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Community Awareness Series

Celebrating 40+ Years of Service

Community Awareness Series (CAS) was born in 1977 out of a successful experiment between the Miller Branch Library and the Spirit of Life Ensemble. The series grew from a program coordinated by a collective of local artists and musicians in residence that garnered tremendous interest and support from the public.


A Department of Jersey City Free Public Library

As a department of the Jersey City Free Public Library, CAS serves as an ambassador in the arts by organizing and conducting live performances, workshops, educational forums, multicultural presentations, children’s programs, and institutional outreach for Jersey City, Hudson County, and beyond.


A Multifaceted Cultural Initiative

Based at Miller Library Branch, CAS operates throughout the Library system and throughout the city. The Live Performance Series’ mainstay is jazz, but CAS also hosts world beat, folk, blues, gospel, rock, and classical music.

Another component of the live performance is dance and spoken word. The Workshop/Forum Series puts a spotlight on social development, creative endeavors, information sharing, and resource distribution in an informal setting. The Children’s Series focuses on live edutainment.

CAS Outreach Series initiated many joint projects with various social, educational, cultural, religious, and government institutions; along with Jersey City’s public, in the hopes of fostering unity and providing a visual platform for our multicultural communities.


The Cunningham Branch will be closed from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM today, July 6. It will reopen at 2:00 PM. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Please be advised that Priscilla Gardner Main Library will be closing at 5pm today, April 11th, 2024.

All Library Locations Will Be Closed on Friday, April 19, for Staff Development. The Library Will Open for Services on Saturday, April 20. We Apologize for Any Inconvenience.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo desde JCFPL! Celebrate with us and explore our Spanish-language collections at Biblioteca Criolla.

Bookmobile Services Temporarily Unavailable from May 8th to May 10th. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.

The Five Corners Library will open at 11am on Wednesday, June 12th. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.

Today for Hudson Gives, there will be a $5k match minute at 2:01 p.m. and later at 5:51 p.m.. All giving will end at 11:59PM on May 17th.

The Priscilla Gardner Main Library will open at 12:00 pm on 05/24/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Five Corners Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 05/30/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The West Bergen Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/05/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Cunningham Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/06/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Morgan Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/13/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Miller Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/18/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Marion Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/20/2024 due to a delayed opening.

The Heights Branch will open at 12:00 pm on 06/21/2024 due to a delayed opening.

In observance of Memorial Day, all branches of the li