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Officials Break Ground on Long-Awaited East Elmhurst Library Expansion

By Katie Honan | December 5, 2016 4:48pm
 Officials broke ground on a long-awaited addition to the neighborhood's library, which will nearly double its size.
Officials broke ground on a long-awaited addition to the neighborhood's library, which will nearly double its size.
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EAST ELMHURST — Officials broke ground Monday on a long-awaited addition to the neighborhood's library, which will nearly double its size.

Queens Library President Dennis Walcott joined Borough President Melinda Katz, City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora Monday morning to mark the start of construction on the 4,500-square space.

It will include a new community room for 120 people, a computer center, a quiet interior space for reading and additional space for teens and adults, officials said. 

The new space will help better accommodate users in the library's growing system, Walcott said. 

“We serve roughly 83,000 customers a year here at this library and once we expand, that number will grow tremendously and that number will grow as a result of community participation but also because we’ll be offering a better facility," he said.

"Our goal is to serve the community — and finding different ways to serve the community and making sure we offer a variety of services, making sure we offer a modern library, a 21st century library but more importantly a library that reflects the community’s needs.”

​Ferreras-Copeland, who had been critical of the library's delay for its expansion, ​celebrated progress at the site.

“Queens Library is a crucial resource for seniors, students, immigrants and families in my district,” ​she said.

"We not only use the space for its collections but also as a place to bond with our children, learn new languages and immerse in cultural programming.​"

The library is scheduled to open in four months, officials said.