By Natalia Knochowski, Staff Writer
JAMESBURG Visiting New York City and its many tourist attractions can cost an arm and a leg, but the Jamesburg Public Library now has a pass for free admission to the American Museum of Natural History that can make the trip a little less expensive.
Lillian Torres, who has been library director since January, said that the pass is free for patrons of the library. Ms. Torres said that the pass offers free admission to the museum located at 79th Street and Central Park West in New York City for two adults and four children and sometimes offers discounted rates for special exhibits the museum has throughout the year.
So far, however, only a few patrons have taken advantage of the pass. Ms. Torres said this may be because Jamesburg is a smaller library than others in New Jersey, and that the hot days of the summer prevented many people from venturing into New York City.
But now that fall and winter are approaching, more people may want to take the car or a train-ride in.
”I think typically, that’s when people want to go,” she said.
The pass has been available in the library since late spring and will be available for about a year.
According to Ms. Torres, the pass was purchased within the library’s budget for programs, for roughly $200, which she said was “reasonable.”
”I wanted to try something different here and this community is unique,” Ms. Torres said. “I think it’s important to try different things.
”It’s a nice way of having a cultural opportunity, instead of having something come here,” she said.
Ms. Torres, who described herself as someone who values museums, said she is considering purchasing passes to other museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which would be the “ideal situation.”
For now, however, the pass to the American Museum of Natural History is available for any day, but Ms. Torres said that patrons are urged to call the library a few days ahead since it can only be taken out of the library once at a time.
Jamesburg Public Library is located on 229 Gatzmer Ave.

