Camden County Library is a county library system located in
Camden County, New Jersey
Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 523,485, an increase of 9,828 (1.9%) from the 2010 census, making it the state's 8th-largest county. Its county seat is ...
. It is headquartered in
Voorhees, New Jersey
Voorhees Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,131, reflecting an increase of 1,005 (+3.6%) from the 28,126 counted in the 2000 census. Voorhee ...
.
History
The library system was established in 1921. At the time, Camden County was mostly rural. Service consisted of selecting and delivering small collections of books to schools and other locations used to supply books. The former headquarters library, located at the Camden County Courthouse, served mainly as a storage facility.
The library declined after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but was revived with a new Commission who appointed a professional librarian and plans for relocation were made. In 1969, the headquarters moved to the
Echelon Mall
Voorhees Town Center (formerly Echelon Mall) is a Shopping mall#Regional, regional shopping mall and a residential area located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. It was built in 1970 and named after Echelon Airfield which was located where the m ...
(now known as the Voorhees Town Center) in Voorhees. Then in 1977, the library moved across the street from the mall, where the current headquarters is located. In 2004, the branch was named in honor of M. Allan Vogelson, a county freeholder who developed the facility.
Effective July 1, 2019, the library system eliminated late fines for most materials, becoming the first county library system in New Jersey to do so.
Branches
Branch locations are: Headquarters (Voorhees), South County Regional Branch (
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Merchantville
Merchantville is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 3,821,Westmont. The city of Camden previously had its own city library system. However, in 2010 Camden came close to being the first city in the United States to close its entire library system because of budget cuts. At the last moment, it was saved by the Camden County Library System, which agreed to take over and rescue the threatened branch and open a second branch on the Rutgers-Camden campus.
The Voorhees library conducted a book (and other media) sale each year of 30,000-50,000 items, at prices ranging from 50 cents to 3 dollars per item. It is one of the largest used-book sales in
South Jersey
South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...
. Book sales were discontinued in the spring of 2020.
See also
*
Cherry Hill Public Library
The Cherry Hill Public Library is a public library located at 1100 Kings Highway North in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The library is overseen by the Library Board of Trustees and run by The Library Director. Originally called ''The Cherry Hill Free ...