Val Walker, a rehabilitation counselor, joined Literary Thursdays recently to talk about her book addressing loneliness and isolation, two timely subjects during the pandemic. She explained that the pandemic tested her to live her book’s advice on how to overcome isolation as she lives alone and lost half her business in 2020. She misses interaction and social contact through work and volunteering, such as smiles, touches, and hugs.
Walker provided statistics and demographics on the loneliness epidemic as it stood before the pandemic. 53% of Americans say they don’t have meaningful conversations on a regular basis. One in five say they don’t have anyone to confide in, a number that has tripled since 1985, when it was one in fifteen. 83% are annoyed when others pick up the phone while talking to them and 45% feel it has hurt their relationships. People are 2X as likely to die if they are chronically lonely and are at greater risk of illnesses including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, anxiety, and depression. On Meetup.com alone, there are 2,000 groups for social anxiety.
During the pandemic, there have been 800% more calls to crisis lines and mental health services. A 31% increase has been reported in anxiety and a 26% increase in depression. Those with disabilities and serious illness are more likely to be isolated as are those who live alone or who have had a sudden income loss. Money, Walker says, isolates, if you don’t have it. Others who are likely to be isolated include full-time caregivers, those in rural areas, people without transportation, those who are grieving, and people who have relocated.
It’s important to understand the difference between isolation, which is a lack of contact, and loneliness, which is perceived isolation. Internal and external factors can keep you from making contact or connecting. Pandemic inertia is real, says Walker, from collective grief and loss of lifestyle and activities. Uncertainty, she says, is isolating. And during the pandemic, when we have no plans, uncertainty is magnified.
Walker’s book profiles fifteen people and tells her own story of overcoming loneliness and isolation after a medical procedure. That experience is what sparked her curiosity about isolation – she says that curiosity and caring can help with isolation. We can transform our loneliness by caring for others. It also can help to find a cause, a purpose or a mission – by volunteering you can find others in common situations. The thing that isolates you, in this way, can unite you. Walker also advocated for support groups where you can find people who understand you. Be pro-active, show up, and keep going. She suggested several sites that can help you get started with volunteering and groups including VolunteerMatch.org, Idealist.org, UnitedWay.org, and Meetup.org. During this time of sensory deprivation, Walker suggested giving handmade gifts, knitting, making clothes, and doing crafts so that those you gift the items to can have part of you that they can touch and enjoy.
Breaking out of isolation takes commitment and courage, but it can be done. Building a support system can be a years-long endeavor, but it is well worth it.
400 Friends and No One to Call: Breaking Through Isolation and Buiilding Community is available as a book and an e-book.
Get Your Taxes Prepared for Free!
Filing your taxes can be complex and confusing. Queens Public Library has compiled a resource of partner organizations who will be providing virtual tax help this year.
Get the complete list of organizations you can work with here.
Contact them directly for more information on the services they provide. Please note that Queens Public Library does not operate these programs, does not vouch for the accuracy of information disseminated during such programs, and assumes no responsibility for any statements made.
The following standard documents are required to prepare your taxes:
• Photo ID – driver license, state-issued non-driver ID, NYC ID or passport (for you and your spouse, if filing jointly)
• Social Security card for you, your spouse, and your dependents
• Proof of income (wages, interest and dividend statements): Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, Any other documents showing additional income
• Forms 1095-A, B, or C, Affordable Healthcare Statement
• Information related to any credits you’re claiming
• Your banking information (the account number and the routing number for your bank, which you can find on a blank check)
In late January, the Job and Business Academy offered a program on how to get your business funded. Entrepreneurship Counselor Terence Strong presented ways that entrepreneurs can guarantee their own funding. He shared routes that are particularly helpful for underserved entrepreneurs, specifically minorities and women – customer-funded businesses and revenue-based funding. While women are 55% of entrepreneurs, only 8% of venture capital funded startup founders are women. Less than one percent are Latina and 1% are Black. More than 40% of venture capital comes from the Bay Area.
