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Dear Friends,

Over the past 12 months, our city has lost more than 30,000 people to the coronavirus pandemic, many of whom were residents of the borough of Queens. They were our family members, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, and our essential workers. More than 770,000 people in the city have contracted COVID-19, and all of our lives have changed.

Thousands of businesses, cultural institutions, and theaters closed, and 1.5 million jobs disappeared. The ways we learned, worked, played, grocery shopped, exercised, celebrated, worshipped, and used our public libraries were completely altered. We missed coming together in person with strangers and people we love.

Today, New York City’s Day of Remembrance, marks the one-year anniversary of the city’s first known death from the coronavirus. Queens Public Library joins our fellow New Yorkers to honor those who died from COVID-19 and to share in our community’s grief. To mourn, remember, and reflect on the challenging and painful events of the last year, the Library is observing a day of silence on our social media channels and on the homepage of our website.

As the fight against the coronavirus continues, I want you to know that Queens Public Library will always be here for you. Every decision we have made about our reopening and all the ways our staff have adapted and innovated our programs and services are rooted in our commitment to you—to your health and safety as well as your learning and growth. We will continue to work towards New York City’s recovery, not only by offering information, resources, connectedness, and opportunity to all and gradually expanding services, but also by providing our locations to the City for use as COVID-19 vaccination sites and as rapid testing sites.

With the arrival of spring, the downward trend in COVID-19 cases and fatalities, and the promised vaccination of all Americans by the Fourth of July, I am optimistic that—as long as we remain cautious—better days lie ahead.

Please stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and let us always remember the lives the pandemic has taken from us.

Dennis M. Walcott
President & CEO, Queens Public Library

The library’s collections keep expanding! This month, we have adult novels by award-winning authors, biographies of pioneering women in science and sports, fun and adventurous children’s books, an illustrated debut teen novel, and more. 

March 2, 2021
Justine (YA)
by Forsyth Harmon 
This illustrated debut novel chronicles a teen’s obsession with a new role model – a grocery store clerk who gives her the attention she does not receive at home. Ali’s fixation on Justine, from landing a job to be close to her to taking all of her advice, turns consequential. 

March 2, 2021
Klara and the Sun (adult)
by Kazuo Ishiguro
From the Nobel Prize winning author comes a new novel that both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly starred. This novel grapples with the meaning of love through the eyes of artificial intelligence. An artificial friend who is hoping she will soon be purchased narrates, observing everything around her in the meantime. 

March 2, 2021
The Committed (adult)
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
This is the sequel to the Pulitzer Prize winner The Sympathizer. It chronicles the main character’s complex life in Paris in the 1980s.

March 9, 2021
The Code Breaker (adult)
by Walter Isaacson
The bestselling biographer tackles the story of Jennifer Doudna, the 2020 Nobel Prize winner who invented CRISPR, the revolutionary gene editing tool. 

March 9, 2021
How Beautiful We Were (adult)
by Imbolo Mbue
New York Times bestselling author Mbue returns with a masterful novel about the ramifications of an American oil company’s actions in a small African village. 

April 6, 2021
Billy Miller Makes a Wish (children)
by Kevin Henkes
The Year of Billy Miller was a Newbery Honor book. Billy and his family return for rambunctious summer adventures in this companion book starred by Booklist, Horn Book, and Kirkus and illustrated by the author in black and white. 

April 6, 2021
Broken (in the best possible way) (adult)
by Jenny Lawson
The bestselling author presents a hilarious, relatable look at her struggles with anxiety and depression. A chronicle of indignities, it was starred by Booklist. 

April 6, 2021
Merci Suarez Can’t Dance (children)
by Meg Medina 
Starred by Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, this book heralds the return of Merci Suarez as she takes on seventh grade and learns how to love herself through experiences at home and school. 
 
April 6, 2021
Zara Hossain Is Here (YA)
by Sabina Khan 
Zara Hossain is a seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant whose family has waited years for their green card status to come through. Will her problems at school jeopardize the family’s immigration status? 

April 27, 2021
Whereabouts (adult)
by Jhumpa Lahiri 
Pulitzer Prize winner Lahiri wrote this novel in Italian and translated it into English, giving it a smooth, polished quality. The novel’s narrator is a woman who searches for her place in the world, until a moment at the sea changes her perspective.

Books for Women’s History Month

March 2, 2021
The Soul of a Woman (adult)
by Isabel Allende 
In this forthright memoir, beloved novelist Allende explores her feminisim and her career as a journalist, as well as more intimate reflections on the meaning of womanhood. 

March 2, 2021
Thrill Seekers: 15 Remarkable Women in Extreme Sports (YA)
by Ann McCallum Staats  
This book presents a collection of adventurous role models for any young woman, a blueprint to being bold in the modern world. 

