It is with extreme sadness that we learned of the passing of Carol Lerro. Carol worked at the library for twenty seven years and retired on September 30, 2014.

Carol was a Library Assistant in the Circulation Department where she worked well with her team of coworkers. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge of books and authors with library patrons.

We offer sincere condolences to Carol’s family and friends.

Read Carol Lerro’s obituary

Happy Halloween from the Heggan staff!

As part of strategic planning goals, the library management team is visiting other public libraries. We are hoping to implement some ideas for services that we learn about at other areas libraries. This past year we took two prior trips to Burlington County, NJ and New Castle County, DE. We took our final trip in October 2025. We visited the Plainsboro Public Library, the Princeton Public Library, and the Pennsauken Free Public Library. All of these libraries are multiple story buildings and we were especially impressed with the abundance of natural lighting and the availability of outdoor space for meetings and programs.

You may have heard the news that Baker & Taylor, a major distributor of books, is closing.

Although the Margaret E. Heggan Free public library of Washington Township was one of their customers, we are still able to provide a plethora of titles due to our use of many other book vendors.

As an example, we acquire multiple copies of bestselling adult fiction and nonfiction books regularly.

Thank you to the Friends of the Library!

Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library

A Resolution of the Library Board

National Friends of Libraries Week Proclaim

Whereas the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library have been in existence since 2005 and they are celebrating their twentieth anniversary this year; and

Whereas the Friends have raised thousands of dollars for the library through membership drives, book and jewelry sales, and other special fundraising events; and

Whereas the Friends always recognize library retirees with a gift and the entire staff with a tasty snack during National Library Workers’ Day during National Library Week; and

Whereas the Friends have been a driving force in the success of the library through their ongoing advocacy and fundraising efforts;

Now therefore be it resolved that the Library Board of Trustees of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library proclaims October 19-25, 2025, as Friends of Libraries Week in Sewell, New Jersey, and urges others to join the Friends of the Library and thanks them for improving our library and library community.

On Friday, September 5, 2025, we attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest Little Free Library at Bells Elementary School. One of our strategic planning goals is to increase outreach. We are proud of our partnership with Washington Township Public Schools and plan to add another Little Free Library to a township school in 2026.

The other Little Free Libraries that we maintain are at Washington Lake Park, Washington Township Municipal Building, and the Washington Township Police Department.

Some of our carpets were spot cleaned early this morning and they did not dry before we opened. Please use caution when walking on the carpets. All of the library is still open except for Study Room A. The table outside of Study Room A is inaccessible. We apologize for this temporary inconvenience.

The library is currently accepting quotes for custodial services, facilities services, and lawn services for the time frame of January 1 – December 31 2026.

Quotes are due by 5 PM on Friday, October 3rd, 2025.

The Heggan Library is raffling off eight tickets to the Sunday, September 28th Phillies game being played at 3:05pm!

Visit the circulation desk to sign up for a library card!

It is with extreme sadness that we learned of the passing of Patty Gallagher. Patty worked at the library from 2017 – 2019, first as a Library Shelver and then as a Children’s Library Assistant.

Patty worked well with everyone, especially children and their caregivers. She was given the Caught in the Act Award for outstanding customer service. Patty was very creative and never failed to lift our spirits on Halloween, always wearing innovative costumes.

We offer sincere condolences to Patty’s family and friends.

A new version of the LOGIN Libraries app is available for your mobile devices! Manage your account, search the catalog, place holds, and more in this new and improved experience.

Please Note that this is a new app, separate from the previously released LOGIN Libraries app.

The new LOGIN Libraries app is available from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store

Participate in the library’s adult summer reading program from now until August 31st!

This summer we have the goal of reaching 1,000 participants in our Summer Reading program and we’re over halfway there! So far, we have 702 plus children signed up and over 13,405 books read.

There’s still more time to sign up!

You can sign up online, by calling the library, or stopping in. Help us reach our goal of 1,000!

We thank the following people and agencies for making it a success:

• Anny Walters
• Brian McCafferty and the Washington Township Public Works Department
• Chief Gurcsik and the Washington Township Police Department
• Chris Garofalo
• Hollydell Ice Rink
• Mike Nolan of Timberline Cold Storage
• JPC Group Inc.
• Teen Advisory Board members
• Washington Township Ambulance and Rescue
• Washington Township Fire District

Also, many thanks to the following locations for allowing our patrons to park in their lots:

• Gloucester County Department of Social Services
• Rainbow Gymnastics
• Rivell LLC.

We are very proud of Sara Figueroa, Youth Services Supervisor, who has been working at the library since September 2022! She had been elected Vice President of the Executive Board of the Children’s Service Section of the New Jersey Library Association.

Thanks to our partnership with the Washington Township School District, and especially, Bells Elementary School, patrons visiting the Heggan Library have access to free bookmarks. The bookmarks were designed and created by students at Bells with the assistance of their educators. Stop in the Heggan Library to pick up a bookmark at the children’s desk.

We are very thankful to the third grade students and staff at Bells Elementary School, especially Mrs. Catalano, for the stained glass butterflies that students created for our children’s library. Stop by the library to see these beautiful artistic creations.

We are thankful to the Washington Township Environmental Commission for providing us with two bluebird boxes.

We offer sincere congratulations to Rebecca Ward, PT Children’s Librarian, and her former library colleagues. The Somerset County Library System is a 2025 recipient of a Library Service Award for “Bound Brook Outreach.”

On May 29th, at the NJ Library Association conference in Atlantic City, Rebecca and other library staff from Somerset County were given the award for all of the outreach they conducted. This outreach was accomplished during a fifteen month period while the Bound Brook Branch was closed for long-term building repairs. During this time, Rebecca connected with community members by visiting the local food bank, schools, festivals, carnivals and more to promote library services. Rebecca just began working at the Heggan Library earlier in May. We are thrilled that she is a member of our excellence staff and Youth Services Department. We are looking forward to her future outreach endeavors in the Washington Township community. She will be visiting elementary schools in June to promote the summer reading program and she will be representing the library at National Night Out in August.

We are grateful to the Friends of the Library for financially supporting the library. We recently purchased adult biography books using their funds. Here is a list of the books.

Do you need help finding your next great read?
We have been assisting patrons who are referring to a summer reading list that was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 15, 2025. All but five of the books on that list were AI-generated and do not exist.

The newspaper staff writer, Anthony R. Wood, in a follow up Philadelphia Inquirer article on May 21, 2025, stated that the list was created by an external content creator. Gabriel Escobar, editor and senior vice president of the Philadelphia Inquirer, said that it is a violation of internal policies and a serious breach to use artificial intelligence to produce content.

Below is the published list with the fake books crossed out. Of the five books that are real, the Heggan Library has all of them except one in either a physical or digital format for patrons to borrow. We do not own the title by Francoise Sagan because it was originally published in 1954.

