Double the wait times to check out books, over 100,000 potential Sunday visits lost and dozens of early closures or delayed openings – Queens' public libraries are in dire straits after struggling through several months of budget cuts, officials said on Tuesday during a City Council budget hearing.
Read MoreNYnaturalizations.com, gives public access to around 400,000 naturalization records signed in the courts of Queens and the Bronx between 1794 and 1952. he database is the culmination of a plan that was hatched four and a half years ago and unveiled Thursday at the Queens Public Library on Merrick Boulevard.
Read MoreThe Flushing Queens Public Library Branch reopened Monday for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Read MoreA new exhibit commemorating the lives lost to COVID-19 is open at the Elmhurst Queens Public Library branch.
Read MoreQueens Public Library reopened the Far Rockaway Teen Library on Monday, after its closure during the earliest days of the pandemic.
“The goal of ‘It’s Time for Kind’ is to inspire our customers to highlight and demonstrate acts of caring and consideration for others.”
Read More“Late fines tell people they do not belong, and that shutting them out is simply the cost of doing business.”
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Flushing Library will close for a heating and cooling system overhaul. Photo via Youngking11/Wikimedia Commons
By Rachel Vick
Later this summer, Queens’ busiest library branch will be shutting its doors while the Queens Public Library works to fix the Flushing Library’s 23-year-old ventilation system.
The heating, ventilation and cooling system stopped working in May and the branch will close once the city stops using it as a vaccination hub.
“We know very well that the library is the center of community life in Flushing and that it is an invaluable resource,” said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “So many people have been looking forward to the library’s reopening and unfortunately it is unclear when this will be possible.”
“Replacing the HVAC system will take considerable time — it is an extremely complicated system — and we are working with the City to determine the best plan of action for installing a new one, and to evaluate options for a temporary solution,” he added.
Because the city owns the building and is responsible for major upkeep, they are required to follow the design-bid-build process for the replacement.
The city installed portable air conditioners in May that were unable to keep up, according to QPL. Vaccination efforts were forced to relocate to buses parked outside the building, with staff using the building as a staging area and for bathrooms.
They are now in the process of moving the vaccination site to another institution.
“This work, along with the construction of a new, second public elevator, is enormously complex,” Walcott said. “We look forward to updating the community with further details as they become available.”
“Our goal is to amplify the significance of Juneteenth and deepen the public’s understanding about that pivotal day.”
Read More“Susan joins us at a critical moment in our 125-year history, as Queens Public Library helps drive the recovery of our borough and the diverse communities we serve.”
Read More“Today we are taking an important step towards reconnecting with our customers by more widely opening the doors to an institution they love and cherish.”
Read More“Throughout his life, Kenneth Neilson has shown how one person can make an enormous difference in their community.”
Read MoreThe virtual sessions will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Read More“As we mark the 125th anniversary of Queens Public Library, we honor the people we serve in the most diverse place in the country.”
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