Forest Hills Library (Photo: QPL)
Sept. 24, 2020 By Christian Murray
The Forest Hills Library, located at 108-19 71 Ave., will reopen Monday after being closed since March.
The Queens Public Library, which oversees the branch, announced today that it will reopen it for “to-go” service on Sept. 28. The Queens library system will have reopened 22 branches for “to-go” service by Monday– after phasing in branch reopenings since July.
All 22 branches will be open six days a week with a mask requirement in place for both visitors and staff.
Under the “to-go” model, residents can request items online, through the QPL app or by phone and pick them up in a designated area of each branch building. They can return materials in the exterior return machines.
Branch staff will set aside and quarantine all returned items for 96 hours before they are put back into circulation. Each library branch will undergo extensive cleaning as well.
Library visitors are not permitted to browse shelves or use public computers inside branch buildings. Public programming and events remain cancelled amid the pandemic.
The Queens Library reopened its first seven branches for “to-go” service on July 13 with a second batch of eight branches on Aug. 10. Seven additional branches–including the Forest Hills library– will open Monday.
The 22 branches will all operate to-go service during the following hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (with a one-hour closure from 1 to 2 p.m. for cleaning); 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday; and 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday (with a one-hour closure from 3 to 4 p.m. for cleaning).
The library system shut all of its 66 branches on March 16 to stop the spread of COVID-19.
It plans to reopen more branches on a gradual basis.
The seven branches slated to reopen Monday are:
Arverne Library; Auburndale Library; Forest Hills Library; Fresh Meadows Library; Hillcrest Library; Langston Hughes Library and the Sunnyside Library.
They will join the following branches that are currently open for “to-go” service:
Astoria Library; Bayside Library; Bellerose Library; Cambria Heights Library; East Elmhurst Library; Jackson Heights Library; Kew Gardens Hills Library; Laurelton Library; Long Island City Library; Peninsula Library; Queensboro Hill Library; Rego Park Library; Ridgewood Library; South Ozone Park Library and Whitestone Library.
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