Welcome to the FAQ page! We’ve listed the answers to questions that we receive frequently about the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library below. If you find your question remains unaddressed, please also consider emailing info@hegganlibrary.org or using our online Ask a Librarian form.
ABOUT THE LIBRARY
The library is located at 606 Delsea Drive, Sewell, NJ, in Washington Township. There is plenty of free parking available.
No, the library is an independent municipal library, funded mostly by our taxpayers, and we exist primarily to serve residents in Washington Township.
Margaret E. Heggan was a library volunteer, an avid library supporter, and the first female mayor in Washington Township. You can read more about her and the history of the library here.
The library director reports to the Library Board of Trustees. You can read more about this group and access prior meeting minutes here.
Of the 2024 operating budget, 97% of revenue derives from a dedicated tax paid by Washington Township residents. A total of 3% derives from other sources, including fees, fines, state aid, and donations.
You can visit our homepage or Find us on Facebook. We have a printed monthly Heggan Happenings newsletter that can be found inside the library. You can also sign up for our digital version of Heggan Happenings.
Any current job openings will be posted in the library and on our Employment at the Library page and we do not accept applications unless we are specifically advertising for a current position that is available. If you are seeking job opportunities in NJ libraries, please visit the at New Jersey Library Association website and click on Job Hotline.
Yes, monetary donations to the library are accepted. Many people choose to donate funds to the library in honor or in memory of a loved one, and the funds are used to purchase books for the library collection. You can access the donation form here.
You may submit feedback via our online feedback form.
Additionally, there is a comment card box at the front of the library that you may use to submit a comment, or you may send an email to admin@hegganlibrary.org
Please call the circulation department at 856-589-3334 extension 200.
The library has a glass case available for displaying collections across from the reference desk. There is a bulletin board in the front hallway, and only library staff members are permitted to hang materials from nonprofit groups with priority to those in Washington Township. Space is limited and materials may be denied based on the size of the flyer. We also have an art gallery in the front hallway. To inquire about displaying items, flyers, or artwork, please contact Stephanie Kolodziej at pr@hegganlibrary.org or at 856-589-3334 extension 220.
The library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 AM until 9 PM; Friday and Saturday from 10 AM until 5 PM; and Sunday from 1 PM until 5 PM.
LOGIN (Libraries of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland Information Network) is a consortium, or cooperative group, of public and academic libraries that share certain infrastructure and resources. If you have a library card from a LOGIN Library you will be granted certain privileges from other member libraries.
More information and a list of member libraries can be found on the LOGIN Libraries website
If you are a cardholder of any of the LOGIN member libraries, you may use your library card to borrow most materials at our library. Currently, borrowing museum passes and American Girl dolls are restricted to our cardholders. To learn more about our museum passes, available to Heggan cardholders only, click here.
To learn more about our American Girl Doll collection, please visit the American Girl Doll Lending Program page.
The library does not currently enlist the services of adult volunteers, but the Friends of the Library are always looking for new members. Please visit the Friends of the Library website for more information.
You may also learn about other volunteer opportunities in southern NJ by visiting the Volunteer Center of South Jersey.
Teens who reside in Washington Township may volunteer by participating in our Teen Advisory Board. Please contact Barb Pilling, Teen Librarian, at bpilling@hegganlibrary.org or at 856-589-3334 extension 224 for more information.
LIBRARY POLICY
This line indicates 10 feet from the library entrance
Please refer to our Rules of Conduct.
If you have any further questions, please call the circulation department at 856-589-3334 extension 200, or visit the library.
The donations placed in the outside bins are not accessed by the Friends of the Library. Instead, they are sold and the library receives payment for the sales. Please visit the Friends of the Library website for more information about the Friends of the Library, who regularly financially support the library through many means. The Friends of the Library meet on the second Tuesday of the month in the adult meeting room in the library at 4 PM except in December.
USING THE LIBRARY
Library cards will be issued to eligible patrons (see Policy 1.1) who submit a completed application to the circulation desk along with an Acceptable Form of Identification (see Policy 1.2). Please note parents/guardians are responsible for completing applications on behalf of minors under the age of 18 and the identification requested should belong to the same parent/guardian completing the application. Any minor under the age of 18 will need to be present in order to receive a library card. There is no age requirement for library card eligibility.
Click here for library card application
Washington Township residents may also apply online for a Digital eLibrary card which permits access to our online services only.
Current borrowing policies can be found on the library policy page, Policy 2.1: Borrowing Policy.
For special collection materials including Museum Passes, American Girl Dolls, and Book Bundles, please refer to Policy 2.2: Special Collections Policies.
Lost or damaged materials requiring replacement are billed at list price for the item plus a $3.00 processing fee. Please see Policy 2.7: Lost/Damaged Materials.
Yes, we are still charging library fines. At the time of writing, the Gloucester County Library System (GCLS) and Woodbury Public Library have adopted fine free policies. We applaud their decision and wish these libraries well. However, since the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library operates independently of the County system, our board has decided not to change its current policy regarding fines. Our primary focus is to provide the Washington Township taxpayers with as many resources and materials as our budget allows. In order to protect the Township’s assets and ensure the timely return of materials, we feel it is essential to maintain our reasonable, low fines. There are several mechanisms in place for our members if the financial burden of a fine is preventing them from utilizing the library. They can call, renew, or request charges to be waived by downloading the form found here. The Library board’s decision to maintain our policies will not impact your ability to borrow materials available through the GCLS. The GCLS has committed to collecting the fines for our materials that are returned late to its locations as well as providing ongoing reports to ensure our materials are not being withheld from circulation for unreasonable periods of time. We look forward to reviewing the results of GCLS’ initiative before we consider modifying our policies. The Board of Trustees for the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library holds a public meeting on the third Wednesday of each month if you have concerns you would like the board to consider.
Please see Policy 2.3 Patron Requests (Holds) on our policies page.
You can borrow eBooks and Audiobooks using the service OverDrive/Libby, hoopla, or Blackstone Unlimited. The way in which you do this will vary by device and service.
The easiest way to use OverDrive/Libby is to download the Libby app from your device’s app store.
Once you’ve installed the app, it will ask you several questions leading you to the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative. You will then be prompted to add your Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library card to the app.
Now simply find something you want on OverDrive/Libby and borrow it! The item will be added to your bookshelf and you can open it from there.
Older versions of the Kindle are not compatible with the Libby app, so we need to borrow these materials differently. Navigate to the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative Overdrive page and log in by clicking the sign-in button to the right of the search bar. Select the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library and enter your library card number.
Next we’ll restrict our searching or browsing to Kindle files only. This is the file format that is compatible with your device, so limiting our results early will make finding a compatible item much easier.
Click on “Kindle Books” to browse the collection of materials with a Kindle format available. You can also search for Kindle materials by clicking the search bar, which will expand to reveal an advanced search option, click it. Select “Kindle Books” under format. Enter any other search parameter you desire or leave everything else blank to just browse. Click on “Search”
Find something you would like to borrow and click “borrow”. Select how long you would like to keep the item and click “borrow” again. On the next prompt click “Read now with Kindle.” This will redirect you to amazon.com. Don’t worry, you aren’t about to buy this! enter the email and password associated with your kindle account. Once you’ve submitted these you’ll be brought to another page on the item, click “borrow” and the item will be queued for your Kindle device. It should start downloading on its own once the device connects to a Wi-Fi signal.
In order to get eBooks onto your legacy eReader, we need to use a method called “side loading” which simply means we manually transfer the file from a computer to your eReader. To do this you will need a computer, your eReader, and a USB cable to connect the two. You will also need to install software called Adobe Digital Editions which is free and may be downloaded here.
On your computer navigate to the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative Overdrive page and log in by clicking the sign-in button to the right of the search bar. Select the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library and enter your library card number.
Find something you would like to borrow with an EPUB, Open EPUB, or PDF format. Most materials have this, but you may use advanced search to assist your browsing by clicking the search bar, which will expand to reveal the advanced search option. This page will allow you to limit your search by format.
Find something you would like to borrow and click “borrow”. Select how long you would like to keep the item and click “borrow” again. On the next prompt click “Download [FORMAT]”. The item should download and open with Adobe Digital Editions, if it does not navigate to the file you downloaded and try to open the file. It should open with Adobe Digital Editions.
Finally, connect your eReader device to your computer. It should be recognized by Adobe Digital Editions. Simply drag the book you borrowed from your bookshelf to your eReader to begin the file transfer.
In order to get eBooks onto your legacy eReader, we need to use a method called “side loading” which simply means we manually transfer the file from a computer to your eReader. To do this you will need a computer, your eReader, and a USB cable to connect the two. You will also need to install software called OverDrive Media Console which is free and may be downloaded here.
On your computer navigate to the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative Overdrive page and log in by clicking the sign-in button to the right of the search bar. Select the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library and enter your library card number.
Find something you would like to borrow with an MP3 format. You may use advanced search to assist your browsing by clicking the search bar, which will expand to reveal the advanced search option. This page will allow you to limit your search by format.
Find something you would like to borrow and click “borrow”. Select how long you would like to keep the item and click “borrow” again. On the next prompt click “Download [FORMAT]”. The item should download and open with OverDrive Media Console, if it does not navigate to the file you downloaded and try to open the file.
Finally, connect your eReader device to your computer. It should be recognized by OverDrive Media Console. Use options in OverDrive Media Console to transfer the item to your device.
Navigate to the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative Overdrive page and log in by clicking the sign-in button to the right of the search bar. Select the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library and enter your library card number.
Find something you would like to borrow and click “borrow”. Select how long you would like to keep the item and click “borrow” again. On the next prompt click “Read in Browser” to read your eBook straight from your browser.
You may also download your eBook if it comes in a downloadable file format. To read these you will need software called Adobe Digital Editions which is free and may be downloaded here.
Download the hoopla app from your device’s app store and open the app. Either create an account or sign in if you’ve already done so. Find an item you like and tap on it. You’ll find a borrow button on the details page. tap this to borrow the item and once you’ve done so the button will change to “read”. Tap this to begin reading your eBook. This will stream the item, but you’ll also find an option to download the item on the same page if you’ll be without data while reading.
Navigate to hoopla and either create an account or sign in if you’ve already done so. Find an item you like and click on it. You’ll find a borrow button on the details page. Click this to borrow the item and once you’ve done so the button will change to “read”. Click this to begin reading your eBook.
You can borrow eAudiobooks from Blackstone Unlimited by either downloading the app or visiting their website and creating an account with your email address and you Heggan Library card number. Then you can search for what you would like to borrow and either listen in the app/browser or download the eAudiobook to your device.
Install the Palace Project App, which you can do from your device’s app store or by using the appropriate links on this page. Then, in the app, search for “Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library.” Browse for an item you would like to borrow and tap “Get” on the item’s detail page. Sign in with your library card and pin number to proceed.
This will vary based on the service and format of the item.
Blackstone Unlimited: Items from Blackstone Unlimited never need to be returned.
hoopla
- eBooks and Audiobooks: 3 weeks
- Music: 1 week
- Movies and Television Episodes: 72 hours
Kanopy: 48-72 hours depending on the movie.
Palace Project: 6-20 days depending on the item.
Blackstone Unlimited: There is no limit as to how many items you may borrow from Blackstone Unlimited at one time.
hoopla: You may borrow 5 materials per month.
Kanopy: You have 18 credits per month.
OverDrive/Libby: You may have 8 materials borrowed at one time
You will never be charged for late fees for digital materials.
Please click here to request a reservation. Reservations are all pending further approval. You may also request the meeting room by submitting a printable application.
There is no charge associated with room reservations. Please click here to view the meeting room policy. Please note that meetings and programs administered by library staff have first priority over use of the room by the public.
The library also has three small study rooms available for use by Heggan cardholders.
Please click here to view the small study room policy. A link to reserve a small study room is available here.
LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY
You will need a valid library card from a library that is a member of LOGIN Libraries in order to use one of our public computers. If you do not have a library card from one of these libraries you may request an application for a guest pass at the circulation desk. A guest pass will not be accepted on young adult workstations.
A public computer session is one hour long, and will automatically renew unless the library is about to close or if another patron has reserved the workstation. Users are permitted up to eleven sessions per day.
In order to protect the security and privacy of our patrons, our computers will automatically end a session if the station is left idle for five minutes. If a station is approaching that idle time a patron must click a prompt in order to maintain their session.
As data is wiped only at the end of a session, this measure helps prevent unauthorized users by accessing a patron’s account and history should they forget to end their session or simply walk away from their computer for too long.
The software installed on library computers includes the following:
- Audacity
- GiMP
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Micrososft Power Point
- Microsoft Publisher
- Microsoft Word
- Mozilla Firefox
- NotePad++
- VCL Media Player
Patrons are not able or permitted to install additional software.
All of our computers have software installed that will clear any information saved to it when a session is ended. This will remove anything saved to the computer’s hard drive and browser history, however, it will not revert changes to emails, applications, thumb drives, or anything external to the computer in question.
Yes, anti-virus and firewall software are installed on library computers and monitored regularly to ensure that they are up to date on the latest definitions. Patrons are unable to disable these security measures.
Only patrons between the ages of 13 and 18 are permitted to use the young adult computers. Due to this restriction, guest passes are not accepted on young adult workstations
Yes, the library offers free public Wi-Fi 24/7, accessible both inside the library and outside in the library parking lot.
All public Wi-Fi hotspot names begin with Library_PUBLIC. We have several hotspots to allow for strong signal strength through out the building.
- Library_PUBLIC1: Located in the back corner of the library, near the periodicals.
- Library_PUBLIC2: Located in the center of the library, in the children’s library.
- Library_Meetingroom: Located in the library meeting room.
- Library_PUBLIC Ext1: Extends Wi-Fi signal towards main parking lot.
- Library_PUBLIC Ext2: Extends Wi-Fi signal towards parking lot adjacent to the young adult library.
None of the library’s public Wi-Fi hotspots will ask for a password.
Please make sure you are connected to a hotspot that is nearby in order to ensure you are getting the strongest signal:
- Library_PUBLIC1: Located in the back corner of the library, near the periodicals.
- Library_PUBLIC2: Located in the center of the library, in the children’s library.
- Library_Meetingroom: Located in the library meeting room.
- Library_PUBLIC Ext1: Extends Wi-Fi signal towards main parking lot.
- Library_PUBLIC Ext2: Extends Wi-Fi signal towards parking lot adjacent to the young adult library.
If the slowdown is isolated to a single website, the host may be having bandwidth issues. Try back in a few minutes.
If the issue persists and is happening on multiple website, please speak with a librarian at the adult reference desk.
You are able to print from our public computers.
Prints cost 15 cents a page in black and white and 25 cents a page in color.
In order to print from a public computer, enter the command to print as you normally would and select either “black and white” or “color” as the destination printer depending on what is desired. A prompt will appear confirming how much the job will cost, click “OK” to submit the print job. You may repeat this as needed so you can pay for all of your jobs at once.
Once you are ready to release your print jobs, leave your station and approach the self service station in front of the adult computer lab. Click “Release a Print Job” and enter the library card or guest pass number that you used to log into your session. You should see your print jobs. Use nearby the coin tower to pay for your jobs and click print on this screen. Click the first icon “pay from vending device” and your jobs should begin to print.
Please speak with the librarian at the reference desk if you run into any issues.
You are able to send jobs to our print release station remotely on anything with access to the internet.
Black and white prints are 15 cents a page and color prints are 25 cents a page.
There are 3 methods of submitting remote print jobs:
- Submit the job through the library website
- Navigate to https://print.princh.com/?pid=107490 in a browser.
- If prompted for a code enter 107490.
- Click “Click here to select and upload a file…”.
- Select your file(s) in the file navigator.
- Select if you want your print in black and white or color, the number of copies, and any other preferences by clicking the wrench icon.
- Click to check the box to accept the terms and conditions.
- Click continue to submit your print job(s).
- Enter an email to retrieve your print job(s).
- Submit the job via the Princh smartphone app
- Download the Princh app from your device’s app store.
- Navigate to your file and use the native functions to print. Princh should now be a printing option, select this as the printer. The Princh app will open.
- Search for the library printer by scanning our QR code, searching for our code (107490), or by our location.
- Select the Heggan Library Public Printer, and specify any printing preferences. Tap “Print.”
- Tap to accept terms and conditions, and then tap continue.
- Enter an email to retrieve the print job, and tap “submit print job.”
- Send the file you want to print as an email or attachment to heggan-bw@ewprints.com for black and white prints or heggan-color@ewprints.com for color prints.
Once you’ve submitted your print job, go to the self service station in front of the computer lab and click “release a print job.” Use the second section to enter the email address that you used when submitting your job. Do not use the first option to enter your library card number. Use the coin tower to pay for your job, and click “print” on the self service station, then the “pay from vending device” icon in order to release your print job.
For more help please consult these interactive guides for printing from a mobile device and for printing from a browser.
Yes, the library has two copiers located in front of the computer lab. One copier prints in black and white only, and the other near the print release station prints in both black and white and in color.
Black and white copies cost 15 cents per page, and color copies cost 25 cents per page.
Both copiers are capable of printing double sided. To make a double sided copy, first insert money into the coin tower to unlock the copier screen. Look for a button that says “1 sided — 1 sided” and tap it, and then press “1 sided — 2 sided”.
Place your document on the glass flatbed and press the green button to scan one side. Then flip the document and press the green button again to scan the other side. Tap the button labeled “finished” once you’ve finished scanning your pages and your job will print.
No, our copiers do not have document feeders. Pages need to be copied one at a time.
The library does have a flatbed scanner available to the public. It is in the computer lab connected to Adult Station #18. If you need to use the scanner and station #18 is in use please either speak with a librarian or use the self service station to reserve station #18.
To scan a document, turn on the scanner and place the document in either the document feeder or on the glass of the flatbed. Open the scanning software on the desktop and click either “Scan Document as PDF” or “Scan Picture as JPEG.” The document will scan, once this is finished you will be shown a preview and be prompted to save the file.
Station #18 will automatically shut down 15 minutes before closing, so scanning services will also cease 15 minutes before closing.
Yes, the scanner has a document feeder.
Yes, but not within the scanning program itself. You will need to use a browser to log into your email and attach the file that you saved when the scan completed.
Yes, the library does provide an outgoing fax service. The service costs $1 per page (not including the cover page) and is provided at the circulation desk.
No, the fax service is only for outgoing faxes.