This weekend marks the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We have compiled resources on how to talk to your children about terrorism and this anniversary, as well as recommended reading for all ages about 9/11.
How to Talk About 9/11 With Your Kids: Parents Magazine
How To Talk With Your Kids about Terrorism: USA Today
How To Talk To Kids About 9/11: Today Show
Reading Recommendations
Grades K-3
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
14 vacas para America por Carmen Agra Deedy
Branches of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree by Ann Magee Book eBook
Come with Me by Holly M. McGhee
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman
This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin Book eBook
Grades 3-6
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz Book eBook
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes Book eBook
Grades 5-8
The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi
Children's Nonfiction:
Seven and a Half Tons of Steel by Janet Nolan
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001-The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 by Julie Gassman
Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez
Young Adult:
The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers by Don Brown
Adult:
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Your children’s sleep schedules often get off track during the summer with vacations, camp, and sunlight lasting late into the evening. All of this can lead to trouble sleeping when it’s time to return to a structured schedule at the start of the school year.
The benefits of a good night’s sleep are well known—sleep reduces stress and the frequency of sickness and regulates weight, among other advantages—but this is especially true for growing children. Getting adequate rest not only helps them perform better in school; it’s also important for their overall health and development.
Here are some simple steps from NewYork-Presbyterian to help reestablish a back-to-school sleep schedule for your kids.
Prepare your kids for early morning wake-ups by gradually shifting their bedtime and wake-up time earlier by increments of 15 minutes.
This means that if a child has been going to sleep at 9:30 pm, the next night’s bedtime should move to 9:15 pm, and then the following night’s bedtime should become 9 pm, and so on. Begin this process about two weeks prior to school starting, depending on your child’s bedtime, which will allow them to adjust to the new routine so the first day of school is manageable.
Consistent, calming activities will help your child fall asleep more easily.
Following the same bedtime rituals each evening, such as taking a bath, putting on pajamas, and reading a book, will let your child’s body know that it is time to wind down.
Teaching children to fall asleep on their own is also key to decreasing nighttime awakenings. Staying or lying with a child until they fall asleep creates a sleep association, which is a condition that must be present in order for them to fall asleep. The same sleep associations learned at bedtime are then needed to fall back asleep during the night. Children who can fall asleep on their own will be able to soothe themselves back to sleep without assistance if they wake up briefly during the night.
Stop screen use—including watching television and using laptops, tablets, and cellphones—at least one hour prior to bedtime, and turn off all electronic devices at night for optimal sleep.
The blue light from screens can inhibit the release of melatonin, the hormone that causes a child to feel drowsy, making it harder for them to fall asleep. Light and noises from cellphones can also trigger nighttime wake-ups and tempt children to look at their phone if they do wake up overnight. All electronics are best left outside of your child’s bedroom come bedtime!
Source: NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters website: healthmatters.nyp.org
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Because of back-to-school, children may have to wear masks for much longer periods of time than they have experienced. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends getting your child used to a mask before they need to wear it in public or in school. Here are some tips from them:
- Face masks significantly reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Teaching children this can help them understand the importance of wearing a mask to be safe. Explain in simple terms that we are protecting ourselves against germs.
- Practice wearing a mask at home and even practice having a toy or stuffed animal wear it. This can help children to get comfortable with masks.
- Let kids decorate their own masks so they feel they are personalized and special to them.
- Show them photos of other kids wearing masks so they see it as the normal thing to do.
- Make sure their mask fits properly around the ears and is snug enough.
- Remember to teach them to wash their hands before and after wearing a mask, and not to touch it while wearing it. Practice wearing it for longer stretches of time can really help kids adjust to this new habit.
- Model wearing masks for your children, so they will see this as part of a normal routine.
For more information, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website.
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When the CDC announced new guidelines that fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks outdoors, many people felt hope that we may soon return to normalcy. But the news also brought a measure of anxiety: Is it safe to go back to the office and pack into subways? Will we remember how to interact face to face? How do we say no to invitations we’re not comfortable with?
There’s even a name for this hesitation to re-enter into society: “cave syndrome.” Nearly half of Americans report feeling uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction once the pandemic ends, according to the American Psychological Association.
NewYork Presbyterian's Health Matters spoke to Dr. Avital Falk, program director of the Intensive Treatment Program for OCD and Anxiety at the NewYork-Presbyterian Youth Anxiety Center, to help guide us through this return to normal and explain why we might be feeling some trepidation.