Our well-read library staff members are equipped to assist patrons with reading recommendations. Many of our staff at the circulation desk and the children’s desk frequently converse with patrons about their favorite books. We also have patron picks and staff picks displayed in the new book area. These lists are also available on our website and they connect directly to the catalog.

Our librarians are available to suggest reading materials as well. Patrons can ask for readers’ advisory suggestions right from our website.

Throughout the year, our Teen Librarian maintains the Heggan Virtual Library for Teens & Tweens. This topic and genre-specific list includes books in the categories of adventure, romance, classics, biographies, and many more. Patrons can access this information by visiting our website and choosing Services. At the drop down menu, choose Youth Services. Scroll down and click on Teens and Tweens. This will bring you to the menu of book topics and genre categories.

In the summer months, we will also have printed lists available of recommended reading for youth age 0 to Pre-K, kindergarten to second grade, third grade to fifth grade, and sixth grade to eighth grade. These lists are provided by the Association of Library Services for Children, a division of the American Library Association.

The library also provides access to NoveList and NoveList K-8. These products are online readers’ advisory databases. They can be searched by keyword and subject. There are thousands of children’s, teen, and adult fiction titles with full-text reviews.

For more information, please visit the library or call the reference desk at 856 589 3334 extension 222.

The Friends of the Heggan Library will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a butterfly release.

Mayor DellaPia will join the friends as they look to future generations of readers who value books. Snacks will be provided. There is a limited supply of butterflies. Rain date: June 8th at 1pm.

Please note the ceremony with Mayor DellaPia, the reception, and the butterfly release will take place on June 7. If we have inclement weather, we will return on June 8th to release the butterflies.

We are thrilled that Rebecca Ward began working with us today as a PT Children’s Librarian. This newly created position ties in with our strategic planning goal of offering more programming for school-aged children.

Rebecca earned a BA in Spanish and Political Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick. In a few weeks, she will be attending her graduation ceremony, also at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where she is earning her MILS. Rebecca’s graduate degree in library science from Rutgers will be accredited by the American Library Association.
Rebecca previously worked at the Somerset County Library System as a Library Assistant for two years where she was responsible for reference, outreach, collection management, and programming.

One of our 2025 strategic planning goals is to conduct more outreach to Washington Township residents. We are partly implementing this goal by adding Little Free Libraries throughout the township. We currently have one at Washington Lake Park which was sponsored by Girl Scout Troop 61578 last year.

The second Little Free Library was just installed at the Washington Township Municipal Building. Not only are there free books, but the Little Free Library includes bookmarks about our services. There is also a QR code on the unit to make it easy to access the library website.

We are thankful for Mayor DellaPia and the township Public Works Department who assisted us with this project.

We have such a generous Friends of the Library group supporting us! We recently purchased sixty new adult large print books with funds from the Friends.

We are in the process of adding the following museum passes to our collection for adult Heggan cardholders in good standing to borrow from the library:

• Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice in Mt. Laurel, NJ
• Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, DE
• Delaware Museum of Nature & Science in Wilmington, DE
• DePace Sports Museum and Learning Center in Sewell, NJ
• Hands-On House in Lancaster, PA
• Shofuso Japanese House and Garden (Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia) in Philadelphia, PA

Besides these six new passes, we are adding a second pass to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA. We are also adding a third pass to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA, our most popular museum pass by far. We know that children and their caregivers will especially be excited to learn about our third pass to this location!

Please note that the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University, which will soon be opening in Mantua, NJ, does not sell passes to public libraries. If their policy changes, we will certainly consider purchasing a pass for our patrons to borrow.

When you visit the new adult book area, you may notice that the shelving units have been rearranged. These changes tie into our strategic planning goal of maximizing the use of the library’s shelving space by prioritizing the most frequently used materials.

By rotating all of the shelving units at a ninety degree angle, there is more visibility for both patrons and library staff. The area is also well-lit due to the large shelving unit being rearranged which has allowed more light to disperse. The shelving units now include three rows instead of two rows with additional space between them to allow for more patrons to browse simultaneously. This new shelving arrangement allows us to acquire and display even more copies of bestselling titles. As before, the lists of fiction and nonfiction bestsellers are available on end caps. One of our most popular collections, new adult large print, has more room to grow. We purchase several topics and genres of adult large print including mystery, romance, historical fiction, thrillers, biographies, and more. We have gotten many compliments about the reorganized space. This project has been in the planning stages since late 2024 and our team did a great job working together to improve the space for Washington Township residents. Stop by to see it and to browse our rearranged new adult collections!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Food for Fines last November and December. We collected 303 items for Mother's Cupboard.

We are very grateful to the Friends of the Library who recently made their 2025 yearly donation to the library for the amount of $11,100!

The funds will be used to further support library programs and services.

Here is our 2024 annual report, highlighting many of our accomplishments last year. Paper copies are also available at the library.

We are very proud of our work and the excellent services that our stellar staff members have provided to Washington Township residents.

Outreach

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The library continues to reach out to the community.

• All American Assisted Living
• Cardinal Village
• Coat Drive
• Five Star Senior Living
• Girl Scouts
• Hollydell School
• Greater Washington Township Chamber of Commerce
• Mother's Cupboard
• National Night Out
• Parent Teacher Organizations
• Super Saturday
• Washington Township Environmental Commission
• Washington Township Creative Team
• Washington Township Historic Preservation Commission
• Washington Township Public Schools
• Washington Township Senior Center

Programs and Services

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The 2024 – 2028 Library Strategic Plan was approved by the Library Board of Trustees. We exceeded our yearly statistical goals in 2024 compared with 2023, including program attendees (41%), visitors (16%), items borrowed (13%), program offered (10%), and new cardholders (6%).

We were reminded that patrons continue to value youth programming, year-round Sunday hours, three-week circulation period for books, and the availability of multiple copies of bestsellers to keep waiting times low. Through multiple platforms, we increased availability of electronic resources, including books, audiobooks, movies, and magazines. We began issuing digital library cards to township residents as part of Library Card Sign-Up Month. We replaced our computer software for program registrations and room reservations, allowing cardholders to reserve small study rooms and easily register for programs.

Our librarians launched several new programs, including Dungeons and Dragons for children and a Heritage Club and a Babysitting Club for teens. Adults were invited to Washington Lake Park for Rambling Readers: A Walking Book Club. Patrons enjoyed previous programs that were repeated, including story times, Truck Night, Blind Date With a Book, and guest speakers.

We added the Glencairn Museum pass, bringing our total number of museum and attraction passes to twenty-nine.

In conjunction with Girl Scout Troop 61578, Washington Township Public Works added a Little Free Library in Washington Lake Park, expanding our reach in the community.

Friends of the Library

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We are thankful to the Friends who donated $11,100 to support future library services. In 2024, Friends funds were used to enhance the summer reading programs for all ages. Friends funds were also used to purchase books for the collection, programming supplies, a Book Page subscription, and more.