A customer-funded business model can be a matchmaker setup, such as Expedia or eBay where the service is connecting buyers and sellers, or it can be a pay in advance system, a subscription model, scarcity/flash sales model or service to product model. Strong, who runs a subscription box, strongly recommends the subscription model in which you have returning customers, a positive cash flow, and customers who buy something repeatedly over time. In a service to product model, the business provides customers with services and eventually creates products that meet common needs that the services provide.
Revenue-based funding is an opportunity to get an investment based on revenue. Some revenue-based funders include Clearbanc, Strike Capital, and Shopify Capital. Strong described this as a good opportunity to be judged on the business that you have, not how you fit into preconceived notions of who is an entrepreneur. Revenue-based funders are primarily interested in funding marketing to grow your business. In revenue-based funding, investors are repaid as a percentage of your monthly revenue. Three months of revenue are necessary to qualify. Strong shared two revenue-based funders that are focusing on underrepresented entrepreneurs – Corl and Founders First Capital. Women lead 30% of the businesses that Corl funds and minorities lead 40%. Of the businesses that Founders First Capital funds, 80% are led by women and 55% are led by women of color. When the bias is removed, Strong says, the best companies rise to the top.
Visit our calendar to find more Job and Business Academy programs. On February 25, the JBA will host a deep dive into customer-funded business models.
Apollo 14, which launched on Sunday, January 31, 1971, was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land on the lunar highlands.
To learn more about Apollo 14, join us for our special programs exploring the mission and celebrating its 50th anniversary!
Pictured: Alan Shepard and the American flag on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, February 1971, taken by his fellow astronaut Edgar Mitchell.
Special Events
Apollo 14: Why Did It Happen?
Monday, February 1, 4pm
The U.S. spent nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars—why? Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society takes a historical look into the roots of Apollo, including details of the Apollo 14 mission, and will reveal the agendas and global currents responsible for this unprecedented mission of exploration, which happened a mere nine years after the first human was ever launched into space. Join here: https://queenslib.org/396Piml
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The Science of Apollo 14
Tuesday, February 2, 4pm
When Apollo astronauts visited the moon, they left more than footprints; they built a science station to continue to collect data even when the astronauts returned to Earth. Marie Henderson discusses the search for lost lunar data in garages, the astronaut smokejumper that carried tree seeds around the Moon, and the importance of the Apollo missions and modern lunar science. Join here: https://queenslib.org/36kUDV5
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Apollo 14: Rockets
Wednesday, February 3, 3:15pm
In this session, we will explore rockets to tie-in with the anniversary of Apollo 14. Bring paper, balloon, straws, pen, scissors, and tape. Join us at https://queenslib.org/3oaFBYS
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Apollo 14: Could Humans Return to the Moon by the End of the Decade?
Thursday, February 4, 2pm
NASA is currently working with private companies to extend human presence beyond Earth orbit for the first time in a half-century. Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society will present an overview of Project Artemis—named after the twin sister of Apollo—and how it incorporates partners like SpaceX into the goal of sustained, permanent human presence on our closest celestial neighbor. Join here: https://queenslib.org/2YcMzkG
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Apollo 14: "Moonshot" with Ms. Ashley
Thursday, February 4, 5pm
Join Ms. Ashley for a read-aloud of "Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11" by Brian Floca to learn about the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon! You might know who was the first man on the moon, but do you know anything else about that historic space trip and its influence on later space trips? Tune in to find out, and stay afterwards for a STEM project on how to create your very own “moon sand” using baby oil and flour! Watch live on our Facebook page.
