SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION No. 31

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 4, 2025

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Joint Resolution No. 31.

     This joint resolution designates the second week of September of each year as “Library Awareness Week in New Jersey.” 

     Libraries are critical institutions and dynamic centers of lifelong learning that play a unique role in ensuring the public’s right to know and empowering people from all walks of life to make informed decisions about the world around them.  Libraries also play a key role in the national discourse on intellectual freedom and equity of access to information and are the cornerstone of our democracy.  It is therefore appropriate to foster public pride and support of the State’s libraries, promote awareness and use of their valuable resources, and recognize the many contributions of library professionals by establishing a “Library Awareness Week in New Jersey.”

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.