Val Walker, a rehabilitation counselor, joined Literary Thursdays recently to talk about her book addressing loneliness and isolation, two timely subjects during the pandemic. She explained that the pandemic tested her to live her book’s advice on how to overcome isolation as she lives alone and lost half her business in 2020. She misses interaction and social contact through work and volunteering, such as smiles, touches, and hugs.

 
Walker provided statistics and demographics on the loneliness epidemic as it stood before the pandemic. 53% of Americans say they don’t have meaningful conversations on a regular basis. One in five say they don’t have anyone to confide in, a number that has tripled since 1985, when it was one in fifteen. 83% are annoyed when others pick up the phone while talking to them and 45% feel it has hurt their relationships. People are 2X as likely to die if they are chronically lonely and are at greater risk of illnesses including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, anxiety, and depression. On Meetup.com alone, there are 2,000 groups for social anxiety. 

During the pandemic, there have been 800% more calls to crisis lines and mental health services. A 31% increase has been reported in anxiety and a 26% increase in depression. Those with disabilities and serious illness are more likely to be isolated as are those who live alone or who have had a sudden income loss. Money, Walker says, isolates, if you don’t have it. Others who are likely to be isolated include full-time caregivers, those in rural areas, people without transportation, those who are grieving, and people who have relocated.

It’s important to understand the difference between isolation, which is a lack of contact, and loneliness, which is perceived isolation. Internal and external factors can keep you from making contact or connecting. Pandemic inertia is real, says Walker, from collective grief and loss of lifestyle and activities. Uncertainty, she says, is isolating. And during the pandemic, when we have no plans, uncertainty is magnified. 

Walker’s book profiles fifteen people and tells her own story of overcoming loneliness and isolation after a medical procedure. That experience is what sparked her curiosity about isolation – she says that curiosity and caring can help with isolation. We can transform our loneliness by caring for others. It also can help to find a cause, a purpose or a mission – by volunteering you can find others in common situations. The thing that isolates you, in this way, can unite you. Walker also advocated for support groups where you can find people who understand you. Be pro-active, show up, and keep going. She suggested several sites that can help you get started with volunteering and groups including VolunteerMatch.org, Idealist.org, UnitedWay.org, and Meetup.org. During this time of sensory deprivation, Walker suggested giving handmade gifts, knitting, making clothes, and doing crafts so that those you gift the items to can have part of you that they can touch and enjoy.

Breaking out of isolation takes commitment and courage, but it can be done. Building a support system can be a years-long endeavor, but it is well worth it. 

400 Friends and No One to Call: Breaking Through Isolation and Buiilding Community is available as a book and an e-book.

Get Your Taxes Prepared for Free! 

Filing your taxes can be complex and confusing. Queens Public Library has compiled a resource of partner organizations who will be providing virtual tax help this year.

Get the complete list of organizations you can work with here. 

Contact them directly for more information on the services they provide. Please note that Queens Public Library does not operate these programs, does not vouch for the accuracy of information disseminated during such programs, and assumes no responsibility for any statements made.

The following standard documents are required to prepare your taxes: 
•    Photo ID – driver license, state-issued non-driver ID, NYC ID or passport (for you and your spouse, if filing jointly)
•    Social Security card for you, your spouse, and your dependents
•    Proof of income (wages, interest and dividend statements): Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, Any other documents showing additional income
•    Forms 1095-A, B, or C, Affordable Healthcare Statement
•    Information related to any credits you’re claiming
•    Your banking information (the account number and the routing number for your bank, which you can find on a blank check)

In late January, the Job and Business Academy offered a program on how to get your business funded. Entrepreneurship Counselor Terence Strong presented ways that entrepreneurs can guarantee their own funding. He shared routes that are particularly helpful for underserved entrepreneurs, specifically minorities and women – customer-funded businesses and revenue-based funding. While women are 55% of entrepreneurs, only 8% of venture capital funded startup founders are women. Less than one percent are Latina and 1% are Black. More than 40% of venture capital comes from the Bay Area. 

A customer-funded business model can be a matchmaker setup, such as Expedia or eBay where the service is connecting buyers and sellers, or it can be a pay in advance system, a subscription model, scarcity/flash sales model or service to product model. Strong, who runs a subscription box, strongly recommends the subscription model in which you have returning customers, a positive cash flow, and customers who buy something repeatedly over time. In a service to product model, the business provides customers with services and eventually creates products that meet common needs that the services provide. 

