Queens Memory Project

A group of men with a horse-drawn stand on the ice of a frozen Flushing Bay in 1918.

A group of police and officials stand with a dynamite detonator on a frozen Flushing Bay in 1918.

Talk about a deep freeze! ❄️ In January 1918, Flushing Bay froze so solid it blocked vital coal deliveries to Queens. Officials tried everything to clear the ice, from horse-drawn scrapers - to unsuccessful attempts with dynamite!🧨

📷: #QPLarchives Borough President of Queens Collection

#FlushingBay

Spotlight on: Space This January, we’re celebrating space exploration at Queens Public Library! Join us from January 26-31 for space-themed science and art programs, fascinating N

@qplnyc.bsky.social nameexplorer.urbanarchive.org/pr/nameexplo...

We had to postpone it for a day because of the storm, but it's still Space Week at QPL!

Join us for space-themed science and art programs for kids and teens, check out our special booklists and resources, and much more.

queenslibrary.org/about-us/new...

One-story storefronts line a city street covered in snow in the 1960s

People and cars make their way carefully along a snow covered city street that goes under a railroad bridge in Flushing Queens.

Snow is coming! ❄️These 1961 photos capture a snowy Main St. in Flushing. 1) Laurel Deli, once located across from
@qplnyc.bsky.social Flushing branch near 41st Rd 2) the LIRR bridge over Main St. ☃️ Stay warm out there!

📸 donated by Carole Josepowitz

#QPLarchives #FlushingQueens #SnowNYC #1960s

A storefront window with display of photos showing Dr. Martin Luther King working in communities, giving speeches, and at protests. The window sign declares: Happy Birthday Dr. King.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King! This 1980s photo shows a window display honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the original storefront of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center in Queens, NY. 🕊️

#QPLarchives
#MLKDay #BlackHistory
#CoronaQueens #EastElmhurst
@qplnyc.bsky.social

A silhouette of Martin Luther King, Jr., with the words "Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr." on a red background.

Join QPL as we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with special programs, recommended books for kids, teens and adults, a resource from @queensmemory.bsky.social, and more.

Visit our blog to Learn More.

www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/new...

black and white photo of a crowd of protesters and a policeman on the stairs at the Far Rockaway Mott Avenue Station.

#OnThisDay: January 8, 1970! Queens residents at the IND Far Rockaway–Mott Ave station protest subway fare hikes 🚇 Do you remember what the fare was back then? Let us know below! 👇
📷: Long Island Daily Press Collection #QPLarchives
#FarRockaway #INDSubwayline

Photo shows librarians in 1940s cataloging by hand with index cards and and card catalog drawers. The room is crowded and there are 7 librarians working.

Photo shows librarians in 1940s processing by hand with typewriters and amongst floor to ceiling bookshelves and book carts. The room is crowded and there are 3 librarians working.

Look back at January 2, 1940! 📚 These #QPLArchives photos show staff at the old Central Branch busy in the Book Order & Cataloging Depts.

Here’s to a 2026 filled with visits to @qplnyc.bsky.social!

Post: Kit Moszynski, Citi + QPL Fellow, Fall 2025

#LibraryCataloging #LibraryLove

The words "Queens Public Library Holiday Schedule"; and calendar pages reading Wed, Dec. 24, 10am - 1pm; Thur, Dec. 25, Closed; Wed, Dec. 31, 10am - 1pm; and Thur, Jan. 1, Closed, on a yellow background.

Here are Queens Public Library's Holiday Hours for the end of December 2025.

Learn More: queenslibrary.org/special-aler...

#OnThisDay in December 1939: ❄️ Children peek into the former Bayside, Queens storefront QPL branch on Bell Boulevard. The library is still the best place to find a winter escape. 📚✨

#QPLarchives #BaysideQueens #1930s @qplnyc.bsky.social

P.S. This section of CPB was once Lawrence Street - On December 29, 1969, Mayor John Lindsay signed into law the renaming of Lawrence Street, College Point Causeway, and 122nd Street collectively as College Point Boulevard.

