Libraries are expanding museum pass program

The Burlington County Library System offers cardholders free access to more than three dozen museums, zoos and historic sites through its Museum Pass Program.

Now in its 14th year, the pass program recently expanded with the addition of the Newark Museum of Art and the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia. 

There are now 38 different museums, zoos and historic sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York that library cardholders can visit with the passes, including the Academy of Natural Sciences, Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, the Battleship New Jersey, Please Touch Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Eastern State Penitentiary, Guggenheim Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and the Museum of the American Revolution. 

Last year’s passes were at 3,629, a record number for the program since it debuted in 2012.

“A Burlington County Library System membership isn’t just a place to find books, music and movies. Amazing works of art, exotic animals and ancient artifacts are also reachable with the Museum Pass Program,” said library commission chair Jonathan Chebra.

“It’s a great example of the value of a Burlington County Library System membership and how libraries help enrich residents’ lives in different ways.”

The pass program is funded by both the library system and the nonprofit Friends of the Burlington County Library System. Cardholders can reserve passes up to 45 days in advance in person at the libraries or online at the system’s website. Passes to some locations can be downloaded and printed; others must be picked up in person from a respective library.

More than 100 passes are available, though there are limits on how many can be reserved or checked out by one cardholder.

“Books, pictures, and databases are fantastic tools for learning, but so are first-hand experiences, and the museum passes offer BCLS cardholders the opportunities for experiences at many of the most coveted art, culture and education centers in our area,” explained library system director Ranjna Das. “In this way, we’re able to extend our learning-focused mission outside our libraries’ walls to museums and other partners in the region.

“Even by conservative estimates, the passes save Burlington County cardholders more than $181,000 a year on admission fees to these locations,” Das added. “That’s significant and helps make these museums accessible to Burlington County families that might otherwise be challenged by the admission fees.”

The library system and its partners continue to pursue opportunities to acquire passes to additional museums and cultural sites, including locations in Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.

For more information about the Museum Pass program, go to https://bcls.lib.nj.us/museum-passes/ .