Revenue-based funding is an opportunity to get an investment based on revenue. Some revenue-based funders include Clearbanc, Strike Capital, and Shopify Capital. Strong described this as a good opportunity to be judged on the business that you have, not how you fit into preconceived notions of who is an entrepreneur. Revenue-based funders are primarily interested in funding marketing to grow your business. In revenue-based funding, investors are repaid as a percentage of your monthly revenue. Three months of revenue are necessary to qualify. Strong shared two revenue-based funders that are focusing on underrepresented entrepreneurs – Corl and Founders First Capital. Women lead 30% of the businesses that Corl funds and minorities lead 40%. Of the businesses that Founders First Capital funds, 80% are led by women and 55% are led by women of color. When the bias is removed, Strong says, the best companies rise to the top. 

Visit our calendar to find more Job and Business Academy programs. On February 25, the JBA will host a deep dive into customer-funded business models. 
 

Apollo 14, which launched on Sunday, January 31, 1971, was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land on the lunar highlands.

To learn more about Apollo 14, join us for our special programs exploring the mission and celebrating its 50th anniversary!

Pictured: Alan Shepard and the American flag on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, February 1971, taken by his fellow astronaut Edgar Mitchell.

Special Events

Apollo 14: Why Did It Happen?
Monday, February 1, 4pm
The U.S. spent nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars—why? Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society takes a historical look into the roots of Apollo, including details of the Apollo 14 mission, and will reveal the agendas and global currents responsible for this unprecedented mission of exploration, which happened a mere nine years after the first human was ever launched into space. Join here: https://queenslib.org/396Piml

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The Science of Apollo 14
Tuesday, February 2, 4pm
When Apollo astronauts visited the moon, they left more than footprints; they built a science station to continue to collect data even when the astronauts returned to Earth. Marie Henderson discusses the search for lost lunar data in garages, the astronaut smokejumper that carried tree seeds around the Moon, and the importance of the Apollo missions and modern lunar science. Join here: https://queenslib.org/36kUDV5

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Apollo 14: Rockets
Wednesday, February 3, 3:15pm
In this session, we will explore rockets to tie-in with the anniversary of Apollo 14. Bring paper, balloon, straws, pen, scissors, and tape. Join us at https://queenslib.org/3oaFBYS

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Apollo 14: Could Humans Return to the Moon by the End of the Decade?
Thursday, February 4, 2pm
NASA is currently working with private companies to extend human presence beyond Earth orbit for the first time in a half-century. Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society will present an overview of Project Artemis—named after the twin sister of Apollo—and how it incorporates partners like SpaceX into the goal of sustained, permanent human presence on our closest celestial neighbor. Join here: https://queenslib.org/2YcMzkG

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Apollo 14: "Moonshot" with Ms. Ashley
Thursday, February 4, 5pm
Join Ms. Ashley for a read-aloud of "Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11" by Brian Floca to learn about the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon! You might know who was the first man on the moon, but do you know anything else about that historic space trip and its influence on later space trips? Tune in to find out, and stay afterwards for a STEM project on how to create your very own “moon sand” using baby oil and flour! Watch live on our Facebook page.

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Apollo 14: Zoom to the Moon Story & Craft
Friday, February 5, 3:15pm
Families with children ages 4-7, join Ms. Jeanne, Youth Services Manager of Flushing Library, as we celebrate the mission of Apollo 14 with a story & craft! Bring paper, crayons, and scissors. Join us at https://queenslib.org/2LcvcNZ

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Apollo 14: Bingo Baker
Friday, February 12, 12pm
Come and join us for a virtual game of bingo in honor of Apollo 14. Join here: https://queenslib.org/2MubGgv

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This will be an unprecedented school year for NYC students and their families, and Queens Public Library is here to help.

During the upcoming weeks and months, the Library will offer several digital resources and online programs to make it as easy as possible for students to learn and thrive. Learn more about them below.

Digital Resources

Brainfuse HelpNow: Brainfuse HelpNow provides free, on-demand, easy, and engaging eLearning for students of all ages, including homework help; live tutors in math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT, ACT, AP, and state standardized tests; and a 24- Hour Writing Lab where you can get constructive feedback.

Sora Reading App: All NYC Department of Education students can instantly borrow eBooks and graphic novels in over 20 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Install the free Sora reading app and enter your NYCDOE student login to get started.

Method Test Prep: Designed to work seamlessly with students' unique learning styles and busy schedules, Method Test Prep's ACT and SAT prep programs help students raise their ACT and SAT scores and build their reading comprehension, grammar, and math skills. Method Test Prep is used by over 1,000 schools around the world.

Resources for Teens: Visit this webpage for a list of QPL digital resources designed specifically for teens.

