Flushing Community Library – Flushing, NY

The Flushing Community Library is the largest in the Queens system and the busiest in the country, with over 5,000 visitors per day. The latest move in library technology is towards RFID tags, which make the tracking and lending of books more streamlined than ever before. Queens Library has been implementing these systems in their buildings to keep up with their ever-increasing circulation. This project involved the installation of new customer service modules in the Flushing Library, which included new RFID stations throughout the multi-story building. Additionally, a new cyber center was constructed on the second floor with 40 workstations for public use. A new “Young Adult” area was also added to the second floor to recognize the increasing demand of library and media services by teenagers.

Location: 41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355

Challenges: Due to high traffic in the building, the library was requiredto remain open during construction, making it extremely challenging to phase in the new construction work.

Achievements: We successfully coordinated with the construction team to create a phasing plan for the project. The entire building remained open and library hours were maintained throughout construction. Interruption of services was avoided, and the public barely noticed that the building was under renovation.