2024 Statistics

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2024 Inventory

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We are thankful to the Washington Township Environmental Commission for providing us with five new trees.

Also, many thanks to Public Works for planting the trees on this foggy December morning.

In conjunction with kicking off Library Card Sign-Up Month, we are pleased to announce that we are now offering digital eLibrary cards to Washington Township residents!

This card will provide access to our entire eMaterials collection, including books, audiobooks, movies, and magazines.

Please note: If you already have a library card, you do not need to apply for a digital eLibrary card. Your full access library card already provides access to the eMaterials collection.

Please click here to apply for a digital eLibrary card.

Smokey the Bear just celebrated his 80th birthday! Let's learn about fire prevention together.
Every week this September, look for Smokey around the library. When you find him, let the Children's Desk know and you will get a Smokey the Bear sticker! Fire prevention info sheets will be available at the Children 's desk this September, as well.

Thanks to the community for making Truck Night such a success! We owe a special thanks to the following for making this event possible:

• Brian McCafferty Washington Township Public Works Department: sent Digger and Dump Truck
• Ofc. Jessica Walton Washington Township Police Department: Brought Squad car
  Washington Township Fire District
• Bill and Colleen Norcross B & C Services Westville: Sent tow truck
• Mike Nolan Timberline Cold Storage: Tractor
• Washington Township Ambulance and Rescue: Ambulance
• JPC Group Inc: Cement Mixer, Flat bed truck and Front Loader
• Ofc Elliot Davis Gloucester County Sheriff's Office: Bomb Squad

Andrew "Tim" Kiniry, who fought in World War II, will be at the library to talk about his experiences during the war. Tim, who is a 101, was born in Philadelphia on November 15th, 1921. He was drafted into the United States Army on August 22nd, 1942. He served with the 45th Evacuation Hospital. As a medic, he was one of the first to arrive at Buchenwald, one of the largest concentration camps in Germany.

See Andrew interviewed along with other WWII veterans by ABC News on the 80th anniversary of D-day:

Watch another interview with Andrew by the National World War II Museum.

Saturday, August 10th at 1:00 PM.

Registration is required online or by calling the library at 856-589-3334. This program is open to everyone.

Thank you to the Lukach family for donating this Little Free Library on behalf of Girl Scout Troop 61578. The troop members did a fantastic job decorating it! The Little Free Library is located at Washington Lake Park across from the snack stand by the playground. The Heggan Library is honored to donate books to the Little Free Library. We hope you’ll take a book and/or share a book.

Come in and escape the heat with something cool to read.

The library’s hours are:

• Monday – Thursday: 10AM – 9PM
• Friday – Saturday: 10AM – 5PM
• Sunday: 1PM – 5PM

The library is proud to unveil our new and improved event calendar! Please visit https://www.heggan.librarycalendar.com to explore and register for our upcoming events from today onwards. Events will no longer be added to the previous calendar. Please update your bookmarks.

April is National Poetry Month! The Heggan Library, along with the Washington Township Creative Team and Washington Lake Park, announces the installation of the 2024 Poetry Walk.
You can see all the poems at Washington Lake Park by the Ranger Station. Thank you to all the participants.

Visit our Poetry Walk page to read submissions from previous years.

Get ready for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th!

Pick up a pair of viewing glasses at our circulation desk. Limit one per person while supplies last.

The STAR Library Education Networks SEAL (Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) initiative (with major funding support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation) is distributing approximately 5 million solar eclipse viewing glasses to libraries in all 50 states and all US territories and protectorates.

We are happy to announce that support for the LOGIN Libraries App has returned!

Access your library anywhere from right from your mobile device. Manage your account, search the catalog, renew items, place holds on materials, and more.

Due to ship repairs, the Battleship NJ has decided to close early for tours and our museum pass for it is temporarily unavailable.

The library is proud to now offer Blackstone Unlimited to its cardholders. Visit Blackstone Unlimited to borrow a wide variety of excellent eAudiobooks.

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library of Washington Township is currently accepting quotes for facility services and lawn services in 2024.

Check out some our staff’s favorite books that they read in 2023:

In the last week, many members of the Gloucester County Library System (GCLS), especially Glassboro residents, have visited our library. Like GCLS, the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library of Washington Township is a member of the LOGIN consortium, serving residents in three counties. Here is more information about services available to GCLS cardholders at the Heggan Library.

We are in the process of building our igloo, but we need more gallon jugs! If you have any clean gallon jugs to spare, please bring them to the children’s library, and tell your friends, family, and neighbors. Thanks!

The library annual report for 2023 is available!

2023 Statistics

• Circulation: 177,694
• Physical Items Added to the Collection: 9,523
• Program Attendance: 11,409
• Total Programs Offered: 850
• Visitors: 92,427
• Interlibrary Loans Sent and Received: 230
• LOGIN Items Sent: 4,996
• LOGIN Items Received: 7,031
• New Cardholders: 1,591
• Internet Usage: 6,846
• Downloaded Materials: 14,503
• Museum Passes Borrowed: 403
• Reference Questions Answered: 18,127
• Wi-Fi Usage: 4,925
• Heggan Website Pages Accessed: 109,746

2023 Inventory

• Print Books: 80,863
• Print Magazines: 953
• Music CDs: 2,518
• Audio Book CD Titles: 3,046
• Movie Titles: 8,198

The library has completed its strategic plan for 2024 through 2028. Please click here to read the document.

On January 17, 2024, the Library Board of Trustees adopted the following resolution in honor of Roy J. Dawson III and his service to the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library. Click here to read the resolution.

On December 20, 2023, the Library Board of Trustees adopted the following resolution in honor of Mayor Gattinelli and her service to the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library. Books were also purchased to honor her dedication to the library. Click here to read the resolution.

Over the next few weeks, we are hosting our local schools for an Open House at the library. Join us for special crafts, prizes, activities, snacks and more! Sign up for your library card and find out about all we have to offer! Already have a library card? That's ok! Each child who attends on their school's featured night will get to choose a book from our special cart to keep and teachers can choose a book for their classrooms. We look forward to seeing you!

Birches Open House had 24 new library card sign ups!

Hurffville open house had 70 new library card sign ups!

Bells open house had 29 new library card sign ups!

Thomas Jefferson open house had 9 new library card sign ups!

Washington Township Middle Schools open house had 5 new library card sign ups!

Wedgwood open house had 36 new library card sign ups!

Whitman open house had 9 new library card sign ups!

Grenloch Terrace Early Childhood Center open house had 29 new library card sign ups!

Please click here for more information WTPS open house sessions.
Please click here for more information on the GCIT, Home School, and Private School open house sessions.

We are ecstatic to welcome Dr. Eric Hibbs, Superintendent, Washington Township Public School District, as the newest member of the Library Board of Trustees. We are looking forward to increased collaboration with the school district in the future.
Dr. Hibbs attended his first library board meeting in July. Tonight, after the August board meeting, Dr. Hibbs obtained his Heggan Library card and checked out a few books.
All staff of both public and private schools in Washington Township are eligible for a free Heggan Library card. For more information, please contact the library at 856 589 3334 extension 200.

We are thrilled to announce that the library has a new Early Literacy Station in our Children’s Library! Designed for children ages two through eight, this computer will prepare young learners for the educational world ahead of them. Children will encounter familiar faces when using these computers, including Humpty Dumpty, Sid the Science Kid, Miss Spider, Stellaluna, the Berenstain Bears, Humpty Dumpty, and more!

Categories of games and programs include the following topics:

• ARTS & MUSIC
• ENGINEERING
• MATH
• READING
• SCIENCE
• TECHNOLOGY

This computer was purchased thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of the Library. The Friends of the Library support the library through fundraising and advocacy.
For more information about the Friends and to become a member or to make a donation, please visit their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org

Museum passes can now be borrowed for five days instead of three days. Click here for more information about museum passes that are available to borrow.

Our summer reading program kicked off on Monday, June 12th!

Read as much as you can, and attend our programs to collect beads and earn trips to our book prize cart!

Visit our summer reading page for more information.

The summer reading program ends on Friday, August 25th.

At the June 21st, 2023 Library Board of Trustees meeting, members bid farewell to Gary Breen, who recently retired as Principal of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Gary served as a library board member in place of the school superintendent since March 20, 2013. Gary was presented with a resolution from the library board.

WHEREAS Gary Breen has been a valued member of the Library Board of Trustees of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library since 2013; and

WHEREAS Gary Breen has been the school superintendent’s alternate on the library board for over ten years; and

WHEREAS Gary Breen has brought to the board his thorough knowledge of school operations as a former teacher and as an elementary school principal; and

WHEREAS Gary Breen has served on the Building and Grounds Committee, assisting with decisions relating to building maintenance and groundskeeping; and

WHEREAS Gary Breen’s dedication, enthusiasm, knowledge, and leadership in serving the school system and the library will be missed by those who had the privilege of working with him;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Library Board on this 21st day of June 2023 that we thank and commend Gary Breen for his contributions, loyalty, and faithful service to the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution is recorded in the minutes of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library Board of Trustees’ June 2023 meeting and that a copy is given to Gary Breen as a token of our thanks and gratitude to him.

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library is seeking quotes for custodial services for the span of July 1st, 2023 through December 31st, 2023. The deadline for submitting quotes is Monday, June 5, 2023. In order to receive the specifications of work and other information, please send an email to Sheila Mikkelson, Library Director, smikkelson@hegganlibrary.org or call 856-589-3334 extension 211.

The library was awarded a Level Up Your Library Mini-Grant from LibraryLinkNJ. The project is entitled “Connecting Communities: Providing for Neurodivergent Patrons” and the grant amount of $5,000 will be used to train staff on serving neurodivergent patrons, to administer sensory friendly programming for children, to make the library more accessible and welcoming for our neurodivergent patrons, and to remove barriers for our neurodivergent patrons. The Level Up Your Library mini-grants programs is supported by funds from LibraryLinkNJ. LibraryLinkNJ, the New Jersey Library Cooperative, and its services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network.

The library is pleased to announce that through a generous donation from the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library we were able to purchase many large print books for the collection.
Thank you to the Friends of the Library for supporting us and helping us to provide vast and exciting reading materials for our community. We’re fortunate to have such a caring group to assist us in serving the patrons.

The library is currently accepting quotes for lawn services and facilities services.

Click here for more information for facilities services.

Click here for more information for lawn services.

The 2022 annual report is here! Read about the library’s achievements in 2022.

Some notable statistics for 2022 include:

• Circulation: 155,841
• Physical Items Added to the Collection: 10,229
• Program Attendance: 4,508
• Total Programs Offered: 546
• Visitors: 66,566

Click here to read the 2022 annual report.

The library is happy to announce that we are providing our patrons with the Mango Languages database and app! Mango offers over 70 world language courses expertly designed to adapt to a diverse range of learning needs, styles, and backgrounds. Get started learning a new language today!

Try Mango Languages in a browser!
Download the Mango Languages app on iOS!
Download the Mango Languages app on Android!

Since 1987, in September, libraries and the American Library Association have united in a national effort to make sure that every child obtains a library card. By getting a library card, patrons have access to print and electronic resources, programs, and museum passes.

This year, the library is having a raffle for four free tickets to The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Existing Heggan cardholders and those getting a card for the first time, or a replacement card, are eligible to enter the drawing, which will be held on Monday, October 3rd. Participants do not need to be present to win.

We’re also featuring various community members and library staff members throughout the building, posing for their very own READ poster. Stop in and see who you can find.

The library is gearing up for Library Card Sign Up Month in September! We will be giving away four tickets to the Franklin Institute. More details about the raffle will be available in our upcoming newsletter. There will also be READ posters throughout the library, and here is our first sample. This is a photo of Margaret E. Heggan, reading to her grandchildren.

Washington Township Public Schools have announced their summer reading lists for 2022! We have compiled a list of the featured titles with links to our online catalog, Overdrive, and Hoopla records for your convenience. Get started today!

The library has purchased passes to many local museums and attractions. These passes may be checked out by Heggan Library cardholders for free admission to these museums and attractions. Many of these passes also include discounts on purchases within the museum or attraction. We’ve recently added Mt. Cuba Center and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art to our pass program.

This year, for National Library Week, we are featuring our dedicated staff!

Join us for a Book Talk with author Constance McCart. She’ll be at the library to talk about the history of New Jersey’s oysters and the historic ship that carries the industry’s traditions today! Read More!

The library is now providing a new service for our patrons: Freegal Music!

Freegal is a treasure trove of over 16 million songs from over 93,000 music labels from over 100 countries. Freegal features not only today’s top hits, but also all-time favorites going back into the past century. It contains over a million classical tracks; strong collections in jazz, world music, country, alternative, blues, gospel, Christian, and kids’ music; and many other genres and types of music.

Access Freegal by visiting the Freegal website or by downloading the app.

We are thankful to the Friends of the Library for their donation of $7,100 in December 2021. The funds have been used to purchase over five hundred books for children, teens, and adults that were added to the library collection. You can access the list here. The Friends of the Library are currently holding a membership drive. You can pick up an application in the book sale room or on their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org or by accessing the application here.

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library’s annual report for 2021 is now available. Please click here to read the report or visit our annual report page to read annual reports for previous years.

On February 25, 2022, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted COVID-19 community level metrics that are based on three pieces of data in a community, including new COVID-19 hospitalizations, hospital capacity, and new COVID-19 cases. The levels are low, medium, and high. Gloucester County is currently at the medium level. Masks are not required nor are they strongly recommended indoors.

Please click here to read more about the new CDC community level metrics and to search for a location by state and county.

Sign into OverDrive and download the Libby app to connect with favorite authors of books for all ages as hosts Adam Sockel and Jill Grunewald chat with them about their books, what inspires their work and the stories they love to read in Professional Book Nerds. Some of the authors included are James Patterson, Lee Child, Jodi Picoult, Brad Meltzer, Kwame Alexander, Dav Pilkey, and hundreds more.

Read the classics using your library card! When you download the Libby App you have access to thousands of titles. There is no waiting, unlimited checkouts, and with automatic returns there are no fines!

You can download 25 Sesame Street eBooks through Overdrive and the Libby app using your library card. Have fun reading with your child’s favorite Sesame Street characters while encouraging a lifelong love of learning. When you use the Libby app, you have access to all 25 eBooks in the Sesame Street Workshop geared for young readers. You can enjoy unlimited checkouts, no waiting for a title, and with automatic returns there are no fines!

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library presented a check to the library for the sum of $7100 on December 23rd, 2021 in support of the library. The library would like to express its appreciation for the Friends of the Library and the support that they provide.
Please click here or click here to read more about this gift and click here to visit the Friends’ website.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Elizabeth Whittington in November. Elizabeth was the daughter of the late Margaret Heggan and a dear friend to the library. She was born and raised in Washington Township. She became the first librarian at the Cape May County School for Special Services where she was instrumental in designing and creating the library. The Heggan Library was pleased to welcome Elizabeth to our 50th anniversary celebration in 2016.

Please click here to read Elizabeth Whittington’s obituary

PUBLIC NOTICE
MARGARET E. HEGGAN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
NOTICE FOR SOLICITATION OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES UNDER A FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS

Notice is hereby given that proposals for professional services, not subject to bidding pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5, will be received by the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library. The proposals must be submitted to the Library Director, 606 Delsea Drive, Sewell, New Jersey 08080 on or before December 10, 2021 by 5 p.m. Proposals will be reviewed at a public meeting to be held on December 15, 2021 at 5:00 pm in the library’s meeting room. Proposals for the following professional services will be accepted: Library Board Solicitor, Library Auditor, Library Engineer.

Support your local community and have your library fines forgiven too! For the entire month of November, the library will forgive book fines up to $10 per library card. Each non-perishable food item donated will forgive $1.00 in book fines. All donated items will be given to Mother’s Cupboard in Washington Township. All food donations are welcome at the library during this month, whether you have a fine or not.

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library will begin accepting donations of used books and movies beginning Monday, November 1, 2021. Donations may be placed in the maroon returns that will be located outside of the bookstore room during all normal operating hours. For a list of items that can and cannot be donated, please click here.

Do you need a sturdy bag to carry books or other items? Stop by the library to purchase a canvas tote bag. The bags include an external pocket, a zippered top, an internal pocket with a zipper, and a clip on the inside for holding keys.

Bags are $15 each. Please visit the circulation desk to purchase a bag. We accept cash and checks made out to the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library.

All proceeds from sales benefit the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library. To learn about becoming a member of the Friends, visit their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org

The library will resume programs inside the library for all ages beginning in October. Click here for the calendar of events

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library book shop reopened on Wednesday, August 4th! A variety of books and movies for children, teens, and adults are available for sale. The book shop is open the same hours as the library. Please note that we cannot accept donations of materials at this time due to space issues and quarantining procedures.

Although the statewide indoor mask mandate will be lifted as of May 28, individual businesses and other entities who oversee indoor spaces may continue to require that employees and customers/guests wear face masks, per Governor Murphy. For the safety of both the staff and the public, we are requiring that our current policies be followed and that masks continue to be properly worn in the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library.

Adult Heggan cardholders in good standing may now borrow passes to museums and other attractions that are now open to the public and accepting library passes.

In order to check on the availability of the passes and to request an agreement application, please send an email message to circulation@hegganlibrary.org.

Please note that the passes are available first come, first serve. Since it is necessary for the library staff to quarantine the passes for 72 hours after they are returned, as we are following national quarantine guidelines, availability of the passes may be limited.

The library will continue to remain closed, indefinitely, per NJ Executive Order 107 and Order No. 2020-3 which were both recently issued by Governor Murphy. At this time, we cannot anticipate when the library will be open to the public or to the staff again.

We are in the process of determining types of additional virtual services that we may be able to provide to our patrons beyond our digital resources via our website. We appreciate both your understanding and patience at this time as we continue to handle a difficult and unprecedented situation.

We have extended all of our due dates on all materials until April 30th, 2020. We will waive all late fees that may accumulate during the time we are closed.

We encourage everyone to stay home. However, our library book drop is still available, and you may return your borrowed materials. You are welcome to keep any materials that you have checked out until the due date at the end of April.

If you have returned your library materials via our book drop, you may notice that the items still appear on your library account. We are not physically checking in any library materials until further notice. Please be assured that the materials will be checked in and they will no longer appear on your account as soon as we are physically able to safely handle all of the returned materials.

Until further notice, holds cannot be placed on physical library materials. We will automatically extend any holds that are already waiting for you on our holds shelf at the library so that they do not expire. Once the library opens again, you will be able to check out those materials.

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library is committed to the well-being and safety of our guests, staff, and community. We continue to closely follow the directives issued by public authorities and health officials as we strive to develop our plans to respond to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak.

Jump To

Kids & Teens

Adults, Parents, Teachers

All Ages

Kids & Teens

• Charlesbridge
  
  Activities and downloadables for titles by this publisher.
• Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
  
  Follow the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh on Facebook to see a throwback collection of DIY posts and videos from the MakeShop, including making a chair out of newspapers and a bag out of a t-shirt.
• Common Sense Media
  When kids have earned some screen time or parents need a quick break, check out Common Sense Media for some direction on recommended apps, books, TV shows, movies and more. For those not familiar with Common Sense Media, reviews include tips on what parents need to know, talking points and ratings, keeping age levels in mind.
• Crayola
  
  Coloring pages, DIY crafts, and other at home activities, including live craft demos.
• Disney: Learn to Draw
  If you’re looking for a fun, creative way to add some Disney magic to your day, Disney is sharing something special – a complete series of how-to tutorials on drawing Mickey Mouse & friends through the years.
• Laurie Berkner Band
  
  The best music, videos, and books for kids – that grownups love, too! Her Facebook page offers educational videos, including live “Berkner Breaks” most weekdays at 10AM.
• LivBits
  
  A schedule of live reading events
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
  The Kennedy Center’s YouTube channel presents Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems. Spend some time and create some fun crafts with Mo Willems.
• PBS Kids
  
  PBS Kids has compiled a list of specific resources for talking to your child about coronavirus, including episodes of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Sesame Street. The list is found here. In addition, parents can sign up for a special PBS Kids newsletter with daily tips and activities to try while the kids are at home. Sign-up at the PBS Kids website.
• Peachtree
  
  Activity sheets, event kits, and reading guides for kids of all ages.
• Podyssey
  
  Fun and interesting podcasts to entertain and educate kids (and parents!). Great screen-free entertainment the whole family can enjoy.
• Ranger Rick
  
  Sign up for three months of free access to all of Ranger Rick’s games, jokes, videos, awesome animal articles, and more! This offer is good through June 30, 2020.
• Read, Wonder, and Learn!
  
  Find a growing collection of resources that include everything from first-chapter and picture book read-alouds (all shared with permission!) to drawing and writing mini-lessons. Be sure to check back often, as new resources will be added every day.
• Reading is Fundamental
  
  This site was created to help parents and childcare providers develop the language skills of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The site includes nursery rhymes, fingerplays, games, and songs. There is also a page for parents with videos and activities to encourage reading.
• Scholastic Learn at Home
  
  Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin!
• The Social Express
  
  A company focused on Social-Emotional Learning and Career Path Exploration.
• Storyline Online
  
  The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
• TIME for Kids
  
  TIME for Kids digital library is free for the rest of the school year. As the world asks more of families and teachers, TIME for Kids salutes you, and they’re here to support you! TIME for Kids is in the unique position to help kids understand this unprecedented moment.

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Adults, Parents, Teachers

• Children’s Book Council
  
  The new CBC resource page is now available and contains links directly to publisher websites to easily access and learn more about the amazing children’s and young adult books and activities they have to offer.
• Dreambox Learning
  
  For a limited time, parents can get a 90 day FREE trial of DreamBox so children can learn at home. Simply sign up by April 30th.
• Holiday House
  
  This is a new Holiday House Resources page. It was created to meet the needs of those who have been looking for ways to engage with and continue teaching children in a virtual environment.
• Kids Activities
  
  A happy place filled with easy things to do with kids that don’t require special skills, lots of money or advanced planning.
• OCLC
  
  Many content providers have offered free access to e-content collections to help you maintain online services during the COVID-19 crisis. OCLC is actively partnering with global content providers to ensure access to these valuable resources through OCLC cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing services.
• Open Culture
  
  Get 1,500 free online courses from the world’s leading universities — Stanford, Yale, MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Oxford and more. You can download these audio & video courses (often from iTunes, YouTube, or university web sites) straight to your computer or mp3 player.

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All Ages

• Museum Tours
  
  • New York City
    • Guggenheim Museum
      
      You can utilize Google’s Street View feature to explore the museum’s exclusive Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary era art exhibits.
    • The Intrepid: Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex
      
      The Intrepid: Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex – The Intrepid website offers educational videos on the history and evolution of the Intrepid and other related topics. There is also an extensive offering of virtual and online educational programs.
    • The Museum of Modern Art — MoMA
      
      Explore exhibits dating back to 1929 and check out the iconic works of Matisse, Picasso, and more.
    • Whitney Museum of Modern Art
      
      Check out the Meatpacking District’s beloved museum of modern American art without dragging yourself over there.
  • London
    • The British Museum
      
      Featuring historic works like the ancient Rosetta Stone and actual Egyptian mummies, The British Museum is home to hundreds of remarkable artifacts.
    • Tate Modern
      
      Navigate London’s modern art gallery via street view at Tate, which houses both national and international collections of art dating between the 1900s and present day.
  • Paris
    • The Louvre
      
      Check out Egyptian Antiquities, Galerie d’Apollon, and more.
    • Musée d’Orsay
      
      Experience the work of iconic French artists like Monet, Cézanne, and Gaugin. The museum’s diverse collection includes oil paintings, canvas work, modern art, and impressionism.
  • Amsterdam
    • Rijksmuseum
      
      Get a taste of the Dutch Golden Age at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, with an array of art from notable names like Vermeer and Rembrandt.
    • Van Gogh Museum
      
      As the name suggests, the city’s Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of Vincent van Gogh’s work in the world, with over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 personal letters — many of which can be viewed online.
  • Washington D.C.
    • National Gallery of Art
      
      The country’s capital is home to one of the most popular art museums in the US: the National Gallery of Art. And Google happens to feature two exhibits online, American Fashion from 1740 through 1895 and a collection from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.
    • Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
      
      Immerse yourself in the Smithsonian’s expansive National Portrait Gallery, which includes Portraits of African Americans, First Ladies, Votes for Women, and more.
• Performances
  • Met Opera
    
    The Metropolitan Opera has cancelled performances due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, and is streaming encore Live in HD presentations for its ‘Nightly Met Opera Stream’.
  • BroadwayHD
    
    The platform is currently offering a free seven-day trial, along with an affordable $8.99 monthly plan.
  • The Kennedy Center
    
    Watch extraordinary performances every day — from The Kennedy Center’s stages and beyond. Featuring original works, new performances and the best of their vast archive.
  • Playbill
    
    Check out this great list of where to stream Broadway shows. The list includes family friendly favorites, such as Peter Pan and Newsies.
• Zoos & Aquariums
  • Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
    
    The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is conducting a shark storytime every day this week at 10 a.m. There will be a shark story and time for shark Q & A.
  • Cape May Park & Zoo
    
    Cape May Park Zoo is offering Zoo School on their Facebook page. This includes daily educational videos featuring a different animal or location in the zoo. Zoo staff is also available to answer questions during select times each day.
  • Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari
    
    The zoo will be hosting daily streams on Facebook Live. Each day, the stream will focus on a different animal in the zoo. They’ll also be sharing fun activities that you can do at home.
  • The Dallas Zoo
    
    The Dallas Zoo began sharing behind-the-scenes footage and educational videos on social media, using the hashtag #BringTheZooToYou.
  • New England Aquarium
    
    Join them for live presentations, new videos, and activities to try from home.
  • San Diego Zoo
    
    Watch and Learn – Live cams and videos of your favorite animals
  • Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL
    
    The aquarium encourages people to check its social media accounts for behind-the-scenes posts, and to learn more about aquatic animals through its digital resources.

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library recently gave the library $9,377.62. The funds were used to purchase 375 books for the library. We are very grateful to have such a generous Friends group! Membership is $5.00 per year. If you would like to join the group, membership applications are available at the library or you can visit their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org.

Library patrons will need to use a password to access our Wi-Fi beginning November 1st, 2019. We need to take measures to protect our network and to preserve the ability to access the Internet. When connecting to our hotspots beginning in November, including MEHREFERENCE, MEHCIRCULATION, and MEHMEETINGROOM, you will be prompted to enter a password before accessing the Internet. The password will change each month, and you may ask for the password at the circulation desk or at the reference desk.

The library is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census! As a partner, we’ll be working to ensure that our community is accurately represented.
Representatives from the Census Bureau will be in the library on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. offering information and assistance with the application process
for jobs with the 2020 Census.

During Library Card Sign-Up Month in September, the library is celebrating Ben Franklin, who founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. We are holding a raffle for township library cardholders to win four tickets to the Franklin Institute museum and theater, a life size cardboard standup of Ben Franklin, the book Who Was Ben Franklin? by Dennis Brindell Fradin, and a Ben Franklin action figure. Raffle entries will be accepted only from Heggan cardholders who are ages 18 and older. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Raffle forms are available in the library. The winner will be chosen on Monday, September 30, 2019. The winner must be reachable via telephone that day between 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM. The library reserves the right to choose an alternative winner if contact cannot be made during that time.

Meet Logan, the latest doll that has been added to our collection! Logan may be borrowed by adult Heggan cardholders who are in good standing. Logan is in great company with our other dolls who may be borrowed at the library, including Addy, Josefina, Julie, Kaya, Kit, Maryellen, Melody, and Samantha!

Thanks to the extreme generosity of the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library, we now have new landscaping at the library and an irrigation system to water our new plants and shrubs! We are very grateful for all of the support from the Friends. Please consider joining the Friends. You can read more about the Friends by clicking here

The library now has a Duplo table in the children’s area for preschool children. Bring your child to the library and build a masterpiece!

After a nationwide search, we are pleased to welcome Laura Shiber as our new FT Children’s Librarian as of March 4th, 2019! Laura earned a BFA in Printmaking from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She also earned an MS in Library and Information Science from Drexel University with a concentration in youth services. She completed an internship in the Paley Library at Temple University. She also worked as a reference librarian at the Ocean City Free Public Library and she was a Reference Librarian II at the New Jersey State Library. Most recently, Laura was the Head of Children’s Services at the Upper Darby Sellers Memorial Library in Upper Darby, PA. In this position, she was responsible for supervising eleven employees. She also planned, scheduled, and presented a range of programming for children ages six months through fifth grade. Additionally, she provided reference and readers advisory services to children and developed the children’s library collection. Laura provided outreach visits and storytimes to local schools, daycare facilities, and community organizations. She was also responsible for designing and producing programming flyers, book lists, and materials promoting library resources to children. Laura is happily settled as a resident in NJ, and we were ecstatic to find a great candidate who was already located in our own backyard in the southern part of our state. Laura is looking forward to serving the residents of Washington Township and connecting with parents, caregivers, and children in the future.

Throughout the month of March, the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library are having a membership drive! Please consider joining the group. The cost of membership is only $5.00 per person and membership applications are available at the library. Over the thirteen years that the group has been in existence, they have made a total of $93,552.24 worth of purchases and cash donations to the library. We are very thankful for the generosity of the Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library over the past thirteen years!

To learn more about the Friends, please visit their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org.

View the Heggan Library’s Annual Report by following this link.

As students head back to school, there is one essential school supply that requires no shopping and doesn’t cost a penny—a library card. Since 1987, Library Card Sign-Up Month has been held each September. During the month, libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card. This year, Disney Pixar’s the
Incredibles are Library Card Sign-Up Month honorary chairs, helping to promote the value of a library card and bring attention to the many ways libraries and librarians transform lives and communities through education.

We are thrilled to announce that the library now has two new Early Literacy Stations in our Children’s Library. Designed for children ages 2-8, these computers will prepare young learners for the educational world ahead of them. Children will encounter familiar faces when using these computers, including Diego, Dora the Explorer, Reader Rabbit, SpongeBob, Sesame Street characters, and more. These stations are possible thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of the Library. The Friends of the Library support the library through fundraising and advocacy.

Cost of membership is only $5.00 per year. For more information about the Friends, please visit their website at www.hegganlibraryfriends.org.

As part of our summer reading activities, the library is giving away a life size standup of Elvis Presley. To participate, stop by the library and complete an entry form. Entries will be accepted only from Heggan cardholders who are ages 18 and older. Only one entry per person will be accepted. The winner will be chosen on Thursday, August 23 2018. The winner must be available to be reached that day between 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM by telephone. The library reserves the right to choose an alternative winner if contact cannot be made during that time frame.

Library Link NJ, the group responsible for providing statewide delivery of library materials, is in the process of transitioning to a new delivery company. Materials may not be delivered to us or other libraries, statewide, in a timely manner during this transition.
In the meantime, we suggest that if you need an item that is available at another library, you consider visiting that library in the LOGIN consortium to borrow the material. A list of all of the libraries in the LOGIN consortium is available here.
Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, please contact the library at (856) 589-3334.

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library recently donated $1811.55 to the library. The funds were used to purchase 72 new adult nonfiction books.
Click here to view the list.

Library Link NJ, the group responsible for providing statewide delivery of library materials, is in the process of transitioning to a new delivery company. Materials are not being delivered to us or other libraries, statewide, in a timely manner. In the meantime, we suggest that if you need an item that is available at another library, you consider visiting that library in the LOGIN consortium to borrow the material. A list of all of the libraries in the LOGIN consortium is available here.

At this time, we are only filling holds of materials in our building if they are being picked up at the Heggan Library. If you are placing a hold, please make sure that you choose Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library as your pick up location. We apologize for the extreme inconvenience that this has been for both patrons and staff. Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, please contact the library at (856) 589-3334.

The library now subscribes to Kanopy, providing Heggan cardholders with access to over 30,000 documentaries, classic and independent films. Click here to learn more.

To celebrate, we have three basket raffles to give away to Heggan library cardholders, one for each age group!

• Children are eligible to enter a raffle for a basket that includes a frog blanket, frog candy, books about frogs, a frog-themed coloring book, and crayons.
• Teens are eligible to enter a raffle for a basket that includes four books: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; 1984 by George Orwell; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
• Adults ages eighteen and older are eligible to enter a raffle for a basket that includes two tickets to the showing of Shrek the Musical at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman at 2 PM on Saturday, October 7 2017. Other items in the basket include Shrek band-aids, a stuffed animal, a Little Golden Book, and Shrek the Musical DVD and Original Broadway Cast Recording, and Shrek 4-Movie Recording Anniversary Edition (including Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After).

One entry per basket, please. These raffles are only open to patrons with library cards from the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library. If you do not have a Heggan library card, please stop by the library and take a photo in our Shrek cut-out!

Children ages 6 months to 10 years will be “building a better world” this summer both literally and metaphorically! From storytimes about skyscrapers, ferris wheels, the Eiffel Tower, and construction vehicles, to learning about taking care of our planet, respecting the natural wonders of the Earth, and how we can learn about and respect different cultures, there’s something for everyone to learn about how to “build a better world”!

Teens can “Build a Better World” by playing Book Bingo to expand reading horizons or attending a library program. Teens can join the Teen Advisory Board to build a better teen experience at the library, too!

Visit our display and pick up an entry for our Adult Tic-Tac-Toe contest and a handout of volunteer opportunities in our community to help Build a Better World.

