A popular community library in Corona, Queens continues to speak volumes to the grassroots movement that got it started. NY1's Ruschell Boone filed the following report.

From the art pieces that line the facility to the thousands of materials in the aisles almost everything at the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center in Corona is dedicated to the black experience. There are over 45,000 pieces of work in the collection.

"We may be the only place and in some cases have been the only place that has copies of certain books and certain videos because our purpose is to make the books accessible and have information available for the community," said Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center Director Andrew Jackson.

Located at 100th Street and Northern Boulevard, the 24,000 square foot library is the black heritage reference center for Queens - a far cry from its humble beginnings as a small operation a block away.

Andrew Jackson has been the director for 35 years.

"This is a photograph of the original building which is a two-story storefront Woolworth Department store building that was acquired for the library," Jackson pointed out.

The library was created in 1969 as a result of a grassroots movement by the neighborhood's mostly African American residents. Jackson grew up here and remembers the community outcry over the lack of places to learn about black culture.

"There was no place our parents could take us to learn about who we were," Jackson said.

So they sprung into action. They created the Library Action Committee of Corona-East Elmhurst and advocated for a library that focused on black culture. They named it in honor of Langston Hughes.

"Langston Hughes didn't live in Queens. He lived in Harlem, but Langston Hughes passed away in 1967 and we opened up in 1969. The community decided they wanted to pay tribute to contributions of this famous writer, poet, journalist, playwright," Jackson noted.

The committee staffed and ran the facility until the late 80's when the Queens Library system took over the day to day operation. Today, the library materials also reflect a changing neighborhood.

"Now it's a very multicultural community. Largely Latino, Eastern Indian, Caribbean but all those cultures have a shared history," Jackson said.

That history is also highlighted in some of the materials and programs the library currently offers.