“It makes sense to be feeling anxious,” says Dr. Falk, who is also director of the Pediatric OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. “For over a year now, many of these activities were dangerous. And so our bodies and brains have been trained to react in a certain way when we face social situations, whether it’s riding the subway, being invited to a larger gathering, or even just seeing others indoors.”
Dr. Falk shares seven tips for how we can set our boundaries and ease back into life.
Determine your personal guidelines.
Everyone’s circumstances are unique, so Dr. Falk recommends taking the time to think about what your personal boundaries are. Write them down if it helps with the thought process. “Some people might have very high-risk family members in their homes or may be high-risk themselves,” says Dr. Falk. “You might have unvaccinated children or other people who have been ineligible for the vaccine for various reasons. So you have to figure out what is safe for your immediate cluster and family, and then, based on that, you can set some logical guidelines and boundaries about what is and isn’t safe for you.”
Next, put these guidelines into action. If you’ve determined you’re comfortable at a small outdoor gathering, but begin to have an emotional reaction or feel fear, remind yourself that on a logical level, this is safe. “If there is no actual danger, then we encourage facing that fear,” says Dr. Falk. “And the more you practice something, the easier it becomes.”
Find your pace.
Some people might be able to jump right in once they determine their guidelines. For others, that may be more difficult. “If you need to take baby steps, make a plan for yourself,” says Dr. Falk. “Say, ‘This week I will go to a gathering, but I’m not ready to take the subway. Next week, I’m going to try taking the subway during off-hours, the next week I’m going to try going for my commute.’ You can absolutely build up your strength and confidence to make sure that your practices match the guidelines that you’ve decided are appropriate.”
Practice asserting yourself.
Even if you know your personal boundaries, “It’s very difficult to say no to something or to disagree with somebody,” acknowledges Dr. Falk. “That’s a skill in and of itself, learning how to assert for yourself what you’re comfortable with and where your boundaries are.”
Dr. Falk recommends practicing those tough conversations by role-playing with a family member. “You can politely decline and just say, ‘You know what? This is something that we can’t do just yet given our personal circumstances, but I can’t wait to join in the future.’ You can also also suggest some alternate activity.”
Remember that everyone is feeling rusty with socializing.
Worried about awkward social interactions? You’re not alone. Remind yourself that everyone is in the same boat of relearning how to socialize in person. It can even be something to laugh about. “Just like it takes practice to overcome fear, it takes practice to just get back in the groove on a social level,” says Dr. Falk. Don’t let the rustiness keep you from reaching out to people. The more you see and converse with others, the better it will feel and the more comfortable you will become.
Embrace the positive lessons.
It’s been a tragic year with an unimaginable amount of loss, but there have been some silver linings. The slowed-down pace of life has allowed some people the chance to better define their values, practice self-care, and spend more time with loved ones. “If there are things that you’ve learned about yourself, your values and what your needs are — and it’s something you can continue to fulfill once this is all over — that’s incredible,” says Dr Falk. “I think it shows growth if you can carry that forward.”
Some social obligations remain — if you’re not looking forward to play dates with certain parents, you may still want to do them because it fits in with your larger set of values to be inclusive and get to know people in your community. But instead of an automatic yes to every invitation, “We can be more thoughtful about our own needs, what we’re sacrificing every time we do something, and what we’re sacrificing every time we don’t,” says Dr. Falk.
Be flexible.
Remember that things are always changing, so while it’s important to define your personal boundaries, it is just as critical to be open to adjusting them. “Everything is changing week by week, day by day,” says Dr. Falk. “I think it’s important to be flexible and respond to the changing circumstances. And just like how we had to roll with the changing guidance at the beginning of the pandemic, we have to roll with the changing guidance on the other end too.”
Give yourself a break.
This has been a challenging year, and it’s important to recognize that just because things are technically safer doesn’t mean you have healed from everything that’s happened. It may take some time to process, heal, and recover. “And that’s not on anybody else’s timeline but your own,” says Dr. Falk. “Figure out what is good for you beyond CDC guidelines or safety. Don’t exert yourself too much if you’re still feeling overwhelmed.”
For anybody who does find their fears debilitating, reach out for professional help. “You can get some help to figure out how to manage those fears and anxieties, because you shouldn’t have to live like that,” says Dr. Falk. “We want you to live the life that you feel is safe and appropriate — and not one that’s just dictated by your fears or anxieties.”
