Millburn Free Public Library
🏢 BCCLS · Millburn, New Jersey
Millburn Free Public Library
Serving Millburn and Short Hills from 200 Glen Avenue, this Essex County municipal library opened its landmark spiral-staircase building in 1976 and famously appeared in the very first episode of Reading Rainbow in 1983. As a BCCLS member, one Millburn card reaches shared collections across dozens of northern New Jersey libraries.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9:30am–8:45pm |
| Tuesday | 9:30am–8:45pm |
| Wednesday | 9:30am–8:45pm |
| Thursday | 9:30am–8:45pm |
| Friday | 9:30am–5:15pm |
| Saturday | 9:30am–5:15pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–4:45pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 200 Glen Avenue, Millburn, NJ 07041
Phone: (973) 376-1006
Website: millburnlibrary.org
Plus Code: 87G7PMGV+JG (Millburn, NJ)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Millburn Free Public Library
The Millburn Free Public Library is the municipal public library of Millburn Township, New Jersey, which includes the Short Hills community in Essex County. Township residents established a free public library by popular referendum in November 1938 — the culmination of efforts reaching back to a reading room set up by Stewart Hartshorn in 1873 and a 1930s campaign led by the Junior Service League and board president Mrs. W. S. Auchincloss, who even drew a letter of support from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1936. The first library occupied a former butcher shop at Old Short Hills Road and Brookside Drive; in 1954 it moved into a renovated former synagogue at Essex Street and Lackawanna Place, and in 1976 it opened its present home at 200 Glen Avenue, whose spiral staircase became nationally recognizable when the library was featured in the debut episode of Reading Rainbow on June 6, 1983. The library joined the BCCLS shared-catalog consortium in 2000 and completed a major 2021–2022 renovation that expanded the Children's Room and added a glass-enclosed Teen Room beneath the mezzanine.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Present 200 Glen Avenue building opened in 1976; its spiral staircase was featured in the debut episode of Reading Rainbow (June 6, 1983)
- Roots trace to an 1873 reading room started by Stewart Hartshorn; the free public library was established by township referendum in November 1938
- Member of BCCLS since 2000 — a 77+ library consortium across Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Hudson counties, so one card requests items system-wide
- 2021–2022 renovation expanded the Children's Room and created a glass-enclosed Teen Room under the mezzanine
- Local-history collection with the fully digitized Millburn Item newspaper (issues from the 1880s onward, full-text searchable) plus museum passes and a Library of Things
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
A Millburn library card unlocks streaming, eBooks and research databases free from home:
📚 Services
- BCCLS shared borrowing across 77+ northern New Jersey libraries — request and pick up items system-wide
- Museum passes for Millburn cardholders (Montclair Art Museum, Newark Museum of Art, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Greenwood Gardens and more)
- Library of Things lending for residents and paid subscribers age 14 and up
- Free notary public service by appointment for Millburn cardholders (Mon–Fri, generally 2–4pm)
- 3D printing, poster printing, and printing, copying & scanning
- Meeting rooms, proctoring, tech training and home-borrowing service
- World Language collection, New Americans services and English-language-learner support
- Public computers, free Wi-Fi and the digitized Millburn Item newspaper archive
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes and the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge
- Teen events, homework help and volunteer opportunities in the Teen Room
- Adult author talks, workshops and virtual author talks
- Job & career help and tax-season assistance
- English Language Learner classes and New Americans programming
📍 Nearby Libraries in Essex County & Northern NJ
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Millburn · Browse all New Jersey libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Millburn Free Public Library's hours at 200 Glen Avenue?
The library is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 AM to 8:45 PM, Friday and Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:15 PM, and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM. Note that the library is closed on Sundays during August, though it remains open on Saturdays that month. When the building is closed, the digital branch — Libby, hoopla and the BCCLS online catalog — stays available around the clock.
Was the Millburn library really on Reading Rainbow?
Yes. The Millburn Free Public Library appeared in the debut episode of the PBS children's series Reading Rainbow, which aired June 6, 1983. The scene features the building's distinctive spiral staircase at 200 Glen Avenue, where children sing and dance through the stacks. The current building opened in 1976, and the library has kept that spiral staircase as one of its best-loved features.
How does a Millburn card work at other libraries through BCCLS?
Millburn joined BCCLS — the Bergen County Cooperative Library System — in 2000. BCCLS is a shared-services consortium of more than 77 libraries across Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Hudson counties. Your Millburn card lets you search the shared catalog, place holds and borrow items from any member library, with materials delivered to Millburn for pickup. You can search that catalog online at the library's BCCLS portal.
Does the Millburn library lend museum passes and Library of Things items?
Yes. Millburn cardholders in good standing can reserve museum passes for free or reduced admission to institutions such as the Montclair Art Museum, the Newark Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Greenwood Gardens. The library also runs a Library of Things collection for residents and paid subscribers age 14 and older. Both are limited to Millburn residents and paid subscribers — courtesy cards and other BCCLS cards are not eligible for these two services.
🎨 This library lends museum passes. See how library museum passes work and find other libraries that lend passes museum passes by state.
📋 This library offers notary services. See what a library notary can do — what to bring, fees and appointments — and find other libraries with a notary notary services by state.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
🔨 This library has a makerspace / 3D printing. See how library makerspaces and 3D printing work and find other libraries with a makerspace makerspaces by state.
📅 This library has meeting & community rooms. See how library meeting rooms work — booking, policies and fees — and find other libraries with meeting or community rooms meeting rooms by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.