Queens Library Tops In U.S.

A library patron signs out two of the more than 21 million items circulated in Fiscal Year 2007 at the Broadway branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. According to the just-released Public Library Statistical Report 2007, the Queens Borough Public Library topped public library circulation in the United States, with 20,223,787 items lent in Fiscal Year 2006. Multnomah County Public Library (Oregon) circulated the second highest number, 19,589,530.

Preliminary numbers for the recently completed FY 2007 broke all previous U.S. records and confirm the No. 1 ranking, with circulation of 21,033,861 items. With hours expanding next year, thanks to an increased budget, usage is expected to skyrocket still further. The ways that people use the Queens Library to enrich their lives are as varied as the material the library lends.

On one recent Monday morning some 70 people crowded around the doors, waiting for the Central Library to open. "The traffic is light in the summer," commented the man who opened the doors. They rushed inside, most making for the Cyber Center. All 48 workstations were instantly occupied. "I came to e-mail to my sister in Romania," a library user from Ozone Park said.

A young South Asian mother wearing a bright salwar kameez came to sign up her daughter for a library card. The woman is new in the neighborhood, her child not yet three years old. A young black man in fashionably oversized jeans and a tee shirt with a full backpack who came all the way from Far Rockaway because he attends Jamaica H.S., said, "I didn't have anything to do right now. I hope I can use the computer for a while and then read a book." A woman from Jamaica made photocopies while her daughter finished schoolwork. Mother and daughter have been library regulars since the daughter, who will begin her freshman year at college later this month, was a toddler.

From any point of view, Queens has, and deserves, the best library in the U.S. Anyone who hasn't stopped in lately is missing the best deal in town.

"[The] Queens Library's success is measured in that every item we lend represents giving people something they need to succeed in business, in academics, in their personal lives. That's what makes being on the board so satisfying," Leonard D'Amico, president of the library's board of trustees, said.

The Queens Library operates the Central Library, 61 community libraries, seven Adult Learning Centers and two Family Literacy Centers and has more than 6.6 million books, videos and other items for loan. Countless other bits and bytes of information are available online. More than 800 public use computers are available for school assignments, operating a business or even Internet shopping. In Fiscal Year 2007, library staff answered 11.5 million questions in person, over the phone, by e-mail, fax and every other way queries can be transmitted.

"[The] Queens Library's greatest asset goes home at night: its staff. They are genuinely concerned about helping customers access everything the library has to offer: finding a useful Web site, completing a homework assignment, learning how to use a computer or recommending a novel they'll stay up all night to finish. It's all about good customer service," Library Director Thomas W. Galante said.

George Stamatiades, a longtime library trustee, said, "Whether you're talking about making the best use of tomorrow's technology or centuries old classic literature, there's no other library system like it in the world. I'm proud to say I've been a board member for 15 years. I can't imagine another organization that makes such a tremendous impact on the quality of life in Queens. Our success would not be possible if it were not for our hard-working and dedicated staff."

The Queens Borough Public Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library. The library serves a population of 2.2 million in the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. With a record 21 million items in circulation for FY 2007, the library has one of the highest circulations of any public library system in the world. For more information about programs, services, locations, events and news, visit the Queens Library Web site at www.queenslibrary.org or phone 718-990-0700.