It is with extreme sadness that we learned of the passing of T.R. Salvadori, a librarian for twenty-two years who retired in 2013. T.R. worked in the Cataloging and Processing Department. During his long library career, he also worked in the Waterford Library, McCowan Library, Glassboro Library, Rowan University Library, and the Monroe Twp. Library. T.R. earned his MS in Information Science from Drexel University in 1990. He was responsible for converting the card catalog to a computerized database.

Congratulations to Shirley Nolan, who was given the Caught in the Act Award for the time period spanning January through March 2017. Shirley was nominated by another library staff member for helping a patron look for a book on the shelf. Shirley maintained a calm demeanor and repeatedly explained how to locate the item. By the end of the interaction, the patron was thanking Shirley for her helpfulness.
Shirley has been employed at the library since January 10th 2007.

The Caught in the Act Award is financially sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

On October 22nd, 2001, it was fortunate for children and their caregivers in Washington Township that Joanie Alexander, known as Mrs. Alexander to many youngsters, was hired! She has decided to retire after many excellent years at the library. Her last day with us will be on February 28th 2017. Joanie has a new adventure planned for her future. She will be spending more time with her family, including her grandchildren.

Mrs. Sarah Kramer will be providing programs to children. We are so happy that we have an enthusiastic staff member who adores children available to serve the youngsters in our community! Mrs. Kramer is a familiar face to many young children and their caregivers. She is thrilled to be taking on this new role!

We will be hiring another librarian to focus on services to middle and high school students in the future, which is a goal listed in our recently released strategic plan.

We are sincerely going to miss Joanie and all that she contributed to children at the Heggan Library for many years. We wish her happiness in her retirement and we hope that she visits us often as a patron, attending our programs and borrowing materials from our vast collection!

The Friends of the Library recently donated $2,955.37 to the library. Those funds will be used to purchase 118 new adult large print books. As the new large print books arrive, they will be displayed in the library near the new books, along the wall that is around the corner from the circulation desk. A list of all of the books purchased will be available by March. We are very grateful to have such a generous and dedicated Friends of the Library group! Please consider joining the group. Membership is only $5.00 per year. Applications are available in the library and here.

The library’s annual report for 2016 is now available. Read the report now.

The library has a new museum pass available allowing up to 6 people to visit the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Please visit our Museum and Garden Pass page for details.

The library has a new museum pass available allowing up to 5 people to visit the American Swedish Historical Museum. Please visit our Museum and Garden Pass page for details.

At the December 2016 meeting of the Library Board of Trustees, the library’s strategic plan was adopted.
You can read the strategic plan by following this link.

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library invites you to help Mother’s Cupboard by donating sealed, unexpired, non-perishable food items in lieu of paying fines.
Fines up to $10.00 per library card will be forgiven in exchange for a food donation. Each item donated will forgive $1.00 in fines. Fees for lost library cards, lost or damaged library materials, fees owed to other libraries, and processing fees for lost or damaged library materials will not be forgiven.
Please feel free to make a donation, even if you don’t have a library fine.
All donated items will be given to Mother’s Cupboard.

Join us on Saturday, November 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for International Games Day.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be here, and there will be games and activities all day in the library.
Drop by our PokeStop to stock up on items and catch lured Pokemon!
Try out some exciting board games!
Our Minecraft server will be live!
FEATURED ACTIVITIES
10:00 a.m. – Humble Super Mario Brothers 3 Challenge
11:30 a.m. – Sonic Speed Run Challenge
1:00 p.m. – Gamer Trivia Contest
2:30 p.m. – Super Smash Brothers Casual Battle Royale

Congratulations to MaryAnn, who was given the Caught in the Act award for the time frame spanning July – September 2016. Here is the comment:

“I came to the library on 8/1/2016 looking for a book called Henny Penny. Mrs. Hill assisted me and helped me without hesitation. She is such a great, caring person.” Nominated by Tori Kristol

The Heggan Library now provides a newsletter geared especially for teens and tweens! This newsletter contains information on upcoming programs, book-lists, activities, and a comic strip!
Read the first issue!

Congratulations to library staff member Debra Rosner, Head of Reference, who was given the Caught in the Act Award for the time frame of April through June 2016. She was nominated by library patron Patti Sino who wrote: “Always being friendly. Helpful in so many ways to find books and movies that are requested! A great asset to the library.” The Caught in the Act Award is financially sponsored by the Friends of the Library. The Friends raise funds to support the library through membership, book sales, fundraisers, and jewelry sales. Applications for membership are available at the library.

Learn another language with Rosetta Stone Library Solution, now available to library patrons. This effective, easy-to-use database allows you to learn a new language on your own time. Thirty languages are available.
Access Rosetta Stone today by visiting the Language Learning section of our Research page, or by clicking this link.

The library is pleased to announce that it now has two new AWE Digital Learning Solutions Early Literacy Stations in the Children’s Library.

Designed for children ages 2-8, these computers will prepare young learners for the educational world ahead of them. Children will encounter familiar faces including Diego, Dora the Explorer, Reader Rabbit, Sponge Bob, Sesame Street characters and more on these easy to use computer stations. Best of all it makes learning fun.

These stations are possible thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of the Library. The Friends of the Library support the library through fundraising and advocacy.

Summer is the ideal time to encourage children to maintain, as well as further develop, their literacy skills. It is also a great opportunity to encourage them to visit the library regularly. The library’s Summer Reading Program for children will feature a fitness theme, “On Your Mark, Get Set, READ!” For teens the theme is “Get in the Game – READ!”, and “Exercise Your Mind – READ!” is the theme for adults. Healthy eating and fitness will be featured at a wide range of programs and events held throughout the summer including stories, crafts, music, food, fitness, and dance.

Online registration is required for each event and is limited to Heggan Library cardholders. Registration for each event begins on Monday of the preceding week at 10:00 a.m.

We are happy to announce that our S.M.I.L.E. program is now open to kids and teens of all ages.

Congratulations to all of the children who completed the fifty book challenge at the library as we celebrate our fiftieth year anniversary!

New at the Heggan Library, check out an American Girl Doll! Choose from Addy, Samantha, or Josefina, and bring them home for a week of fun.
Limited to adult Heggan Library cardholders.
Click here for more details

The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library will celebrate our 50th Anniversary throughout March, April and May. Discover how you can take part in the festivities and explore 1966 by visiting the new anniversary section of our website.

The Friends of the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library recently made a donation in the amount of $4,002.48 to the library. The funds were used to purchase 227 books for the library, including a mixture of titles for children, teens, and adults. Pictured here is just a few of those new titles. We are sincerely grateful to the Friends, and we encourage all Heggan Library fans to consider joining this non-profit group. Membership applications are available on our website and in the library.

We lament the loss of former employee, Micki Sullivan, who passed away on February 21st, 2016. Micki was always the life of the party and could always be counted on to make everyone, staff and patrons, laugh. She loved practical jokes and she was a shining light at the Heggan Library. For over twenty years, Micki worked at the library and she retired in April 2015.