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Apollo 14: Zoom to the Moon Story & Craft
Friday, February 5, 3:15pm
Families with children ages 4-7, join Ms. Jeanne, Youth Services Manager of Flushing Library, as we celebrate the mission of Apollo 14 with a story & craft! Bring paper, crayons, and scissors. Join us at https://queenslib.org/2LcvcNZ
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Apollo 14: Bingo Baker
Friday, February 12, 12pm
Come and join us for a virtual game of bingo in honor of Apollo 14. Join here: https://queenslib.org/2MubGgv
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This will be an unprecedented school year for NYC students and their families, and Queens Public Library is here to help.
During the upcoming weeks and months, the Library will offer several digital resources and online programs to make it as easy as possible for students to learn and thrive. Learn more about them below.
Digital Resources
Brainfuse HelpNow: Brainfuse HelpNow provides free, on-demand, easy, and engaging eLearning for students of all ages, including homework help; live tutors in math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT, ACT, AP, and state standardized tests; and a 24- Hour Writing Lab where you can get constructive feedback.
Sora Reading App: All NYC Department of Education students can instantly borrow eBooks and graphic novels in over 20 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Install the free Sora reading app and enter your NYCDOE student login to get started.
Method Test Prep: Designed to work seamlessly with students' unique learning styles and busy schedules, Method Test Prep's ACT and SAT prep programs help students raise their ACT and SAT scores and build their reading comprehension, grammar, and math skills. Method Test Prep is used by over 1,000 schools around the world.
Resources for Teens: Visit this webpage for a list of QPL digital resources designed specifically for teens.
Research Databases: QPL has several databases that can help you with your schoolwork, including:
- Biblioboard, a primary source database featuring historical books, articles, images, maps, documents, and more.
- BookFlix, an online literacy resource from Scholastic.
- Britannica Elementary, a site that lets you look for people, places, and things, with video and games.
- Britannica Academic, which includes Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam Webster's Collegiate dictionary.
- Britannica School, which is for all grades and all reading abilities.
- Kids InfoBits, a collection of more than 550+ age-appropriate magazines for kids grades K-5.
Most of these digital resources require a Queens Public Library card or eCard. If you don’t have one yet, learn how to get one.
Online Programs
Each week, we have great QPL virtual programs for children and teens; for dates, times, and more information, visit the QPL Calendar, our Facebook page, and our YouTube channel.
Other Programs and Events
STACKS: Enrollment in our free enrichment program for children in grades K-5 began on December 19, 2020 and will continue through January 19, 2021. It will close on January 20 and will resume again on April 22. Visit here to register. If you have already registered your child for the STACKS Virtual World program, you don't need to register again.
Use the links below to read our other blog posts related to school-age children, including tips on getting your kids used to their face masks and how to sign up for a Queens Public Library card or eCard.
Give Children the Gift of Lifelong Learning
A gift to the Queens Public Library Foundation will help ensure our collections and digital resources are available to young people who are back in school, whether at home or in the classroom. Donate to the Library today!
Posts in This Series
Here are some of the new books coming to the Library for adults, children, and teens—from memoir and mystery for adult to young adult novels by acclaimed authors to exciting children’s books and books for Black History Month.
January 5, 2021
A Sled for Gabo (children’s)
by Emma Otheguy
This heartwarming book details a boy’s desire to get involved in the fun of a snowy day, despite not having a sled. His new community rallies to make his wish come true.
January 12, 2021
Aftershocks: A Memoir (adult)
by Nadia Owusu
Owusu, the daughter of a Ghanian UN official father and an Armenian American mother, struggles with constant moves, abandonment by her mother, and the early death of her father. Through it all, she musters an internal fortitude and reflects on what makes up her identity.
January 12, 2021
Concrete Rose (young adult)
by Angie Thomas
Starred by Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, this second book from Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give) explores the life of a seventeen-year-old as he grapples with gang loyalties and being a new father.
January 12, 2021
Oona (children’s)
by Kelly DiPucchio
This picture book by New York Times bestselling author DiPucchio features a young mermaid who seems to find trouble wherever she looks. The story follows Oona and her best friend as they explore the ocean in search of adventure.
