Community Corner
Democratic Candidate for Congress Visits Local Library
Matthew Harris, a Democrat Candidate for New Jersey’s First Congressional District, visited the Runnemede Municipal Public Library Monday to discuss its educational and literacy impacts on the community.
Director Kathleen Vasinda provided the candidate, a native of Runnemede running for the federal office, a tour of the facility located at 2 Broadway.
Vasinda started the visit with a demonstration of the library’s workstations that residents can utilize for Internet research. Harris then reviewed the stacks of books, and noted how the variety of book subjects is great for children to pursue topics geared to their interests and needs. “As a child, I remember going to the Runnemede Library to read every book it had on space,” Harris reminisced.
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Harris explained how he thinks that “Through interactive and engaging programs, public libraries provide children a place to develop important literacy skills that will enhance their learning experiences.”
Vasinda discussed the various programs offered to Runnemede’s youth including the library’s summer reading program. He stated how such programs are “essential to combating the achievement gap that widens over the summer break.”
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Harris elaborated on how research shows that students can maintain their reading level by reading as few as two or three books during the summer. This reading loss can accumulate, which means that by middle school, these children can be as much as two school years behind students who read during summer break.
Education is a major issue for Harris. He advocates restoring the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding to the pre-sequestration level of $184.7 million. President Obama’s current budget request funds the Act at $177 million. As part of the annual Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill, the LSTA is the only federal program exclusively for libraries. This Act funds efforts such as family literacy classes, assistive devices for people with disabilities, and help on web searches of job banks.
Harris is running against incumbent Congressman Rob Andrews in the June 2014 Democratic Primary.
