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Prepare for Your Future Successes with the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey

About Blog Post Jul 2, 2018 by Pressroom
According to a recent COUNTRY Financial Security Index® report, although individuals 18 and older are culturally considered to be an adult, financial independence is not being reached by the current generation until age 25 or older by one third of the population. Additionally, according to this 2016 Forbes survey, many respondents felt unprepared for adulthood following educational pursuits including 43 percent wishing they had learned how to invest, 40 percent wishing they had learned how to do taxes, and 26 percent wishing they had learned how to manage monthly bills. As a response to this need, the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) will be hosting a series of programs geared towards teens and young adults. The programs will touch on the topics of job preparation, leadership, financial literacy, and more. “We are finding that many teens today don't know how to cook, change a tire, balance a checkbook, or apply for a job, but are eager to discover how to do these things. While schools prepare them for college and careers, we want to help prepare them for life. In Adulting 101 programs, teens will learn different life skills which will grant them the ability to enter adulthood with confidence,” said Christine Jansen, young adult librarian at SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch. "Part of what we do is meet the information needs of our patrons. We noticed that fewer schools are preparing their students for the non-academic parts of being an adult. We noticed that we had new adult patrons that didn't know how to safely cook a meal, make a budget, or sew a seam. We saw this as an information need, so we set out to do our best to meet it. It's very exciting when a high school student gets to sit down and eat a meal that they have prepared themselves, and it's even better when we find out that they took that new skill and prepared a healthy, inexpensive meal for their families, and even better when the choose to borrow one of our cookbooks in order to do so! It's great to be there for that experience and to know that we helped them acquire those skills and that information,” said Errol Logan, teen and adult services librarian at SCLSNJ’s Somerville Library branch. The programming series will be hosted in partnership with community partner, Middle Earth, a nonprofit agency which provides services to teens and adolescents throughout Somerset County. “Our library's partnership with Middle Earth's Adulting 101 program allows teens to have a preview of 'the real world.' While many of our library's teens have volunteer experience with SCLSNJ and some are working in paid positions, these classes go beyond work experience to learning about life skills. Budgeting and living on your own are topics you normally learn after high school, so these classes give teens an edge before they transition into adulthood,” said Katie Salerno, youth services librarian at SCLSNJ’s Bridgewater Library branch. Writing a Resume (entering grades 9-12)
  • July 5, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bridgewater Library branch, located at 1 Vogt Drive in Bridgewater. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/676018.
  • July 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Somerville Library branch, located at 35 West End Avenue in Somerville. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/716151.
  • July 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch, located at 379 South Branch Road in Hillsborough. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/699787.
  • July 18, 6-7 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branch, located at 64 Washington Street in Rocky Hill. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/704610.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “Best Resumes for College Students and New Grads: Jump-Start Your Career!” by Louise Kursmark and “Resume 101: A Student and Recent-Grad Guide to Crafting Resumes and Cover Letters that Land Jobs” by Quentin J. Schultze. Get a Job: Application and Interviewing Process (entering grades 9-12)
  • July 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bridgewater Library branch, located at 1 Vogt Drive in Bridgewater. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/675997.
  • July 12, 2-3 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bound Brook Memorial Library branch, located at 402 East High Street in Bound Brook. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/675972.
  • July 31, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch, located at 379 South Branch Road in Hillsborough. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/675829.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “The Young Adult's Survival Guide to Interviews: Finding the Job and Nailing the Interview” by Rebekah Sack and “Knock 'em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide” by Martin John Yate. Learn to Lead: Boss Level Adulting (entering grade 9-12)
  • July 10, 2-3 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bound Brook Memorial Library branch, located at 402 East High Street in Bound Brook. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/676050.
  • July 10, 6-7 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Warren Twp. Library branch, located at 42 Mountain Boulevard in Warren Twp. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/715862.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “2 Billion Under 20: How Millennials Are Breaking Down Age Barriers and Changing the World” by Stacey Ferreira & Jared Kleinert and “Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters” by Laurie Ann Thompson. Moving Out: How to Live on Your Own (entering grade 9-12)
  • July 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bridgewater Library branch, located at 1 Vogt Drive in Bridgewater. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/676028.
  • July 24, 2-3 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Bound Brook Memorial Library branch, located at 402 East High Street in Bound Brook. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/675991.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get it Together (Sort of)” by Arden Rose and “The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make: A Guide for Teens” by Sean Covey. Stay Out of Debt: Budgeting on Your Own (entering grade 9-12) Books for further exploration on this topic: “The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good With Money” by Chelsea Fagan and “The Millennial Money Fix: What You Need to Know About Budgeting, Debt, and Finding Financial Freedom” by Douglas A. Boneparth. Microwaves and Mini Fridges (entering grade 10 - college sophomore)
  • August 2, 6-8 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s North Plainfield Memorial Library branch, located at 6 Rockview Avenue in North Plainfield. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/722578.
Savvy Spender: Make the Most Out Your Money (entering grade 9-12)
  • August 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch, located at 379 South Branch Road in Hillsborough. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/716937.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties” by Beth Kobliner and “Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter” by Dan Ariely. The Ins and Outs of Applying to College (entering grades 9-12 and caregivers)
  • August 29, 7-8 p.m. at SCLSNJ’s Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branch, located at 64 Washington Street in Rocky Hill. Register at sclsnj.libnet.info/event/719586.
Books for further exploration on this topic: “The Bound-for-College Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Applying to Colleges” by Frank Burtnett and “The Complete Guide to Paying for College: Save Money, Cut Costs, and Get More for Your Education Dollar” by Leah Ingram. Registration is requested for all programs in the series. Register at SCLSNJ.org or call 908-458-8400.
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