Business Spotlight
With far more than books, the LeFrak City
Library is a rich resource for residents
» BY SEÁNAN FORBES
The community library manager
of the LeFrak City Library,
Greg Gao oversees more than
a book vault. He works in a place as
rich in events and educational opportunities
as it is in books and digital
media, all tailored to match LeFrak
City’s diverse population.
The library’s books don’t stop at
English. Readers riffl e through pages
in Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew,
Hindi, and French. Shelves are
thick with fiction, nonfiction and,
Gao says, “books on how to learn
English as a second language, in these
other languages.”
Paper is not the only medium.
Th ere are poly-linguistic collections
of CDs and DVDs.
LeFrak City’s diversity is refl ected
in age, as well as language. Seniors are
active participants in library life —
and they’re infl uencing the coming
generation.
“Most of them,” Gao says, “are
members of Friends of the Library
at LeFrak City.” In that role, seniors
organize groups, including the popular
Spellebration. The spelling-bee
program, Gao says, encourages local
children to study hard. Th ey have fun
learning.
Th is coming months will see preliminary
competitions to fi nd LeFrak
City’s fi nest spellers. “In the summer,
we’ll have a competition to select the
fi nalists and winners,” says Gao.
Th e library has a children’s room,
with programs including weekly
story times. Th at room isn’t just for
youngsters. Each spring and autumn,
there are fi ve-week-long, specialistled
courses on parenting, so new parents
know how to help their children
grow well.
Th e library has media for all interests.
10 APRIL 2018 | WWW.QNS.COM | LEFRAK CITY COURIER
“We have a big BE – that’s ‘Black
Experience’ – collection,” Gao says,
“including nonfi ction, biography, and
several shelves of fi ction. Aside from
the computers, the whole wall is lined
with that collection.” On the far side
of the library, there’s another vast section:
teen literature, which is half the
size of the adult collection. Th at, too,
is wide ranging, with fi ction, nonfi ction,
and graphic novels.
There’s also plenty of tech. The
library has eight computers for teens,
eight for children, and another six for
seniors. Library users of all ages enjoy
computer time – and kids aren’t the
only ones learning. Seniors are eager
to take advantage of technology. To
help elders keep abreast of changing
tech, Gao says, “we have a specialist
who has individual classes with
them, including using the e-devices:
iPhone, iPad … We teach them how
to download ebooks, magazines, and
movies.”
In LeFrak City, people of all ages,
backgrounds, and interests make use
of the library – and the library, like
its community, is growing and going
strong.
Th e LeFrak City Library is located
at 98-30 57th Avenue, in Section 4 of
LeFrak City. For operating hours visit
queenslibrary.org/lefrak-city.
New senior center holds grand opening
December 28 was ribbon-cutting time for the CRE Adult Day
Care Center, which opened its doors at 98-15 Horace Harding
Expressway, on the LeFrak City campus. Th e center off ers a place
for seniors to socialize, enjoy a meal and engage in activities from meditation
and aerobics classes to computer instruction and religious studies.
For more information or to register, call the center at 718-592-1121.