January 12, 2021
Time for Kenny (children’s)
by Brian Pinkney
Coretta Scott King Medalist Pinkney has created a colorful, energetic book for emerging readers about Kenny’s challenges as he moves through his day. This is best to excite new readers.
February 2, 2021
Blood Grove (adult)
by Walter Mosley
This masterful mystery by prolific and award-winning author Mosley is set in 1969 California when a Black private detective takes a case for a white Vietnam vet because of the bond between veterans, despite his misgivings about the strange case.
February 2, 2021
Love Is a Revolution (young adult)
by Renee Watson
New York Times bestselling author Watson spins a romance in which teenage Nala falls in love with an activist, Tye, and tells a few fibs to appear to relate to him more. As they spend time together, she begins to understand herself better.
February 9, 2021
Game Changer (young adult)
by Neal Shusterman
The National Book Award winner has created a high-concept novel that is perfect for teens who are questioning their own place in the universe.
February 9, 2021
Never Far Away (adult)
by Michael Koryta
A woman who witnesses a heinous crime is assumed dead for years – until circumstances bring her back in touch with her family. Thriller master Koryta has written another suspenseful novel.
February 9, 2021
Other You (adult)
by Joyce Carol Oates
Starred by both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, this short story collection examines alternate universes and the lives we might have lived had things gone another way. Oates is a New York Times bestselling author who has won the National Book Award and been nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize.
Books for Black History Month
January 26, 2021
Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells (adult)
by Michelle Duster
Duster, the great-granddaughter of civil rights icon Ida B. Wells, tells the story of Wells’ incredible journey from being born a slave to her lifetime of activism, including co-founding the NAACP.
February 2, 2021
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation (adult)
by Anna Malaika Tubbs
Scholar Tubbs’ first book, a biography in three parts, explores the ways that Black motherhood shaped some of our country’s greatest thinkers. She fills in the gaps in our understanding of how these men came to be who they were, through the influence of their strong and determined mothers.
We hope you will join us for our special virtual events that pay tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
We also have suggestions below for great books and movies about Dr. King.
All Queens Public Library locations providing to-go service will be closed on Monday, January 18 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. You can return library materials 24/7 at 33 QPL locations.
Book Picks for Teens and Adults
Special Events
Virtual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Show
Saturday, January 16, 11am
Join us to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with The Freedom Fighters. Watch live on our Facebook page.
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Saturday Craft Series
Saturday, January 16, 1pm
Join us to make a Multicultural Hands Wreath for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and share a story about the great historical figure. Materials needed (supplied in giveaway craft kit for pick up at Langston Hughes Library): 4 9"x12" sheets of multicultural construction paper, 1 paper plate, glue, 2 paper clips, pencil. Sign up here to join the fun: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saturday-craft-series-tickets-125523196259
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Curator's Choice: A Conversation with the Curator of the Black Heritage Reference Collection
Tuesday, January 19, 4pm
Join the curator of Langston Hughes Library’s Black Heritage Reference Collection to discuss Black history and culture. In this episode, she will talk about Dr. King's speech "The Other America." Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curators-choice-tickets-114766164688?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch
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Stories and Songs of Freedom in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Jeannine Otis
Tuesday, January 19, 5pm
As a child, Jeannine marched with Dr. King and also met Rosa Parks. Her program will explore how those experiences impacted her in stories and song. Watch live on our Facebook page.
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When Art Speaks...Photographer Steve Schapiro/Images of the Civil Rights Movement
Wednesday, January 27, 3pm
Photographer Steve Schapiro has amassed a treasure trove of iconic images depicting the history of the Civil Rights Movement (1961-1968) as seen through the camera lens. Hear him tell the stories behind his photos that document key events and images of Dr. King and other activists synonymous with the movement. Join here: https://queenslib.org/39GwOIr
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OverDrive eBooks
Check out our list of eBooks for kids, teens, and adults about Dr. King on OverDrive.