Avital Falk, Ph.D. is the program director for the Intensive Treatment Program for OCD and Anxiety at the NewYork-Presbyterian Youth Anxiety Center and the director of the Pediatric OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is also an assistant professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. This article first appeared on healthmatters.nyp.org
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Returning to school after the summer break can be a challenging transition for students. Here are some tips for helping the children in your life transition back to in-person learning and have their best school year ever!
Review and Rehearse Routines: A clear, consistent routine can make school days go much more smoothly. Going over daily household routines and practicing them ahead of time will give everyone a chance to get more comfortable and avoid last-minute mix-ups and stress. In the week before school begins, consider doing a run through of a morning routine (wake up, dressing and hygiene, breakfast, and packing the school bag), the commute to school and reviewing after-school plans so everyone feels prepared and comfortable for the first day back. While building these habits, it’s important to offer kids specific praise for their efforts, not just for a successful outcome. If a child forgets their backpack, still let them know they did a great job organizing and packing it.
Check In with the Child: Your student likely has many feelings about returning to school: they may be happy to see friends, nervous about those friendships, excited for a more “regular” school experience, worried about schoolwork, sad that the summer is over – all at the same time! Encourage them to share with you by asking open-ended questions (questions that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”): “How are you feeling about going back?” or “What do you think school will be like?” If a child indicates they’re nervous, follow up by asking them what exactly is making them concerned, and offer to brainstorm solutions or ways to increase their comfort.. The key to checking in is to really listen, and let them know their feelings are understandable and okay. Reassure young people that what they’re feeling is common and normal; sharing how you’re feeling about these changes may help them be more open, too.
Practice Social-Emotional Skills: While learning at home, kids may not have had to do things like wait for a turn, hold a thought/not interrupt, ask to use the bathroom, share toys or be aware of others’ personal space. Social skills like these are an important part of school success, and you can help children build these good habits. Encourage younger kids to “play school” and practice classroom behavior (you can switch things up and let them be the teacher gently correcting your behavior, too). For older students, ask them to think about the ways that school behavior and expectations differ from home. You can also help prepare young people for potentially stressful experiences by practicing coping skills. Coping skills help students respond to challenges in a safe, healthy way. Some easy coping skills to practice at home are deep breathing, or taking slow, deep breaths; visualization, during which they close their eyes and think of place that calms them down; and the “5-4-3-2-1 Method”, a way they can center themselves by thinking of 5 things they can see, 4 things they can hear, 3 things they can feel, 2 things they can smell and 1 thing they can taste.
Reconnect with Friends: Encourage young people to reconnect with friends in person prior to the start of school. Even if they may have stayed in touch via social media or texting, face-to-face interactions can be helpful for kids to feel comfortable in groups again. Reassure them that it’s normal for relationships to have changed and to feel a little awkward. If a student is transitioning to a new school, reach out to the parent coordinator and see if there are any social activities planned before school starts or offer to plan one yourself.
- Anne Van der Veer and Laura Sophocleous, LCSW, LMFT, CASAC; School-Based Health Center Program, Adolescent Medicine, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health
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Here are some of the new books coming to the Library for adults, teens, and children—from novels and history to an uplifting anthem and picture book for children as well as novels for Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 7, 2021
Beautiful World, Where Are You? (adult)
by Sally Rooney
Starred by Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, this is the newest book from a critically acclaimed novelist. It explores romance and breakups between two couples looking for their place in the world.
September 14, 2021
Harlem Shuffle (adult)
by Colson Whitehead
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Whitehead returns with a shimmering novel of Harlem in the 1960s, following the travails of a furniture salesman who gets involved with a hotel heist gone awry.
September 14, 2021
Travels With George: In Search of George and His Legacy (adult)
by Nathaniel Philbrick
Starred by Booklist, this history and personal reflection follows the bestselling author as he retraces our first president’s journeys throughout the original thirteen colonies.
September 14, 2021
When We Say Black Lives Matter (children’s)
by Maxine Beneba Clark
Starred by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, this is a celebration of what it means to say that Black Lives Matter, created lovingly by an award-winning author-illustrator.
September 21, 2021
Change Sings (children’s)
by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long
Starred by Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, this picture book by the youngest inaugural poet embraces the power of possibility, encouraging all of us to see our potential to make change.
September 21, 2021
Kaleidoscope (YA/children’s)
by Brian Selznick
The award-winning creator’s new set of connected stories explore loss, discovery, love, and grief. Divided into three sections – morning, afternoon, and evening – the stories revolve around a relationship that persists across time.
