When the new Manville branch of the Somerset County Library System is fully up and running, patrons can look forward to lots of goodies.
Residents can celebrate the absorption of former Manville borough library into the county system in a ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the library at 100 South 10th Avenue.
The conversion took effect Sept. 1. Already the library has expanded its hours in Manville to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Manville residents now can go to any of the other 11 libraries in the county system and borrow materials. Books from other libraries can be delivered to Manville the next day.
Brian Auger, director of the county library system, will welcome the public and briefly describe future plans. Mr. Auger has said there will be an increase in books, DVDs, CDs and periodicals, and more computers and work stations will be in next year’s budget.
New initiatives and programs are coming to the system’s libraries, which include Hillsborough.
The initiatives and programs being rolled out include:
• Smartphone app — SCLS is the first system in New Jersey to implement a smart-phone app for patrons to use to browse the library catalog; reserve, check out or renew books; or even check to see if a book found at a local book store is available at the library. The app may be downloaded by visiting www.sclsnj.boopsie.com on any smart-phone’s browser.
• Freegal Music — Every patron with a valid library card is eligible to use Freegal, a downloadable music service that provides access to the catalog of artists in Sony Music Entertainment through a computer, Smart Phone or tablet. Library cardholders can legally download three songs a week for free. The downloaded files work with any MP3 device, including iPods.
• Naxos music library — Patrons now have full access to the Naxos Music Library, a streaming catalog of more than 400 independent labels of classical, jazz, world, classic rock and nostalgia genres, as well as spoken-word recordings. Patrons can also access the Naxos sheet music library to download and print copies from a selection of more than 40,000 works.
• Museum pass program — On the county library website, patrons can book a trip to a number of museums in the metropolitan area. Participating museums include the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Frick Collection, Grounds for Sculpture, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Stickley Museum..
• Holiday hours — All branches will be open normal hours on four formerly closed holidays: Lincoln’s Birthday, Good Friday, Election Day and Veterans Day.
• Volunteer coordinator — The volunteer program is being expanded through the work of a system-wide volunteer program coordinator.
• Career resources — SCLS has been working with the New Jersey State Library to enhance the system’s job search and career support resources. Patrons can visit www.sclsnj/new/jobhunt.html for information.
• eBooks — With more than 50,000 eBooks loaned to date, the annual total should more than double last year’s circulation of digital materials.
Patrons with questions can call SCLS at 908-526-4016 or visit the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.
The other libraries in the system are in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Branchburg, Hillsborough, Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack-Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township, Washington Valley, Reading Station, Martinsville and Watchung.

