(Voorhees, NJ) – On Friday, March 1, the Camden County Library System and the Burlington County Library System launched a partnership with four other libraries to begin a borrowing program that will allow card holding residents to borrow books from libraries across the state. The additional participating locations are the Hunterdon, Somerset, Sussex and Warren county library systems.
“This is an exciting venture that we are embarking on that will allow residents expanded access to books beyond their local library location,” said Linda Devlin, director of the Camden County Library System. “In addition to our local communities having access to nearly 1.3 million books between Burlington and Camden, area cardholders visiting family and friends in North Jersey will be able to stop by the libraries there to borrow books. Altogether residents of participating libraries will have access to nearly three million items.”
Residents who have a library card will be able to visit any of the participating locations to borrow books and other items as determined by that library system. EBooks, and other digital, streaming, and online resources are not available for loan.
“The library is a beloved community resource and allowing residents to expand their options is an incredibly exciting development,” said Camden County Commissioner Melinda Kane, liaison to the Camden County Library System. “We hope that this program will not only encourage cardholders to utilize the library more but will also inspire more residents to sign up for a library card and unlock all of the amazing resources the library has to offer.”
Borrowers are encouraged to return items to the library where the book was originally borrowed them from. However, they may also return items to their home library.
“We are excited to offer this new program to eligible area residents,” said Ranjna Das, director of the Burlington County Library System. “Thanks to this partnership, cardholders will be able to borrow books from any of these participating library locations. It is a great idea that will expand cardholders’ access to additional libraries and their materials.”
“New Jersey’s first county library opened in Burlington County and now more than 100 years later, our libraries continue to evolve and grow to meet our residents’ varied needs,” said Burlington County Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the Burlington County Library System. “Partnering with our neighboring library systems and others in North Jersey will add even more value to our county library cards and encourage more residents to visit our libraries and discover how they can help make a difference for them and their families.”