September 21, 2021
Room to Dream (children’s)
by Kelly Yang
Starred by Booklist and Kirkus, this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling author features protagonist Mia of the Front Desk series going on a trip to China to visit her extended family.
October 5, 2021
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (children’s)
by Brandy Colbert
Starred by Booklist and Kirkus, this history from an award-winning author seeks to help us understand the Tulsa Race Massacre, a century after it devastated the Black Wall Street neighborhood in Oklahoma.
October 5, 2021
Bluebird (young adult)
by Sharon Cameron
Starred by School Library Journal, this historical novel follows the journey of a woman from Berlin to New York City, where she tries to prevent the U.S. and the Soviet Union from getting a Nazi secret project.
October 5, 2021
The Book of Magic (adult)
by Alice Hoffman
The critically acclaimed novelist concludes her Practical Magic series with a final tale about the Owens family and the lengths they will go for those they love and want to save.
Books for Hispanic Heritage Month
September 7, 2021
The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina (adult)
by Zoraida Cordova
This lush novel, the adult debut of the acclaimed author, follows a family as they attempt to understand the meaning of their inheritance by taking a trip to Ecuador, where their matriarch hid her secrets.
October 12, 2021
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World (YA)
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This is the follow-up to the beloved novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; in this sequel, two teens who fell in love must learn to navigate their relationship in a difficult world. Sáenz was the first Hispanic winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Read our Back-to-School Guide featuring:
- booklists for early learners, school-age children, and high school students
- tips on adjusting to in-person learning
- ideas for getting your child back on a school sleep schedule
- advice for family communication
- a list of the library's free research databases for students
- information on QPL resources for students and families
- details on our back-to-school giveaway
STACKS:
Our afternoon enrichment program for kids in grades K-5 continues virtually this fall. Learn more and register here.
Back-to-School Booklists from Our Guide:
Early Learning:
The King of Kindergaden by Derrick Barnes: Book eBook
Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim: Book eBook
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex: Book eBook
School Days by Shelley Rotner & Shelia M. Kelly: Book eBook
Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow: Book eBook
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson: Book eBook
School-Age Children:
New Kid by Jerry Craft: Book eBook
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson: Book eBook
Cookie & Broccoli: Ready for School by Bob McMahon: Book eBook
The First Day of School by Margaret McNamara: Book eBook
Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina: Book eBook
Surviving Middle School: Navigating the Halls, Riding the Social Rollercoaster, and Uumasking the Real You by Luke Reynolds: Book eBook
Twins vs. Triplets: Back-to-School Blitz by Jennifer Torres: Book eBook
Teen:
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson: Book eBook
The Field Guide to the North American Teen by Ben Philippe: Book eBook
Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon: Book eBook
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed: Book eBook
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness: Book eBook
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On August 12, Literary Thursdays welcomed artist and author Christina Conklin to share her new book, The Atlas of Disappearing Places: Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis. Conklin, a textile artist, is interested in the intersection of natural systems with belief systems. She approaches her art by asking herself what nature is already making. She began working on the book in 2016, with the goal of helping people to see the ocean as the central circulatory system of our planet and to see ourselves as part of it.
The book covers changing chemistry, strengthening storms, warming waters, and rising seas – in that order, to reflect the order in which these changes are occurring in nature. Conklin explores the ocean as body, with health/illness parallels, and presents future histories – imagined and researched ideas of what might happen in each of the twenty locations in the book in the future. She writes from 2050; for example, she predicts the outcome of a future super storm in New York City.
In her talk, Conklin introduced the idea of transilience, a geology term referring to an abrupt change in layers of rock. Unlike resilience, which she describes as a bouncing back, Conklin says we need abrupt jumps forward in order to address the climate crisis. Such jumps, she argued, are necessary more than incremental changes.
She created all of the book’s maps on dried seaweed that she collects near her home in California’s Half Moon Bay. She sees a certain poetry in the fact that the seaweed liquefies if wet. Her maps depict, among other places and things, ice sheets, coastal cities, ocean warming, global plastic waste pollution, the Pacific garbage patch, and the area in Vietnam where most of that country’s food supply is grown, a place that she says saltwater will inundate in the future. We must learn, she said, to relocate people in a safe and equitable way.
When discussing her global plastic waste pollution map, Conklin expressed the concern that fossil fuel industries are relying on us to depend on plastics more as our use of fossil fuels decreases.