Book Picks for Kids
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. (foreword by Coretta Scott King; paintings by fifteen Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book artists)
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. (illustrated by Kadir Nelson)
The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (selected by Coretta Scott King)
My First Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marion Dane Bauer and Jamie Smith
Free at Last! by Angela Bull
The Cart that Carried Martin by Eve Bunting and Don Tate
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Raúl Colón and Paula Yong Shelton
We March by Shane W. Evans
My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris and Chris Soentpiet
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris and London Ladd
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Josh Gregory
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Leader by Grace Hansen
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by Lisa M. Herrington
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Kitson Jazynka
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King III and AG Ford
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo and Brian J. Pinkney
I Am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos
I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos
The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore and Amy Wummer
The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Ira Peck
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Fighting for Civil Rights by Christine Platt & David Shepard
Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lucia Raatma
Martin Luther King...and the Fight for Equality by Sarah Ridley
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford and James Ransome
A Place to Land: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein & Jerry Pinkney
Book Picks for Teens and Adults
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream and Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Trumpet of Conscience by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Where Do We Go From Here by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Companion (selected by Coretta Scott King)
The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (selected by Coretta Scott King)
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson)
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson) (CD Audiobook)
A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran)
A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran) (CD Audiobook)
A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard)
A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. for Students (introduction by Walter Dean Myers)
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches (edited by James Melvin Washington)
I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World (edited by James Melvin Washington)
The Radical King (edited by Cornel West)
My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King and Barbara Reynolds
My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King and Barbara Reynolds (CD Audiobook)
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Perspectives on Modern World History) by Noah Berlatsky
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Valerie Bodden
The King Years by Taylor Branch
Burial for a King by Rebecca Burns
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia by Clayborne Carson
Waking from the Dream by David L. Chappell
Waking from the Dream by David L. Chappell (eBook)
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jacqueline Ching
April 4, 1968 by Michael Eric Dyson
April 4, 1968 by Michael Eric Dyson (CD Audiobook)
I See the Promised Land by Arthur Flowers and Manu Chitrakar
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life by Marshall Frady
An American Death by Gerold Frank
The Life and Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. by James Haskins
Becoming King by Troy Jackson
Life Magazine: Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. by Charles Johnson and Bob Adelman
My Time with the Kings by Kathryn Johnson
The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. by Peniel E. Joseph
Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Life and Win the 1960 Election by Stephen Kendrick & Paul Kendrick
Kennedy and King by Steven Levingston
March: Book One, Book Two, and Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Routledge Historical Biographies) by Peter J. Ling
The Murkin Conspiracy by Philip H. Melanson
Orders to Kill by William F. Pepper
Killing the Dream by Gerald Posner
Who Killed Martin Luther King? by James Earl Ray
Redemption: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Last 31 Hours by Joseph Rosenbloom
Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides
Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides (CD Audiobook)
King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop by Harvard Sitkoff
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley (eBook)
Chasing King's Killer by James L. Swanson
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Let Freedom Ring by Michael Teitelbaum and Lewis Helfand
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A King Family Tribute by Angela Farris Watkins and Andrew Young
Movie Picks
4 Little Girls (1997)
All The Way (2016)
Been to the Mountaintop (2006)
Boycott (2001, PG)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective (1994)
Freedom on My Mind (1994)
History Kids: Martin Luther King, Jr. (2018)
I Am Not Your Negro (2016, PG-13)
In Remembrance of Martin (1986)
King (1978)
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War (2007)
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013, PG-13)
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
King in the Wilderness (2018)
The March (2013, TV-PG)
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World (2008)
Martin's Big Words (2005)
Men of Peace: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela (2009)
Our Friend, Martin (1998)
Roads to Memphis (2010, TV-PG)
Selma (2014, PG-13)
Selma, Lord, Selma (1999, PG)
We Shall Overcome (2009)
In 2019, 73.5% of New York voters elected to change our voting system to ranked choice voting (RCV). What is ranked choice voting and when will it be used? Ranked choice voting allows you to rank up to five candidates, rather than voting for just one. It will be used for the first time in a special election in City Council District 24 on February 2, 2021 and again in a special election in City Council District 31 on February 23, 2021. The first citywide election to use ranked choice voting will be the primary election on June 22, 2021.