A black and white photograph from 1938 shows a sparsely populated College Point Boulevard under construction, featuring workers on the street and a few large houses lining the road.

A color street view of College Point Boulevard in 2025, showing large commercial stores, gas stations, and heavy traffic.

#TBT College Point Boulevard in 1938 ⭐This photo shows the view looking north from Fowler Avenue in Flushing, Queens!

#QPLArchives
#CollegePointBlvd #FlushingQueensNY
#RoadWorkNYC

Post by Kit Moszynski, Citi + QPL Fellow, Fall 2025

YouTube video by Queens Public Library What's Happening at QPL in December?

What's Happening This Month at QPL?

Join us for #ItsTimeForKind and Holiday Fun, donate to our Winter #FoodDrive, and Double the Impact of your year-end gift to the Queens Public Library Foundation!

youtu.be/-kkFYIoihu0

I Love My Librarian Award 2026. Your librarian could win $5,000! URL: ilovelibraries.org/love-my-librarian. Logos for Carnegie Corporation of New York, American Library Association, and the New York Public Library

Have you nominated a librarian for the I Love My Librarian Award? There's only ONE WEEK LEFT!

If your librarian has gone above and beyond, started a new program to fill a gap in the community, or stepped in to save the day, we want to know about it!

Submit your nomination: https://bit.ly/3EMzHao

The word "Closed," calendar pages reading Thurs, Nov. 27 and Fri, Nov. 28, and the words "All Queens Public Library locations will be closed for Thanksgiving. The following locations will close at 6pm on Wednesday, November 26: Central Library, Flushing Library, and Queensbridge Tech Lab," on a yellow background.

All QPL locations will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28.

We hope you have a happy and healthy #Thanksgiving!

Our digital media is available 24/7 from anywhere with an Internet connection—enjoy eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, movies, and more.
www.queenslibrary.org/help/how-to-...

Hello, Holiday Season is Here! ✨ Kicking things off with this November 1994 cover of "The Voice of Woodhaven" newsletter. "It’s All Here. Why Leave Woodhaven?"❄️
(Donated by Giedra Kregzdys to the Queens Memory Collection at #QPLarchives.)

#WoodhavenQueens #QueensNY #1990s #ShopLocalNYC

A celebratory graphic for Mail-A-Book's 50th Anniversary. It features fireworks and a flock of winged books that say "Mail-A-Book."

The original 1975 Queens Borough Public Library advertisement for Mail-A-Book. It features a flock of winged books that say "Mail-A-Book," flying out of our Central Library location.

A member of our Mail-A-Book team prepares books for delivery using our delivery pouches.

A woman poses with QPL's Mail-A-Book delivery pouches and some books. She is outside and in front of a house.

For 50 years, our award-winning Mail-A-Book service has enabled our homebound and disabled customers to borrow library materials without leaving their homes or care facilities.

Learn More about Mail-A-Book, including eligibility and how to apply.

www.queenslibrary.org/programs-act...

Queens Memory on Instagram: "📸 Personal Archiving in the Digital Age: A Multimedia Presentation and Story Share Join us for a special evening with documentary filmmaker and photographer Nick Capezzer... In this multimedia presentation, documentary filmmaker Nick Capezzera shares his photographs and audiovisual materials from a decade-long project documenting Queens neighborhoods. Moderated by Natalie...

@queensmemory.bsky.social

www.instagram.com/queensmemory...

Black and white photo of a corner bank building with a classical columns and a clock tower in Rego Park, Queens in 1975.

Photo of a cement and glass condo apartment building a corner in Rego Park, Queens in 2024.

A look back to Nov 1975! The City Savings and Loan building at Queens Blvd & 66th Rd in Rego Park, Queens.

