Master Gardeners

of Middlesex County

New Jersey

Guide to the Library

About the Library

The Library is a resource to support research and learning by Master Gardeners and Interns as well as the RCE staff. Almost 700 books in the collection cover topics ranging from garden activities for children to scholarly treatises on plant pathology -- and everything in between. Most books can be borrowed.

The Library’s Online Catalog contains information on every item in the collection. You can browse or search by keywords to find a book on the subject in which you are interested. Information on using the catalog appears below.

Most books have been donated over the years; others have been purchased by the Master Gardener program. Some of the books may be quite old, but they still contain valuable information. The Library also has some magazines and current nursery/seed catalogs.

Library Volunteers, some of whom are professional librarians, maintain the Library and Catalog. They are also available to assist you. Submit a question or request by email to t anytime. A member of the Library Team will respond as quickly as possible.

Who May Use the Library?

All Middlesex County NJ Master Gardeners in good standing and Master Gardener Interns may use the Library and borrow books. The Library is also used by RCE staff and Help Line Volunteers.

The Referencecollection has been created to reserve certain books for use by RCE staffand Help Line Volunteers.Reference books may be consulted while at the Library, butthey may not be borrowed or removed from the Earth Center Trailer.

Where Is the Library?

The Library is in the Earth Center “Trailer.”After entering the park, continue on the road approximately one-quarter mile beyond the Earth Center, going past the Master Gardener Gardens.

The Trailer is at the “Y” in the road.

When Is the Library Open?

The Trailer is locked at all times. To schedule a visit to the Library, please email , and one of the Library Volunteers will respond.

Please confirm your appointment before arriving at the Trailer.

How to Borrow and Return Books

You may borrowup to three books at a timefor three weeks. Renewals are not allowed.

Reference books may never be borrowed or removed from the Earth Center Trailer.

You may borrow books during a visit to the Library, or you may request a loan via email ().Both methods are described below.

To check out a book yourself:

  1. Remove the card from inside the back cover of the book you are borrowing.
  2. Print the date, your name, andyour phone number or email on the first available line on the card.
  3. Place the completed card in the wooden tray on top of the bookcase at the far end of the room, under the clock. Just above this tray, there is a sign showing the check-out procedure.
  4. PLEASE also send an email with the book titles and authors, your name and phone numberto so the online lending records can be updated.

To request a loan by email:

  1. Find the book(s) you want using the Online Catalog. Information on using the catalog appears below.
  2. Send your request to . Include the title, author, and call number of the item(s) you wish to borrow.
  3. A Library Volunteer will retrieve the bookand arrange a time for you to visit the Library and pick up the book. It may also be possible forthe Master Gardener Program Coordinator to deliver the book to you during the next Interns class meeting.
  4. You will receive an email reminder if your borrowed books become overdue.

To return a book:

You may return books to the Master Gardener Program Coordinator immediately before or after classes.

You may return books directly to the Library by making an appointment as described above.

  1. Place the book in the wooden tray on top of the bookcase at the far end of the room, under the clock. (Just above the tray, there is a sign showing the check-out procedure.)
  2. When returning the book to the trailer, please DO NOT reshelve the book.
  3. A Library Volunteer will check-in the book and reshelve it as soon as possible.
  4. PLEASEnotify the Library Team at that you have returned the book so lending records can be updated. Include the book title and author, your name and phone number.

How to donate books or other media

Donations of books or other media (for example, CDs or DVDs) on topics of interest to Master Gardeners are always welcome.

All items should be in good condition, with no water or other damage.

Please email the Librarians () or the Master Gardeners Program Coordinator and arrangements will be made to accept your generous donations.

1

How to Use the Online Catalog

Find the catalog at

Our Library’s Catalog has been updated and expanded using the web-based cataloging application called LibraryThing.

The initial screen displays a listing of the Library’scomplete collection.Our LibraryThingmember name, MGMCNJ, appears at upper left.

Sortthe list by clicking any of the column headings in blue font. Click the heading again to reverse the sort order. The list shown below is sorted by Title (note the small triangle next to the column heading).

The Comments field contains important information about a specific item, including whether it is a Reference copy.

The Lendingcolumn shows if a book has been checked out and when it is due to be returned.

Searchingthe Catalog

Type your search criteria in the lower of the two search boxes in top right corner. This search box shows the text “Search this library” and returns results from our collection only.

Note: The top “Search site” box will return results from all the library and personal collections using LibraryThing (over a million collections!) Use the browser back arrow to return to the previous screen.

  • Search broadly simply by entering your keywords and clicking “Search.”

Since our collection is not very large, a simple search is often sufficient.

  • Narrow your search by selecting a field from the drop-down menu next to the “Search” button.

You can choose to search by author, title, subject, or tag - or, you can choose “Advanced search”

  • You can also search again within first search results. Just add one or more words in the search box (don’t erase your first terms) and click Search again.

Find Similar Books

Whether browsing the complete collection or the list of your search results, you can focus on a particular topic (or author, call number, series, or call number) by clickingon the field - or word in the field - to find other books with the same element.

For example, click the word “Annuals” in the Tags field shown above to find other books with the same tag.

1