Queens Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Queens Public Library |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1896 |
| Location | Queens (New York City) |
| Coordinates | 40°42′28″N 073°47′42″W / 40.70778°N 73.79500°W |
| Branches | 62 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 7.5 million items |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 15.7 million in FY 2014 |
| Population served | 2,270,338 (Queens) |
| Members | nearly 929,000 active borrowers in FY 2014 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $128.147 million (FY 2013) |
The Queens Public Library (QPL) is a huge public library system. It serves the Queens area of New York City. It's one of the biggest library systems in the world!
The Queens Public Library has loaned out millions of items. It also has one of the largest collections of books and other materials in the United States. The library holds about 7.5 million items in total. About 1.4 million of these are at its main library in Jamaica, Queens. In 2009, Library Journal magazine named it "Library of the Year."
The first library in Queens started in 1858. It was in Flushing. The Queens Public Library now has 62 branches. These branches are all over the borough of Queens. Queens has almost 2.3 million people living there. Many of them are immigrants from other countries. Because of this, the library has many books and materials in languages other than English. You can find books in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Russian.
The Queens Public Library is a separate system. It is different from the New York Public Library. That library serves the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. It is also separate from the Brooklyn Public Library. That library only serves Brooklyn.
Contents
History of Queens Public Library
The very first library in Queens opened in 1858. It was in Flushing. At first, you had to pay to use it. But in 1869, it became a free library for everyone.
In the late 1800s, more local libraries started in western Queens. Libraries in Astoria, Long Island City, and Steinway joined together. They formed the Long Island City Public Library in 1896. This was Queens' first library system with many branches.
In 1901, Queens became part of New York City. The city government wanted to combine all Queens libraries. They planned to create the Queens Borough Public Library. Most libraries joined, but Flushing stayed independent until 1903. The Queens Borough Public Library officially began in 1907.
Queens has different population sizes in different areas. So, in 1906, the library started a "Traveling Library" program. They opened small branches in stores and shopping areas. This helped the library grow quickly. Soon, there were major branches in almost every neighborhood in Queens.
The original Central Library was on Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica. It opened in 1930. It was a beautiful four-story building. It was expanded in 1941 with money from the Works Progress Administration. Even though it was elegant, it became too small. A new, much larger building replaced it in 1966.
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A famous businessman named Andrew Carnegie donated $240,000. This money was used to build seven new Carnegie libraries. These were built between 1904 and 1924. They were in the most populated parts of Queens. Four of these buildings are still used today. They are strong, solid buildings with fancy details. The Carnegie library in Flushing was replaced in the 1950s. The Far Rockaway Branch was destroyed by a fire in 1962.
More library branches were added as Queens grew. By 1946, the Queens Borough Public Library had 44 branches. It also had the Central Library and a very busy bookmobile.
Many new branches were planned between 1954 and 1965. But they were not finished because of a money problem in New York City. Extra money from the federal government helped finish the Central Library, Flushing, and Far Rockaway branches. In the 1990s, people wanted to finish the planned branches. A new Queens Borough Public Library opened in Flushing in 1998. Four more branches opened between 1999 and 2007. The Queens Library received over $269 million for new projects between 2005 and 2013.
The Queens Borough Public Library changed its name to Queens Library. In April 2019, it changed its name again. It is now called the Queens Public Library. Its new motto is "We speak your language."
How the Library is Managed
The Queens Public Library is run by a group of 19 people. This group is called the Board of Trustees. The Mayor of New York City and the Borough President of Queens choose these people. Some city officials are also part of the board.
The library gets its money from the city. It also gets money from state and federal grants. Private donations also help fund the library. Dennis Walcott became the President and CEO in March 2016.
Library Locations and Services
- Further information: List of Queens Library branches
The Queens Public Library has 62 different locations. It also has seven Adult Learning Centers. There are two Family Literacy Centers. Plus, there is a Mobile Library that travels around.
Central Library
The Central Library was special because it put all public services on one floor. The library cost $5.7 million to build. It had 195,000 square feet of space. The library was updated and made bigger in 1989. More updates were finished in 2013.
A new Children's Library Discovery Center opened in 2011. It is right next to the main library. The Central Library has many resources for school projects and research. It also has a special collection about the history of Queens. This collection includes thousands of photos and books. Other special collections help with job searches and health information.
International Resource Center
The Queens Library in Flushing has an International Resource Center (IRC). This center has books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs. These items represent cultures from all over the world. The Flushing library has collections in many non-English languages. These include Bengali, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.
STACKS Program
Eighteen Queens Public Library branches have a program called STACKS. This is an after-school program. It helps students with their homework. The program provides homework materials and tutors. Every Queens Public Library branch also has fun activities and clubs for kids and teens every day.
Help for New Immigrants
The Queens Public Library helps new Americans settle into their new home. They have popular books and movies in many immigrant languages. They also offer programs in these languages. These programs help newcomers learn about living in NYC. Thousands of people take free classes to learn English. They also join conversation groups to practice speaking English.
Family literacy programs help families learn English together. They also share useful information about living in New York City. The library offers classes on civics and citizenship. They also help people from other countries get their job certifications in the U.S. All these programs make the Queens Public Library a great example for libraries everywhere.
Help for Job Seekers
The Queens Public Library offers a lot of help for people looking for jobs. They also help people improve their job skills. These services are free. They include:
- Job skills tests, both in person and online.
- Workshops to improve computer skills.
- Online learning that can lead to job certifications.
- Help with writing resumes.
- Practice for job interviews.
- Help finding job openings.
The library also partners with Workforce 1. This partnership helps people find jobs at the Flushing branch and near the Central Library.
Health Information
The Queens Public Library offers health information at all its locations. Through programs like Queens Library HealthLink and Queens Library ConnectCare, library users can get help. They can find free or low-cost health screenings. They can also get appointments with doctors, even if they don't have insurance.
Images for kids
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Historic marker outside the Woodhaven branch
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A chess players' cafe
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Pública de Queens para niños
