Officials cut the ribbon at the newly renovated Broadway Library in Astoria on Monday.
The library, located at the corner of Broadway and 41st Street, officially reopened to the public Monday afternoon, Queens Public Library said in a press release.
The $4.6 million renovation redesigned and expanded the building’s 6,120-square-foot basement storage area, transforming it into a space that includes a lobby, a new computer center, charging outlets and reading tables, the release said.
It also updated an existing classroom and meeting room with a stage area, new flooring and paint and a foldable partition that can either combine or separate the two rooms, the release added.
New ADA public restrooms, a new HVAC system, modern light fixtures and new ceiling and floor finishes were also among the renovations, according to the release.
Construction at the library began in January 2022 and concluded in October 2023, but the reopening was delayed due to "budget issues, which have since been resolved with the June allocation of city funding for public libraries," Queens Public Library said.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said libraries “are democratic institutions that are open to everyone.”
“So whether you are an asylum seeker who just arrived to our great city, to our great borough, or whether you’re just an everyday resident, our libraries continue to be free — let’s give it up for that — free, public institutions, and that’s why we must continue to invest in them and to continue to defend them, especially during a time in our country when we see book bans happening around our country,” Richards said.
“I was really proud to fight for the fundings for the library, but also here to say it, ain’t enough,” Queens Councilmember Tiffany Cabán added. “And so, we are all going to make sure that we keep working to expand the resources that are available to libraries, because I can’t think of a better investment for our dollars than our public library institutions.”