The cottage was open to the public one day a week, while a Model T panelled truck took library service to the rural portion of the 28,000 population by stopping at schools and “stations” which were located in post offices, stores and enclosed porches of private homes.

A Dover Township referendum vote in 1976 increased the Library's geographical service area to 31 municipalities.

In 1962, the Library moved to 15 Hooper Avenue, a 7,400-square-foot (690 m2) building that had been a gymnasium for St. Joseph's School, and is now the Ocean County Probation Office.

From this location, the Library expanded into the "White House" on the corner of Hooper Avenue and Water Street and, in 1978, into the Bishop Building.

The church steeple was badly damaged over the years and was removed as part of the expansion of the Toms River Branch in 2005.

The future use of the Bishop Building includes plans as a venue for community events and training center for the library staff.

The $12.9 million construction project began in October 2002, when ground was broken on a 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m2) expansion of the original library building.

The art includes "Buzzy" and "O" steel sculptures by Michael Allen Malpass of Brick, New Jersey, "Sandbar # 1" and "Sandbar # 2" suspended textile atrium sculpture by Joanie San Chirico[6] of Toms River, "Reflections of the Ocean County Library," an 8-foot (2.4 m) bas relief sculpture in bonded bronze created by Toms River sculptor Brian Hanlon, a terrazzo floor in the atrium by Michele Oka Doner of New York, "Acqua Viva," "Drifting," "Sunyata" and "Embryo," four oil paintings of jellyfish by Helaine Rainier of Toms River, New Jersey, and a large mostly argon light sculpture[7] called "Woven Light" by Chris Freeman in the Hugh B. Wheeler Room.

Each branch of the Ocean County Library offers children's materials from classics to new titles in a variety of formats.

The Ocean County Library system has offered many free author events, luncheons, and book signings, featuring authors such as Peter Maas, Sandra Brown,[20] David Baldacci, James Patterson, Robert Pinsky, William Wegman, several Sesame Street cast members, Malachy McCourt,[21] Barbara Taylor Bradford, Nora Roberts,[22] Chris Elliott, Anne Perry, Anne Lamott, Laura Lippman, the TV Chef Robert Irvine[23] and others.

[24] National acts such as Steve Forbert, Ron Sexsmith, Marshall Crenshaw, Glenn Tilbrook (of Squeeze),[25] Bill Kirchen, Graham Parker, NRBQ,[26] and Maggie and Terre Roche have all played at the library.

Comedian Jim Breuer of Saturday Night Live fame performed at the library on October 7, 2010.

The Library has partnered with corporations such as HBO, Showtime, CBS, Scholastic, The Sesame Workshop, Viacom, and many others to produce special events.

[27] John Bailey Lloyd, the unofficial historian[28] of Long Beach Island worked at several Ocean County Library branches as a reference librarian.

[30] Sparks is a large magenta[31] dragon who loves to read and visit fairs and other special events in the county.