Elmhurst is getting a new library! Queens Library at Elmhurst, 86-01 Broadway, will be closed effective Monday, November 7, 2011 and is moving to temporary quarters while a new library is built on the site.
The new library is anticipated to open in 2013. It will be double the size of the current library, featuring four levels for customer service with elevator access to all levels. Features include separate library areas for adults, children and teens; a large 32-computer Cyber Center for customer use; a new Adult Learner Center; an interior reading atrium and front and rear community gardens. “Memory features” will preserve the library’s legacy in the community. Original bricks will be used in the new façade. The nostalgic Children’s Room fireplace will be relocated to the new building. There will be a 1906 Memory Wall plus many other acknowledgements of the library’s long history in the community. The new library will cost $27.8 million.
“A library is one of the greatest resources for people of all ages in any community. Here at the Elmhurst Library, thousands of visitors comb its treasure trove of literary, musical, artistic and reference material. Now, it has become a victim of its own success and needs to expand in a new building that will double the size of the old one. It is with an eye on future generations that I chose to invest in our continuing progress by allocating almost $23 million in capital funds for this new library and another $1.6 million for its furniture and equipment. The funding is part of my total support – more than $104 million – for libraries, since becoming Borough President,” said Helen Marshall.
“Elmhurst is a thriving neighborhood that needs a state-of-the-art library to support education, job growth and intellectual development. The current library lends a million books and DVDs a year, more than double the volume per square foot of Flushing Library, and Flushing is the busiest library in NY State. The new Queens Library at Elmhurst will be a community hub for generations to come, with its gardens and a wealth of resources,” said Thomas W. Galante, President and CEO of Queens Library.
SCHEDULE OF CONTINUING LIBRARY SERVICE: Beginning Wednesday, November 9, limited service will be provided by the book bus, parked outside the current library. The book bus will provide service on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am – 6 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am – 5 pm. Later this winter, a larger temporary library will open around the corner from the current site (85-08 51st Avenue). Library customers are invited to use any Queens Library location. Go to www.queenslibrary.org for the most up-to-date information.
On Monday, November 14, the Adult Learner Center will open in its temporary home in the former gym at St. James, 84-07 Broadway.
The original library building in Elmhurst was opened 1906. Community demand immediately showed the library to be too small. In 1930, the building was expanded to triple the original size. Extensive renovations were done in 1965 and 1980.
