PHOTO: This page of the Capital Projects Tracker contains a brief description of the interior renovation project at the Ozone Park branch, and displays all the phases and the status of each phase. Courtesy of Queens Library
By Forum Staff
The Queens Library has launched an online tool to provide information about the progress of capital improvements to its branches, the Library system announced this week.
The Capital Projects Tracker, available at queenslibrary.org/capital, displays information about active, completed and future projects for each branch. It lists which projects are funded, who funded them, what upgrades are planned and what stage projects are in. It also includes information about how the capital process works.
The data will be updated quarterly. According to the Library, it is the only one of the city’s three public library systems to offer such info online.
“There are nearly 100 active Library capital projects on any given day in Queens and more in development, ranging from technology upgrades to interior renovations to expansions to brand new facilities, all planned to realize first-class library service. In our outreach and engagement with stakeholders, we have heard a desire to learn more about these projects,” said Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott. “We are deeply committed to transparency and communication with our customers and the public. In response to your requests for more information about capital projects and to provide a window into the process, we have created an online Capital Projects Tracking Tool.”
In Fiscal Year 2017, Queens Library received the largest capital funding in a single year in its history – $50.9 million. The funds are needed to build and renovate branches, the Library said. At the same time, the “unprecedented investment underscores an increased obligation to report out to the public and various funding stakeholders,” it added.
“We hope the Capital Projects Tracker will facilitate an ongoing conversation about meeting capital needs at a time when the demand for Library programs and services is greater than ever,” Walcott said.