When sharing a map of San Francisco, she explained that many cities have filled in their shorelines. Between the 1950s and 1980s, San Francisco filled in its bay by one-third. She described the problem that many toxic chemicals lay underneath the land that was filled in and will be exposed by rising sea levels.
Looking at a map of London, Conklin expressed that the flooding that will come from the Thames River presents existential questions to which she thinks the solution is moving to higher ground, while this is difficult to come to terms with. She encourages visiting climatecentral.org to use their surging seas tool to find out about flood assessments in your area.
In New York City, not much changed in terms of preparations for protecting vulnerable populations as a result of Hurricane Sandy, she says. In the future, a storm of this size will become more common. We need to have hard conversations now or face disasters, Conklin warned.
Conklin’s ultimate message was one of urgency, as expressed in the title of her atlas. Asked the most interesting lesson she learned while putting the book together, she responded that it was how many people are devoting all of their time to the climate crisis. She indicated that these stories of hope encouraged her because cultures shift when enough people take a step in understanding an issue. We’re in a dead heat with climate change, she expressed, but she has faith we will win.
The Atlas of Disappearing Place: Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis is available from Queens Public Library. Read an excerpt here.
New Program Aims to Introduce Literacy and the Joy of Learning to Children Ages 0 to 5
With Their Very Own Special Edition QPL Cards
Elmhurst, N.Y. (August 5, 2021) – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Helen Arteaga-Landaverde and Queens Public Library President (QPL) and CEO Dennis M. Walcott today launched “QPL Baby Card,” a joint collaboration to deliver literacy and a love of learning as early on in a child’s life as possible.
At the event, CEO Arteaga-Landaverde and President Walcott presented three babies –and their parents –who were recently born at Elmhurst Hospital special edition QPL cards in their own names. In addition to the baby cards, created as part of the Library’s ongoing 125th anniversary celebration, QPL staff have created a website featuring literacy, health and parenting programs, such as a “Baby Basics” workshop, and for children ages 0 to 5, such as Mother Goose storytimes and “Kick-Off to Kindergarten.” Applications for the baby cards, a sample card, a map of all QPL locations, and a QPL bib and bookmark will be included for a limited time in diaper bags the hospital gives to parents when newborns and their parents leave the hospital.
“The goal of ‘QPL Baby Card’ is to introduce literacy and a love of learning at birth, and to engage parents and their babies in this process,” said President Walcott. “The program also reinforces and deepens the Library’s relationship with Elmhurst Hospital — once the epicenter of the pandemic in New York City and now a symbol of hope and resilience. I am grateful to CEO Arteaga-Landaverde and her team for their ongoing collaboration with the Library, and supporting our mission to help people be successful in their lives.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is thrilled to collaborate with the Queens Public Library to give our new moms and their babies access to library cards and encourage early literacy,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Helen Arteaga-Landaverde, MPH. “Many of our patients are immigrants or first-generation Americans, so getting easy access to books and other educational materials will greatly benefit them and put their children firmly on the path to academic achievement and success. We greatly appreciate this partnership and look forward to continuing to work with QPL to provide programs for our community, in addition to the exceptional care provided to families at our hospital.”
Also on Thursday, the Library will start issuing the special edition cards to all children ages 0 to 5 after their parents or caregivers fill out a special application at any available Library location. The only information that is required to get a card are the child’s name and a New York State address.
Contact:
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst: Atiya Butler at butlerat@nychhc.org or (917) 319-5167 or
Queens Public Library: Elisabeth de Bourbon at edebourbon@queenslibrary.org or (917) 499-0867
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is a major provider of hospital and ambulatory care services in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care organization for key specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women’s health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, urgent care, renal services, and mental health services. Last year, the hospital’s robust primary and specialty care practices handled nearly 700,000 ambulatory care visits and its emergency medicine teams responded to more than 130,000 emergency room encounters.
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. For 125 years, QPL has offered free access to education, information and opportunity for all. An independent, non-profit institution, the Library has a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in multiple languages, technology and digital resources, and more than 80,000 educational, cultural, and civic programs annually. QPL consists of 66 locations across the borough, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology center, and two teen centers, and attracted more than 11 million visitors in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Queens Public Library at www.queenslibrary.org.
Queens Public Library, City and Elected Officials Reveal Design for the New Rego Park Library
Rego Park, NY (July 28, 2021)—Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott was joined today by NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, State Senators Toby Ann Stavisky and Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., New York City Council Member Karen Koslowitz and community leaders to unveil the design for the new Rego Park Library.
DDC presented plans for the new, state-of-the-art building at 91-41 63rd Drive, which will replace the current 7,500-square-foot one-story facility that opened in 1975. The new 18,000-square-foot two-story library, with estimated design and construction costs budgeted at $33.2 million, will more than double the size of the original library and will feature separate reading rooms for children and teens, as well as additional space for computer access and for educational programs and community activities.
Designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architects, the new library will offer greater access to free resources, technology and opportunity to the growing Rego Park community and beyond. It will incorporate innovative design, visual comfort including glare control, balanced acoustic design, natural light, ergonomics, weather and water tightness, ease of maintenance and use, and energy efficiency.
The Rego Park branch is among the busiest in the borough, serving – under regular circumstances – nearly 200,000 people a year and lending about 190,000 items each year. It reopened for to-go service last August, after QPL temporarily closed the Library’s physical locations in March 2020 to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The branch expanded service for computer use, browsing and in-person reference on May 24. Since then, Rego Park has been among the top 10 QPL branches for check-outs, number of visitors and computer sessions.
The project, which is being managed by DDC, is anticipated to begin construction in winter 2022 with an estimated completion date of summer 2025.
“The Department of Design and Construction’s outstanding design reflects the progress we have made towards providing this growing community a much larger, modern library with spaces that will uplift and inspire our customers as they access a world of free information, resources, services and opportunity,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “I want to extend my deepest thanks to Council Member Karen Koslowitz for her decades-long advocacy and financial support for a new library, and to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and his predecessor Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz for securing the funds needed to build it.”
“DDC’s design for the new Rego Park Library greatly expands the available space and takes into account environmental sustainability and user comfort to create a friendly and enriching environment for both adults and younger people,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer. “Libraries are centers of learning as well as valuable community spaces and this project achieves both of those goals.”
"The residents of Rego Park have been waiting for the construction of a new library for a very long time, but thankfully we're here today to see this next step forward," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. "The designs revealed today show the new Rego Park library will be a first-class facility that will meet and exceed the educational, cultural and occupational demands of this vibrant community. Libraries are community hubs that are centers of learning, literacy and culture, and the new Rego Park library will certainly fulfill this promise."
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “I am proud to have played a role, as the former Borough President, in helping to bring a new, modern library to the neighborhood. This larger, upgraded facility will provide a safe place for children and teens. When this makeover is complete, it will give our seniors and everyone else in the surrounding area greater access to computers, community activities and, of course, thousands of entertaining and educational books to read.”
“Queens Public Library (QPL) has been serving our borough for well over a century,” said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “During the COVID-19 pandemic I was proud to take part in their Virtual Read Along series, which was just one example of the creative ways the Library continues to engage and interact with the community. With this new state-of-the-art facility, I believe QPL’s potential impact on Rego Park and the surrounding community is limitless.”
“I am proud to stand here today with my friends at Queens Public Library and DDC to unveil the new design for the Rego Park Library,” State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said. “Whenever a library undergoes a complete makeover it is a chance to update and improve an important community resource. I look forward to being back here to open the new branch and check out all of the amazing upgrades, while also welcoming the community back.”
“Rego Park desperately needs an enlarged library. This was also the case over twenty years ago when I was able to get an approval for a new library. Over the years, the project was unable to get underway because the financial goalposts kept changing and additional funding had to be secured,” said Council Member Karen Koslowitz. “Today, I can say with confidence, thanks to the support of four past and present borough presidents, four past and present council speakers and Mayor de Blasio, this library project is finally on its’ way to completion.”
“I truly appreciate the time and effort that Queens Public Library and the Department of Design and Construction has put into the design for our new library,” said District Manager for Queens Community Board 6 Frank Gulluscio. “We enthusiastically look forward to the project coming to fruition for our community.”
“The students, families and staff of P.S. 139 are all very excited about the plans for our new local public library and we extend a very heartfelt thanks to all that are making this possible,” said Eleuterio Rolon, Jr., Principal of P.S. 139 in Rego Park. “Our local library has always been an important part of the community and we look forward to many more years of partnership for the benefit of all of our students.”
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 multiple languages, technology and digital resources, and more than 87,500 educational, cultural, and civic programs a year. It consists of 66 locations, including 62 branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab, and two teen centers.
About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15.5 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.
Contact:
Queens Public Library—Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, 917-702-0016, ekern@queenslibrary.org
NYC DDC—Shoshana Khan, 718-391-1251, KhanSho@ddc.nyc.gov
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