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Events, new openings and weekend plans from Newton to Vernon, Sparta to Stanhope. Straight to your inbox, free.
The Sussex County Library System runs five open branches plus a Mobile Library across Newton, Vernon, Franklin, Stanhope and Wantage, and Sparta has its own public library on Woodport Road. All of them are free to visit, with storytimes, museum passes, yoga classes, maker tools and a Library of Things that lends everything from iPads to cake pans.
Our team pulled the current addresses, phone numbers and hours for every location from the Sussex County Library System and Sparta Public Library websites, along with the free programs worth knowing about.
Sussex County Library System Branches
Main Library, Newton
125 Morris Turnpike, Newton. Phone 973-948-3660. Open Monday to Thursday 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM; closed Sunday. The Main Library has the Business and Project Center, with a poster and banner printer and a laminator.
Dorothy Henry Branch, Vernon
66 Route 94, Vernon. Phone 973-827-8095. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Tuesday and Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM; closed Sunday. Vernon is home to one of the system’s two Seed Libraries.
Franklin Branch
103 Main Street, Franklin. Phone 973-827-6555. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Tuesday and Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM; closed Sunday. Franklin’s calendar leans into teens, with Dungeons and Dragons groups and a graphic novel book club.
Louise Childs Branch, Stanhope
21 Stanhope Sparta Road, Stanhope. Phone 973-770-1000. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Tuesday and Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM; closed Sunday. This branch added a Seed Library and hosts Wednesday movie matinees.
Sussex-Wantage Branch
69 County Route 639, Wantage. Phone 973-875-3940. Open Monday and Wednesday 9 AM to 8 PM and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM; closed Sunday. Kids’ programs here include Read to a Dog and an American Girl Doll Club.
Dennis Branch, Newton
The Dennis Branch at 101 Main Street in Newton is temporarily closed for a major renovation. Read more in our story on the Dennis Branch library renovation.
Mobile Library
The county’s Mobile Library, nicknamed Dot, travels countywide. Recent stops on the library calendar include 15 Trinity Street in Newton, the Stillwater Township Community Center, the Montague Municipal Building and Evergreen Park in Green.
Sparta Public Library
Sparta runs its own library at 22 Woodport Road, separate from the county system. Phone (973) 729-3101 or email library@spartalibrary.com. Hours are Monday to Thursday 8:30 AM to 8 PM, Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8:30 AM to 3 PM and Sunday 1 to 5 PM. Two quiet rooms can be reserved for up to four hours a day, and the calendar includes language classes, an all levels yoga class, storytimes and a holiday ornament clay workshop.
Free Things to Borrow and Do
- Museum passes: both systems lend passes for free or reduced entry to museums and attractions.
- Library of Things: the county system lends iPads, Chromebooks, cake pans and more.
- Digital library: stream movies and comics on hoopla and borrow eBooks and audiobooks with a card.
- Interlibrary loan: request books from other New Jersey libraries through JerseyCat.
- Free notary: the county system offers notary service by appointment.
- Local history: a Local History and Genealogy collection plus digital historical photos and newspapers.
Free Programs for All Ages
Fall calendars across the branches include toddler and preschool storytimes, chair yoga, a Pokémon Club at the Main Library, crochet and sewing clubs, music bingo and adult cupcake decorating. Check the events page for each branch to register. The Sussex County Rail-Club also brings its holiday model train displays to the Wantage and Stanhope branches in December.
For more ways to spend a cold day inside, see our guide to indoor activities in Sussex County.
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