There was an interesting article in the New York Times the other day. It was a profile of a new Children's Center built for the Queens Central Library. Called "Discover!" and built at a cost of $30 million, it is a two-story addition built next to the Central Library. The reporter described it as "all transparency and nonchalance. Its facade, pierced by large windows opening the interior to the street, and vice versa, glows as day turns to night, acting like a beacon in the neighborhood and redefining a humdrum block."
The article had some interesting things to say about libraries, too. "Today libraries double as centers for the elderly and toddler playrooms. They're safe after-school havens for teenagers of working parents, with rooms set aside that are stocked with computers and, at a few branches like the Rockaways, even with recording studios."
"Libraries have become modern town squares and gathering places; they offer millions of New Yorkers employments counseling, English-language classes and, crucially, Internet access."
"To imagine that libraries could remain as they were half a century ago would entail wishing away the Web and the demands of old people, immigrants, the unemployed, schoolchildren and parents who want constructive places to keep their young children occupied at a time when public resources and political good will are in increasignly short supply."
We are indeed lucky to not only have one library in Great Neck, but a branch system as well, with four locations to serve you. We know that libraries matter. They can make a difference in many people's lives.
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