South Orange Public Library

South Orange Public Library With the main building under construction until early 2027, the library is now operating in two temporary locations: 298 Walton Ave.

and Baird Center (5 Mead St.) Click here for hours and services:
www.sopl.org/temporary-locations

šŸš…šŸš‹Got the travel bug? This may help...In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied ā€œHippie Trailā€ ...
08/30/2026

šŸš…šŸš‹Got the travel bug? This may help...

In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied ā€œHippie Trailā€ from Istanbul to Kathmandu. A 23-year-old Rick Steves made the trek, and like a travel writer in training, he documented everything along the way: jumping off a moving train, making friends in Tehran, getting lost in Lahore, getting high for the first time in Herat, battling leeches in Pokhara, and much more. The experience ignited his love of travel and forever broadened his perspective on the world.

This book contains edited selections from Rickā€™s journal and travel photos with a 45-years-later preface and postscript reflecting on how the journey through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal changed his life.

The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's most outspoken victim: the woman who...
08/23/2026

The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words--until now.

In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. Nobody's Girl is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity. Here, Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell's grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims. The pages of Nobody's Girl preserve her voice--and her legacy--forever.

ā„ļøCool down with this week's pick from Jill! Russian spies. Nuclear submarines. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communicat...
08/16/2026

ā„ļøCool down with this week's pick from Jill!

Russian spies. Nuclear submarines. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communications severed in the dark of night. The fastest-warming place on earthā€”where apartment buildings, hospitals, and homes crumble daily as permafrost melts and villages get washed away by rising seasā€”the Arctic stands at the crossroads of geopolitical ambition and environmental catastrophe. As climate change thaws the northern latitudes, opening once ice-bound shipping lanes and access to natural resources, the worldā€™s military powers are rushing to stake their claims in this increasingly strategic region. Weā€™ve entered a new cold warā€”and every day it grows hotter.

Are there any animal trackers out there? Kids ages 5-10 can join us to test their wildlife wisdom in this hands-on explo...
08/12/2026

Are there any animal trackers out there? Kids ages 5-10 can join us to test their wildlife wisdom in this hands-on explorations of skulls, furs, feathers and more!

Registration is required. Use the šŸ”— in our bio.

šŸ—“ļø Friday August 14
šŸ• 1:00pm - 2:00pm
šŸ“ Baird Branch Library

An introductory workshop for tweens and teens to learn the basics of writing in cursive. All materials provided. Registr...
08/12/2026

An introductory workshop for tweens and teens to learn the basics of writing in cursive. All materials provided.

Registration is required. Use the šŸ”— in our bio.

šŸ—“ļø Thursday August 13
šŸ•” 6:30pm - 7:30pm
šŸ“ Baird Branch Library

Add this week's pick to your summer reading list! We still have a few weeks left to go...Alexandria 'Alix' Watson has le...
08/09/2026

Add this week's pick to your summer reading list! We still have a few weeks left to go...

Alexandria 'Alix' Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives--inside their favorite books. The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect.

The family pictured visited SOPL to continue stamping their way around the BCCLS libraries! You wanna join too? See belo...
08/07/2026

The family pictured visited SOPL to continue stamping their way around the BCCLS libraries! You wanna join too? See below for details:

Explore the 78 BCCLS Member Libraries this summer in search of hidden treasures!

Join the 2026 BCCLS Scavenger Hunt - a fun-filled journey to discover the BCCLS logo hidden in participating libraries.

Hereā€™s how it works:
šŸ“Pick up your scavenger hunt form at any BCCLS library or download it online at www.bccls.org/scavenger-hunt (youā€™ll need legal size paper 8.5ā€ x 14ā€).

šŸ“Visit at least 3 libraries by August 15, 2026, and find the hidden BCCLS logo.

šŸ“Get your form stamped with each libraryā€™s property stamp as proof of your discovery!

šŸ“Return your form to any BCCLS library by August 29, 2026.

Text on post reads:Due to road closures around Walton Ave., if youā€™re unable to pick up your holds today (Friday, August...
08/07/2026

Text on post reads:

Due to road closures around Walton Ave., if youā€™re unable to pick up your holds today (Friday, August 7, 2026), please call the library at (973) 762-0230. We can arrange to have your holds brought to the Baird Branch for pickup.

In the mood for a thriller? From the bestselling author of "No Exit" and "The Last Word" comes a heart-pounding thriller...
08/02/2026

In the mood for a thriller? From the bestselling author of "No Exit" and "The Last Word" comes a heart-pounding thriller that plunges readers into the suffocating darkness of a caveā€”and the even darker secrets that lie within.

When Tess reluctantly joins her adventurous best friend Allie on a caving expedition, she expects to confront her claustrophobiaā€”not a stranger who traps her in a fight for her life. A man who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them at the cave's entrance. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive. Hours later, Tess emerges aliveā€”but the nightmare is far from over.

As Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie's true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn't so random after all. In the hospital, as Tess pieces together the events with a detective, she learns shocking truths about Allie's past that reframe everything. Was the attack truly random? Who was Allie beneath her dazzling interior? And most chilling of allā€”has Tess really escaped the danger, or is it still closing in?

Due to the inclement weather, Baird Branch of SOPL closed early today, Tuesday July 28. Stay safe everyone!
07/28/2026

Due to the inclement weather, Baird Branch of SOPL closed early today, Tuesday July 28.

Stay safe everyone!

Address

Temporary Location: 298 Walton Avenue
South Orange, NJ
07079

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 8pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

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