Queens Public Library at Jackson Heights

October 26, 1954 - present

The Jackson Heights branch of the Queens Public Library began as a traveling station on April 17, 1917, serving the newly developed neighborhood. Temporary storefront branches followed in the 1920s and 1930s to meet rising demand. Efforts to build a permanent location were delayed by post-World War II building restrictions and funding shortages. The construction finally began in 1952, and the branch opened in 1954. Renovations took place in 1970 and 1985, and in 1999, an elevator and accessible restrooms were added. Now 17,000 square feet, the branch continues to evolve with its community. Following the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, which brought increased immigration from Asia and Latin America, the library began offering free ESOL classes. Today, the library continues to provide ESOL instruction along with additional educational resources such as citizenship preparation and basic technology training.

People in line to sign up for ESOL Classes at the Jackson Heights Branch.
Image of current Queens Public Library at Jackson Heights.
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Details

Category
Library
Audience
All Ages
Corporate Body
Queens Public Library
Tags
asian, community, englishlanguagelearners, latine, public, wwii

Connections

Location

  • 35-51 81st St, Jackson Heights, NY 11372, USA
    1954 - present

Archival Collections

References

  1. "Queens Public Library at Jackson Heights." Building Conservation Associates, https://bcausa.com/queens-public-library-at-jackson-heights.
  2. "History." Queens Public Library, https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/queens-public-library-overview/history.
  3. Hyslop, John. Queens Library Branch locations 1896-2010:the old and new addresses of all the Queens Library Branch locationsJamaica, N.Y: Archives at Queens Library, 2010.
  4. Antos, Jason D., and Constantine E. Theodosiou. Jackson Heights. Arcadia Publishing, 2013.