In ranked choice voting, you rank up to five candidates in order of preference - pick your first choice candidate and fill in the oval next to their name under the first column, as shown above. You do not have to rank five. You can still vote for just one candidate, if you prefer. However, by ranking multiple candidates you can still impact who gets elected even if your top choice does not win. You can even suggest a write-in candidate by writing the name of your candidate and ranking them on the write-in line.
What elections will use ranked choice voting? Special and primary elections for local offices, including mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council members, will use ranked choice voting starting this year.
What are the benefits of ranked choice voting? You have more say in who wins, there is less negative campaigning, and cities that use ranked choice voting have elected more diverse and representative candidates, such as more women and women of color.
• To learn in depth about how Ranked Choice Voting works, please visit here.
• For our FAQs on Ranked Choice Voting, please visit here.
• General information on how to vote is available here.
To see a guide to the special election in Council District 24, visit here.
On Tuesday, January 19th, QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott hosted a discussion on ranked-choice voting with Rank the Vote NYC, Chhaya CDC, the Chinese American Planning Council, the McSilver Institute, the Northeast Queens NAACP, and the MinKwon Center. Watch the replay on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel.
Dear Queens Public Library Community:
Before this consequential year comes to a close, I wanted to take the time to reflect on the remarkable things Queens Public Library achieved with the efforts and support of so many, even in the face of tremendous challenges and loss brought on by a global pandemic and the national reckoning on Black racism.
We started 2020 strong, gearing up for a first-ever joint campaign with the Brooklyn and New York public libraries and the City to encourage the millions of people who come through our doors to fill out the decennial census. The Caribbean Arts Festival wound down with a joyful closing ceremony at South Hollis in mid-January that drew nearly 400 people who celebrated the talents and contributions of local artists whose work adorned the walls of several of our branches. In another first, we launched a pilot program at Far Rockaway in partnership with the American Heart Association through which customers could safely borrow a blood pressure cuff.
Our work in connecting the people of Queens to vital resources and meeting their needs did not go unnoticed. Our Outreach Team in early January earned a “Beyond Housing Award” from the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness for deploying our mobile libraries and staff to deliver resources directly to families experiencing homelessness. At the end of January, members of our staff honored our Asian communities, braving the rain to march in the Queens Lunar New Year parade and hosting related events and activities across the borough.
In February, the Library turned its attention towards its annual observance of Black History Month with “Go Far, Go Together,” a system-wide program that focused on African-American trailblazers, cultural icons and civic leaders through a variety of programs, performances and displays. We also worked to nurture the skills of a new generation, staging the Library’s second FIRST LEGO League Robotics competition for middle school students, building on the robotics league originally funded by a grant from the Queens Public Library Foundation’s Innovation Fund. The Fund supported other innovative programs that took off this year, including “Mind Boosters for Boomers and Beyond,” designed by East Flushing and Glen Oaks staff to help older adults maintain cognitive health through musical instrument lessons; “Grand Family Fundamentals,” an intergenerational learning program for Mandarin-speaking grandparents with grandchildren K-3, which won a Urban Libraries Council innovation award earlier this month; and “QPL@Night,” aimed at fostering community and learning among people ages 21 and up through culture, entertainment and civic engagement.
As we moved through the winter, we started to hear about a new virus that caused flu-like symptoms but did not appear to pose an immediate a threat to New Yorkers. The advice was to wash our hands frequently, cover our coughs and avoid touching our faces. But by the beginning of March, as more became known about the new virus, the more precautions we took to mitigate its spread. On March 6, we suspended all public programming, and the following week, when it became clear that the health and safety of our staff and the public were at risk, we made the extremely difficult decision to close our physical locations.