Research Databases: QPL has several databases that can help you with your schoolwork, including:

• Biblioboard, a primary source database featuring historical books, articles, images, maps, documents, and more.
• BookFlix, an online literacy resource from Scholastic.
• Britannica Elementary, a site that lets you look for people, places, and things, with video and games.
• Britannica Academic, which includes Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam Webster's Collegiate dictionary.
• Britannica School, which is for all grades and all reading abilities.
• Kids InfoBits, a collection of more than 550+ age-appropriate magazines for kids grades K-5.

Most of these digital resources require a Queens Public Library card or eCard. If you don’t have one yet, learn how to get one.

Online Programs

Each week, we have great QPL virtual programs for children and teens; for dates, times, and more information, visit the QPL Calendar, our Facebook page, and our YouTube channel.

Other Programs and Events

STACKS: Enrollment in our free enrichment program for children in grades K-5 began on December 19, 2020 and will continue through January 19, 2021.  It will close on January 20 and will resume again on April 22. Visit here to register. If you have already registered your child for the STACKS Virtual World program, you don't need to register again. 

Use the links below to read our other blog posts related to school-age children, including tips on getting your kids used to their face masks and how to sign up for a Queens Public Library card or eCard.

Give Children the Gift of Lifelong Learning
A gift to the Queens Public Library Foundation will help ensure our collections and digital resources are available to young people who are back in school, whether at home or in the classroom. Donate to the Library today!

Here are some of the new books coming to the Library for adults, children, and teens—from memoir and mystery for adult to young adult novels by acclaimed authors to exciting children’s books and books for Black History Month.   

January 5, 2021
A Sled for Gabo (children’s)
by Emma Otheguy 
This heartwarming book details a boy’s desire to get involved in the fun of a snowy day, despite not having a sled. His new community rallies to make his wish come true. 

January 12, 2021
Aftershocks: A Memoir (adult)
by Nadia Owusu  
Owusu, the daughter of a Ghanian UN official father and an Armenian American mother, struggles with constant moves, abandonment by her mother, and the early death of her father. Through it all, she musters an internal fortitude and reflects on what makes up her identity. 

January 12, 2021
Concrete Rose (young adult)
by Angie Thomas 
Starred by Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, this second book from Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give) explores the life of a seventeen-year-old as he grapples with gang loyalties and being a new father. 

January 12, 2021
Oona (children’s) 
by Kelly DiPucchio 
This picture book by New York Times bestselling author DiPucchio features a young mermaid who seems to find trouble wherever she looks. The story follows Oona and her best friend as they explore the ocean in search of adventure. 

January 12, 2021
Time for Kenny (children’s)
by Brian Pinkney 
Coretta Scott King Medalist Pinkney has created a colorful, energetic book for emerging readers about Kenny’s challenges as he moves through his day. This is best to excite new readers.

February 2, 2021
Blood Grove (adult)
by Walter Mosley 
This masterful mystery by prolific and award-winning author Mosley is set in 1969 California when a Black private detective takes a case for a white Vietnam vet because of the bond between veterans, despite his misgivings about the strange case.

February 2, 2021
Love Is a Revolution (young adult)
by Renee Watson
New York Times bestselling author Watson spins a romance in which teenage Nala falls in love with an activist, Tye, and tells a few fibs to appear to relate to him more. As they spend time together, she begins to understand herself better.

February 9, 2021
Game Changer (young adult)
by Neal Shusterman
The National Book Award winner has created a high-concept novel that is perfect for teens who are questioning their own place in the universe. 

February 9, 2021
Never Far Away (adult)
by Michael Koryta
A woman who witnesses a heinous crime is assumed dead for years – until circumstances bring her back in touch with her family. Thriller master Koryta has written another suspenseful novel. 

February 9, 2021
Other You (adult) 
by Joyce Carol Oates
Starred by both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, this short story collection examines alternate universes and the lives we might have lived had things gone another way. Oates is a New York Times bestselling author who has won the National Book Award and been nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize. 

Books for Black History Month

January 26, 2021
Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells (adult) 
by Michelle Duster
Duster, the great-granddaughter of civil rights icon Ida B. Wells, tells the story of Wells’ incredible journey from being born a slave to her lifetime of activism, including co-founding the NAACP. 
 
February 2, 2021
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation (adult) 
by Anna Malaika Tubbs 
Scholar Tubbs’ first book, a biography in three parts, explores the ways that Black motherhood shaped some of our country’s greatest thinkers. She fills in the gaps in our understanding of how these men came to be who they were, through the influence of their strong and determined mothers. 
 

We hope you will join us for our special virtual events that pay tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We also have suggestions below for great books and movies about Dr. King.

All Queens Public Library locations providing to-go service will be closed on Monday, January 18 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. You can return library materials 24/7 at 33 QPL locations.

Special Events