The entire block, including the old Trylon Theater, was demolished in 2022 for the new Trylon Tower. 🏗️

#QPLarchives #RegoPark #QueensBoulevard #ForestHIlls

Celebrate Native Peoples Heritage Month at the Old Town of Flushing Burial Ground on Sat, Nov 8 (12-1:30pm). Help plant daffodils, mulch trees, and honor the land with a drumming circle led by Chief Little Fox. RSVP to Maureen: 917-892-6565. 🌿

A graphic of a stack of books turned into a ballot box, and the words "Vote As If Your Favorite Book Depends on It!"

It’s voting season, and you don’t have to be 18 to join in!

Kids and teens can cast their vote for their favorite book series at any QPL location through Election Day, Nov. 4—just look for this sign!

The winning series will be announced on our social media channels—follow us and stay tuned!

#TBT to a sweet and spooky Halloween on 46th Street in #SunnysideGardens (circa 1950)! 👻 This photo, donated by Rita (Zuckerman) Jaros, is part of the Sunnyside Stories website and is preserved in the #QPLarchives Queens Memory digital collection.

#Halloween #SunnysideQueens

Ready for Halloween? 🎃 This 1898 "Cabinet Card" from the #QPLarchives might inspire you! It shows a costumed woman with a mask. Taken at Baab studio on Fulton Ave (now Astoria Blvd.) in Long Island City, Queens! #PhotoHistory #Costumes #1890sFashion

Historic hand painted map of New York City showing two options for where to connect Staten Island and Brooklyn one line is blue and the other line - where the Verrazano bridge is now - is red.

Just weeks 'til the NYC Marathon! 🏃‍♀️ Runners cross the Verrazzano Bridge.

This 1933 map from #QPLarchives shows early plans for the S.I.-Brooklyn crossing. The Verrazzano, which opened in 1964, became the world's longest suspension bridge.

Post: Kit Moszynski, Citi + QPL Fellow, Fall 2025

The words "Freedom to Read" on a red background.

Join us and our Mobile Library teams on Monday, Oct. 6 at Rafferty Triangle (Court Square–23rd St. MTA station) and Bliss Plaza (46th St–Bliss St. MTA station)!

Get your #FreedomToRead Library Card and enjoy other fun activities in honor of #BannedBooksWeek!

www.queenslibrary.org/spotlight/fr...

The word "Closed," a calendar page reading Mon, Oct. 13, and the words "All Queens Public Library locations will be closed for Italian Heritage Day & Indigenous Peoples’ Day," on a yellow background.

All QPL locations will be closed on Monday, Oct. 13 in observance of Italian Heritage Day & Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Our digital media is available 24/7 from anywhere with an Internet connection — enjoy eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, movies, and more.

queenslibrary.org/help/how-to-...

Officially welcoming pumpkin season! 🎃 We're diving into the fall spirit with this photo from October 1993, featuring Iris Zalun and her father enjoying the harvest. 🍂

Donated by Iris to the Queens Memory Collection at the Archives at Queens Library.

#QPLarchives #PumpkinPatch #FallQueensNY

Join us Oct 4 (11a-4p) at Ridgewood Library for Home Movie Day! Screen your film treasures & get expert preservation advice. Plus, learn digital photo organization tips (12-1p).

👉 Register: buff.ly/19b0v4i

#HomeMovieDay #QueensLibrary #FamilyMemories 🎞️

Comic book cover showing the characters Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica at the 1964 World's Fair. Monuments shown are the Unisphere & the New York State Pavilion towers.

It's National Comic Book Day! To celebrate, we're sharing this official 1964 New York World's Fair Archie comic from the Queens Museum Collection, hosted on the QPL Digital Archives site. Read some comics today—you can get them at your library💜!

This 1935 September issue of Queensborough Magazine shows the plan for Queens Plaza & the future Queens-Midtown Tunnel in Long Island City, which opened in 1940. St. Mary's Church on Vernon Boulevard is one of the tallest structures shown. 🏙️

#QPLarchives #LongIsandCity #QueensPlaza