Understanding the impact of our shutdown on the 2.3 million people of Queens, we strengthened our resolve to meet our mission, and moved quickly to deliver critical services, programs and resources to the public remotely to ensure that everyone—no matter who they are, where they come from or the challenges of so much uncertainty—would have the chance to realize the promise of their lives.
Within hours of the closing announcement, our technical services team ordered tens of thousands of e-books, e-magazines and other digital content, and our IT team supplied hundreds of laptops and other devices to employees who had to work remotely and brought us WebEx videoconferencing. Our public service, marketing, and programming teams and many other staff pivoted to ensure access to continued learning and growth. Almost overnight, virtual hip-hop DJ spin sessions, storytimes, cooking classes, tech workshops, seminars for job seekers, citizenship classes and more, carried on social media and through videoconferencing and teleconferencing, became part of our new normal, as did virtual reference.
The need to remain connected to our customers took on greater urgency as Queens became the epicenter of the pandemic. To document the effects of the public health crisis on the borough’s residents, Queens Memory launched the COVID-19 Project, collecting and archiving first-person accounts, photographs and records to tell people’s stories about their experiences during a historic time. To ensure an accurate count for the 2020 Census, we converted our outreach campaign from an in-person operation to a mainly online one, ultimately helping to achieve a response rate that surpassed that of the 2010 Census.
Mail-a-Book extended its reach beyond the homebound and older adults, adding more painting lessons and lectures about history and culture, among other offerings. We organized author talks and book clubs, recreation and meditation classes, music and dance performances and much more. We developed programs in Korean, Chinese, Bengali, Spanish and Russian.
Staff from across the system produced over 5,700 online programs between April and October that captivated over 100,000 participants, the ALP offered approximately 100 virtual courses that drew 1,800 adult learners, and NAP delivered ESOL programs for 700 participants this fall.
On top of remote programming, we added Lynda.com, which has thousands of courses to help adults strengthen their professional skills, and Coursera, the massive open online course provider. We made free, one-on-one live tutoring in English and Spanish available through Brainfuse, we moved STACKS, our signature homework help and afterschool enrichment program, into the virtual realm, and we launched online coding classes.
While significantly broadening our digital services, we also were thoughtfully and carefully formulating a plan to gradually reopen our physical locations and to envision the new QPL, prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and the public. In the midst of all of this, the ground shifted once again, tragically laying bare our nation’s twin pandemics.
As you likely recall, it was in late May when a white police officer brutally killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, setting off a national wave of protests against Black racism this country has not seen since the 1960s. His murder, and those of many other Black people, reinforced the need for the Library to ensure equity, fairness and justice for the Black members of our community. We met together in an all-staff forum to resume the process of working towards this goal—building on our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and implicit bias work—and held a staff rally for racial justice outside Central Library on Juneteenth.
I formed the President’s Council for Racial Equity to take a hard look at systemic racism in our society and its implications for the Library, to understand our role and to encourage continuous dialogue and action within and outside our walls. Since then, the Council has begun to examine QPL’s recruiting, hiring and promotion practices, culture, learning and growth opportunities, governance, programs and services, collections, outreach and marketing strategies in order to devise a plan for lasting change.
We also began a series of Facebook Live conversations with City and State leaders about equity, racism, and other pressing issues surrounding the COVID-19 crisis. The first discussion was with New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Dr. Wayne Riley, president of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and two weeks later, NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza joined me for a discussion and Q&A about the Department of Education’s plan to reopen the school system. Last week, I spoke with New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, about the City’s strategy for the equitable distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. We are looking forward to a 24-hour virtual Black Health and Healing Summit the Library will be co-hosting in February with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association to spotlight health issues affecting African-American communities, including disparities in the U.S. healthcare system and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic.
