The New Jersey Collection contains books, selected historic periodicals, government documents, and some pamphlets and other gray literature pertaining to the history of New Jersey as a state and colony. The strongest emphasis of the collection is on southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic and Cape May counties and Atlantic City.
One of the gems of the collection is Construction and Operation of a Shell Loading Plant and the Town of Amatol, New Jersey, by Victor F. Hammel. This rare book provides highly detailed photographs, diagrams, and text recounting the story of the arms manufactury near Hammonton. The Amatol plant and its adjacent village played an important role in WWI, but now is a ghost town, part of the Hammonton Creek Wildlife Management Area.
Material from the New Jersey Collection may be used in the library by registered users, or with the presentation of appropriate ID. Use of some rare or fragile items may require supervision and/or the use of gloves and supports. Permission may be required for scanning or photography.
Many of the contemporary titles in the New Jersey Collection are also available for borrowing in the general collections.
Separate from, but related to the New Jersey Collection, is the Richard Squires Collection. Squires was the County Executive for Atlantic County from 1980-1999. The collection includes government documents, material from local non-governmental agencies, and gray literature pertaining to the government and administration of Atlantic and Cape May counties.