QPL Helps Revitalize Library at Veterans Home in St. Albans
Newly renovated space brings books and resources directly to residents of the facility
St. Albans, NY_ Queens Public Library has teamed up with the New York State Veterans Home, at 178-50 Linden Blvd. in St. Albans, to revitalize the facility’s library and introduce ongoing library services for its residents.
This initiative builds on QPL’s long-standing relationship with the Veterans Administration, located on the same campus, where the Library has provided resources for many years. It also reflects QPL’s commitment to expanding access to information and learning opportunities beyond its physical branches, bringing its offerings directly to those who may not be able to visit in person.
Staff from QPL’s St. Albans branch and Outreach team collaborated with the Veterans Home to renovate its one-room library, located on the facility’s ground floor, creating a welcoming space for residents and their families. The team refreshed the collection, restocking the shelves with books, and introduced a new checkout system to make borrowing and returning materials easier.
The reorganized library now features a fully labeled and organized collection of approximately 1,000 items, including large print books, biographies, religious and self-help titles, Westerns, and more.
To mark this milestone, QPL hosted “QPL Day at the Veterans Home” on Monday, November 3, celebrating the revitalized space with a library tour, a visit from a QPL Bookmobile, and musical performances.
Moving forward, QPL will maintain a consistent presence at the Veterans Home. A librarian from the St. Albans branch will visit monthly to sign up residents and staff for library cards, assist with library use and materials, and restock and maintain the collection. The Library will also offer programs tailored to the veteran community.
“We are thrilled to partner with the New York State Veterans Home to provide its residents with a welcoming, well-organized library space where they can enjoy books and other materials right where they live,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “Our veterans have given so much in service to our country, and it is an honor to give back by supporting their well-being and lifelong learning. This revitalized library also reflects our ongoing commitment to serving our communities beyond the physical walls of our branches and ensuring that everyone has access to our invaluable resources.”
“We’re honored to renew our partnership with Queens Public Library,” said Reynaldo Torres, Administrator of the NYS Veterans Home at St. Albans. “Our veterans deserve rich opportunities to learn, connect, and heal, and QPL’s programs—from author talks and oral-history workshops to digital literacy and family events—help make that possible. This collaboration is about dignity, community, and saying ‘thank you’ in a concrete way.”
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has four bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
CONTACT: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org