Saving Our Library
Saving Our Library
For close to a century the Woodhaven Public Library has served out community -- here it is as it looked in 1941, and as it appears today:
In recent weeks, reports surfaced that due to the budget crisis, and the city looking for ways to save money, that the Woodhaven Library was at risk. At a recent Town Hall, hosted by the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association, Woodhaven Librarian Kendra Hoaas and Maria Concolino of The Friends of the Woodhaven Library addressed those concerns.
Ms. Hoaas was terminated shortly before the meeting -- as was most of the rest of the Woodhaven Library staff. These terminations came with a 90-day warning -- so we still have some time to fight this. Here, Ms. Hoaas addresses the residents' and explains how this will impact the community.
Next up, Maria Concolino, President of The Friends of the Woodhaven Library, spoke abot the disconnect between the donations to Queens Libraries and the amount of that money that Woodhaven received.
So, what are we going to do about this? Well, for starters, there will be a rally on Thursday, June 3rd at 4 PM outside of the Library. A press release reads: Woodhaven residents will gather to collect signatures and demonstrate support for their library and library staff. Each participant will add a leaf to the “Tree of Knowledge” on which they will write a few words about what the library means to them. The Tree of Knowledge will symbolize the role of the library in the intellectual and cultural life of the Woodhaven community. If you can, please attend. We need your help if we're going to keep our library. We realize that a lot of our readers are former residents of Woodhaven -- maybe you grew up here and moved away as an adult -- maybe you are 3,000 miles away from Woodhaven -- well, here's a way you can still help and be at the rally in spirit! We've created a virtual Tree of Knowledge on Facebook. Click the button below and leave a message on the wall, saying how you feel about the Woodhaven Library -- maybe about how it helped shape you -- or even just a simple "I support the Woodhaven Library!" --
If you're not on Facebook, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com -- or drop it off at the offices of the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association. We will print out every supportive note we get and carry it to the rally!! From the rest of the press release: The Woodhaven Library staff provides free professional information services to dozens of residents of all ages, everyday. This includes help finding books and articles for school and college assignments, health information, career and test preparation and referral information to city services and non-profits. Please -- do what you can to help. The children of Woodhaven need your help. If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .
9 public computers are busy all day with people staying in touch with family and friends, adults applying for jobs and with children doing homework. Librarians and other library staff are ready to assist with any computer questions that people have. For example, many Woodhaven residents do not yet have the computer skills to complete online job applications, financial aid applications, to use the unemployment benefits website, respond to ads on Craigslist.org or to use email. Staff assists people with these things and NO ONE ELSE is doing this.
Afterschool, the Children’s Room is full to capacity with children receiving homework assistance from Librarians, the Teen Tutor and teen volunteers. It is staff’s mission to make sure that children complete their homework during the unsupervised time afterschool. They have developed an afterschool program to deal with the increasing demand for homework assistance, especially for children whose parents speak a language other than English at home.
Every Spring and Fall, 40-50 people enroll in our free beginner and intermediate English classes. In addition to learning the language, students are introduced to the available resources and the library becomes an on-ramp to community participation for new residents.
The children of Woodhaven are engaged in learning and cultural activities with Ken Gordon our Children’s Librarian. The children have learned the process of movie-making and video editing. They learn chess, they play the guitar and do arts and craft projects in the library. The children in this community benefit in many ways from their time at the Woodhaven library as we provide quality activities during the unsupervised and unstructured afterschool hours that amount to an informal extension of their school day.