We stepped cautiously back into seven of our branches on July 13 to provide to-go service, with nine additional branches serving as fulfillment centers, an enormous undertaking that involved nearly every department of the Library. Our leadership, legal, risk management and health and safety teams developed and implemented safety protocols in consultation with our union partners that were informed by the recommendations and guidance of leading public health experts. Our purchasing, capital, custodial, maintenance and shipping teams worked closely together to reconfigure workplaces, install safety barriers, maintain ventilation systems, clean our buildings and fully stock them with PPE and hand sanitizers. Our Information Technology & Development department helped launch the health and safety questionnaire that must be completed by every employee or visitor before they enter any QPL location and ordered 350 book bins to quarantine materials once they are returned. Our marketing and communications teams worked to ensure that all members of the staff and public would be able to understand and adhere to the new protocols. And our public service, custodial, and security staff entered this new world of to-go service, with dedication and fortitude.
Through the summer and fall, we gradually opened more branches for to-go service, bringing the total number to 35. Even though many of our locations are currently closed for library service, the public knows it can count on us to alleviate the hardship brought on by the pandemic. We partnered with the City to transform Windsor Park, Kew Gardens Hills, Lefferts and Ozone Park into free coronavirus testing sites, where the public has received more than 27,000 tests since June, and to repurpose McGoldrick as a Learning Lab to provide support and enrichment for K-8 students while they are learning remotely rather than in school.
We proved to be a reliable partner with the City for other reasons as well, offering our branches as cooling sites over the summer and as polling sites for the June primary and Election Day. As vital as these uses are to our communities, we know that people also want and need us to fully reopen.
While it remains unclear when that can happen, we will continue to adapt and develop creative approaches to meet our communities’ needs, such as remote printing, which allows cardholders to submit printing requests from their own devices for pickup at one of our open locations. In addition, we introduced the new Queens Public Library app, making it easier to request materials and download content including books, music, and magazines.
Despite the predictions for a difficult winter as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the Library has much to look forward to in 2021. Early in the year, we will be kicking off the first of several celebrations and events to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of Queens Public Library and its many contributions to the borough of Queens and the City of New York.
In addition, we expect to reach several milestones with our major capital projects later in the year. According to the most recent projections of the City’s Department of Design and Construction, the new Far Rockaway building, the renovations of Glendale and Steinway and the addition of an ADA compliant entranceway to Sunnyside are scheduled to be substantially completed.
With a coronavirus vaccine in sight for the general public, I am hopeful that this year we will be able to reopen more libraries, expand programs and services and do our part to help the borough’s residents and businesses recover and rebuild. It will not be simple or easy, and we will be prepared to adjust as needed, especially with the arrival of the new, highly contagious coronavirus variant in the U.S. and the likelihood that the pandemic will get worse before it gets better. But if we remain vigilant about protecting ourselves and others, if we take care of ourselves and one another and if we stay true to our mission, we will emerge from this unprecedented time in our history stronger than ever.
I am grateful to our incredible and dedicated staff, Board members, government partners, elected officials, non-profit partners, Friends of the Library, volunteers, donors and customers for making Queens Public Library what it is, and I look forward to the new year with you. I wish you and your loved ones my very best for a happy, healthy and safe 2021.
Dennis M. Walcott
President and CEO
Here is the Library's holiday schedule for the end of December 2020.
All Queens Public Library locations providing to-go service will be open from 10AM to 1PM on Thursday, December 24.
All QPL locations providing to-go service will be closed on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, and on Saturday, December 26. QPL's telephone reference and Chat with a Librarian services will also be unavailable.
All Queens Public Library locations providing to-go service will be open from 10AM to 1PM on Thursday, December 31.
All QPL locations providing to-go service will be closed on New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2021, and on Saturday, January 2, 2021. QPL's telephone reference and Chat with a Librarian services will also be unavailable.
Our digital media is available 24/7 from anywhere with an Internet connection — enjoy eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, television shows, Great Courses, and more.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!