling tales, Freida is a physician in the field of brain injury. Her work has spawned novels of medical humor as well as mystery.

Please register at https://libraryc.org/theoceancountylibrary to attend this free program, to view the upcoming schedule, and to view previous talks. Registrants will receive links to the program by email and may submit questions for the author when signing up.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Book & Bling Bargains at the Ocean County Library Toms River Friends’ Pop-Up Sale

TOMS RIVER – Need some nifty beach reads? Looking for movies or music on your “must” list? How about something to glam up the wardrobe? Find gently-used items at pocketbook-pleasing prices during the Friends’ Pop-Up Book & Bling Sale at the Ocean County Library Toms River Branch, 11 AM until 3 PM Saturday, June 15.

Toms River Pride Festival visitors and bargain hunters will find hardcover and softcover books, audiobooks, DVDs and audio compact discs, all generously donated, along with a sparkling assortment of rings, pins, necklaces, brooches, purses and pocketbooks. All donated “bling” is carefully cleaned before going on display.

Each cash-only transaction supports the Friends of the Ocean County Library – Toms River. The Friends are volunteers who support the Library through fundraising, programs, and advocacy. New members are always welcome. Applications are available at all OCL branches and reading centers and online at https://theoceancountylibrary.org/oclfriends.

For more information, stop by the OCL Toms River Branch, 101 Washington Street, call (732) 349-6200, or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Learn NJ’s Adult Disability Support Services at the Ocean County Library Stafford Branch

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP – New Jersey’s support for disabled children doesn’t end when adulthood arrives. Learn how to advance from the state’s Children System of Care (PerformCare) to the Division of Developmental Disabilties (NJDDD) in a special program at the Ocean County Library Stafford Branch, 6:30 PM Wednesday, June 26.

NJDDD oversees state-provided services for disabled adults. Monique Lewis, Director of Equal Opportunity Support Services, will describe how to move from one agency to the other to ensure that your loved one continues to receive uninterrupted services.

Among the workshop’s key topics of information are:

• How to learn whether an individual is qualified to receive services.
• The application process, including the differences between long and short application forms.
• Services offered by NJDDD.
• Steps that ensue after an individual is notified of eligibility for services.

To register for this free program by stop by the OCL Stafford Branch, 129 North Main Street, Manahawkin, visit https://tinyurl.com/OclStaffordNJDDD, or call (609) 597-3381.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Hear the Legacy of Juneteenth at the Ocean County Library Plumsted Branch

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP – Juneteenth is a day to celebrate emancipation, and to pay homage to countless individuals whose sacrifices great and small made it possible. Join Storyteller Michelle Washington Wilson for “When the Cavalry Came to Call” at the Ocean County Library Plumsted Branch, 2:30 PM Tuesday, June 18.

Juneteenth National Independence Day is the federal holiday that commemorates emancipation and celebrates African American culture. Ms. Wilson’s intriguing tales and poems will form a verbal tapestry of the people whose pursuit of freedom are their legacy.

Now in her fourth decade as a Motivational Storyteller, Michelle Washington Wilson is an active member of the New Jersey Storytelling Network (NJSN) and the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS).

In 2023, the Newtonville native and Monmouth University alumna was named one of four prominent “Women Who Tell Our Stories” by the Atlantic County Advisory Commission on Women. She is featured in Legendary Locals of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and Small Towns, Black Lives, available at the Ocean County Library.

Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclPlumstedCavalry for this free program, recommended for older teens and adults and sponsored by a generous donation from the Ocean County Library Foundation (OCLF).

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that enhances Library services, programs and facilities in support of OCL’s commitment to community engagement.

For more information, stop by the OCL Plumsted Branch, 119 Evergreen Road, New Egypt, call (609) 758-7888, or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.

Visit Mars with Smithsonian’s Matthew Shindell in Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk

TOMS RIVER – Mysterious Mars is an endless source of fascination and imagination. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Curator Matthew Shindell’s For the Love of Mars surveys the Red Planet’s place in folklore and in the future of space travel. He’ll take you there during his Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk, 2 PM Monday, June 3.

Matt will introduce you to historical figures from all over the world whose curiosity about Mars bridged fact and fantasy, including:

• Mayan astrologer-priests who factored Mars into calendars and religious rites.
• Babylonian star-gazers who saw it as a source of omens.
• Scientific Revolution leaders who wrestled with the concept of Mars as a world.
• Victorian-era astronomers who sought signs of intelligent life.
• 20th- and 21st-century scientists who introduced technology to the planet.

During the voyage through time, Matt will familiarize you with artists and writers who have taken followers on their own imaginative trips into space.

Matthew Shindell, Ph.D., oversees the Museum’s artifacts related to study of Earth and the solar system and co-hosts its AirSpace podcasts. For the Love of Mars, available at the Ocean County Library, is the newest of a half-dozen science-inspired works that he has written, co-authored, or edited.

Please register at https://libraryc.org/theoceancountylibrary for this free virtual program, to view the upcoming schedule, and to view previous talks. Registrants will receive links to the program by email and may submit questions for the author when signing up.

Keep up with Library programs and events at www.theoceancountylibrary.org, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, and Pinterest.