New Library Program Allows Patrons To Check Out Free Museum Passes

When residents head to the local library this summer, they will soon be able to check out more than books thanks to a new program offering free passes to some of the areas best museums.

The Bernards Township Library will launch the "Museum Pass Program" later this summer, which allows anyone with a valid library card to check out passes for free to 14 different museums in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

Similar programs have been in place at other libraries in the state. Library Director Anne Meany said at the Library Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday that the final logistics are being worked out to add the program locally, and residents should be able to start using it sometime in July.

Library patrons will reserve a pass by calling or visiting the circulation desk, and one pass per family may be borrowed at any one time. Reservations may be made up to 90 days in advance to allow residents plenty of time to book their trip.

The number of people admitted to a museum per pass varies on the museum you visit, but many allow family-sized groups. After booking a reservation, the pass will be available after 3 p.m. the day before the trip and must be returned by 11 a.m. the following day for weekdays. Passes can be picked up after 3 p.m. on Friday and returned before 11 a.m. on Monday for weekend trips.

As with checking out other library materials, the passes will be completely free, although a $5 per day late fee will be administered, and losing the pass incurs a separate, steeper fee.

"You can check it out like you would check it out like a book," said Louis Bloom, a member of the Library Board of Trustees. Listed below are the participating museums in the new program, all of which will honor the free pass after the program starts.

Participating Museums

New Jersey

• Garden State Discovery Museum, Cherry Hill
• Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
• Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown
• Montclair Art Museum
• Morris Museum, Morristown
• Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, Madison
• The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, Morris Plains

New York

• American Folk Art Museum, New York
• American Museum of Natural History, New York
• Children's Museum of Manhattan, New York
• Guggenheim Museum, New York
• Museum of the City of New York

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia