The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Library bestseller
Program offering free museum passes gaining popularity
LANSDALE >> Just inside the front entrance of the Lansdale Public Library, to the right as you walk in, sit a row of what look like DVD cases atop a shelf.
Take a closer look, and you’ll see each are labeled with local destinations: they’re the 15 attraction and museum passes the library currently offers for members.
“These are the boxes: you take the box to the desk, you check it out, and they give you the pass,” said library Director Tom Meyer.
Each decorated DVD box has details on where the museum, park or other attraction is, including their operating hours, and if a box is on the shelf, that pass is available and can be borrowed for up to a week.
Secured at the checkout desk are the actual passes, laminated to prevent wear and tear, and each labeled with the library’s address in case they are misplaced while out.
“Elmwood Park Zoo is the most popular — and I don’t see it here now — and then the Children’s Museum of Bucks County, the Kiwanis Club decided to sponsor that, so we put in a little stele that says ‘Sponsored by Kiwanis’,” Meyer said.
Sponsorships for the other attraction passes are still available, Meyer said, and as the library approaches one year of the museum pass program later this fall, they’ll review usage data to determine which should be renewed, and if they should add more.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Elmwood Park and Bucks Children’s museum passes had been borrowed 37 and 34 times respectively, with the Academy of Natural Sciences in third place with 27, and the Philadelphia Insectarium in fourth with 21, with the 15 passes adding up to a combined total of 204 checkouts, Meyer said.
“We’re always adding stuff to make it more appealing for people to come and get their library card,” he said.
The North Wales Area Library offers a total of 50 passes for library members, according to library Director Jayne Blackledge, with their program starting when a pass was given to the library as a gift from a member in 2017. As of Wednesday, their passes had been checked out a to
tal of 1,176 times. Any pass that has a waitlist must be picked up within 24 hours of a member being notified that the pass is available — and the library tries to shine a spotlight on each.
“Each week, the library features an ‘Attraction of the Week’ to highlight attractions that people may be less familiar with,” Blackledge said.
This weekend is what Smithsonian magazine describes as “Museum Day” – Sept. 21 this year – as “an annual celebration of boundless curiosity,” marking the observance by giving away tickets to numerous museums and cultural venues throughout the country. Participants simply go to www. smithsonianmag.com and follow the Museum Day link.
Montgomery County librarians, on the other hand, say every day is museum day thanks to the Museum Pass programs.
Specific information about borrowing free museum passes, including provisions for inter-library pass-borrowing, is available at local libraries via telephone or website. Additional details about Smithsonian magazine “Museum Day,” including access to free passes, is also posted at @MuseumDay, #MuseumDay and #SmithsonianMusic. MediaNews Group correspondent M. English contributed to this report.