The Flushing Library is a much larger part of community life than other public libraries manage to be. Not only does have a comprehensive catalog of informative and entertaining books, but also detailed archives of Flushing’s history. It is also an institution which includes endeavors to increase adult literacy (an immense aid to immigrants who arrive without a , and offer community cultural events. It is the first library in Queens, founded in 1858 and incorporated on April 17, 1869. Finally, it was established as a free library in 1884. Since then, the library has undergone various constructions, and at its present location, on Kissena Boulevard and Main Street, opened to the public on June 20, 1998.
“It is a 4-level, 76,000 square foot building. It houses the Flushing community library, the International Resource Center and an Adult Learning Center. Flushing community library holds more than 50,000 books, videos, periodicals and other library materials available to the public. 63 computer workstations with Internet access, computerized databases, and other sources of electronic information are available for customers at the Flushing branch library. The building has four meeting rooms, a 223 seat auditorium and exhibit space located on the lower level. More than 1,000 free educational, literary and cultural programs take place every year. The Flushing community library has the largest children’s room in the Queens Library system. Over 5,000 people use the library every day, and circulation is currently about 200,000 a month.”
-Community and Library History, “Queens Library”
http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_nm=CL-Communityinfo&branch_id=F&#clhistory
