Kings Bay Library Takes Home $10K In NYC Neighborhood Library Awards
The Kings Bay Library (3650 Nostrand Avenue) just won $10,000!
The branch was among five runners up in the annual NYC Neighborhood Library Awards — known as the “Oscars of Libraries.”
City Councilman Chaim Deutsch presented the award to Kings Bay Library branch manager Liana Alaverdova at the ceremony.
“Kings Bay Library has been a haven in our diverse community for so many people, and I am grateful to the Brooklyn Public Library and the Kings Bay team for creating a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. Congratulations to Brooklyn Public Library administrators, library staffers, and most importantly – the patrons of Kings Bay Library,” he said in a statement.
The ceremony also announced six winners from across the five boroughs, awarding them with a $20,000 prize.
The honor, an initiative of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Charles H. Revson Foundation, celebrates outstanding public libraries – places where all are welcome, the programs and resources are free, and the librarians are making it all happen on a shoestring budget.
“We are thrilled to honor these library branches as heroes in their communities,” said Julie Sandorf, President of the Charles H. Revson Foundation. “From ESOL classes for new immigrants, to after-school safe havens for at-risk youth, these institutions play a critical role in shaping the lives of New Yorkers all across the city. To keep up with the high demand for programs and services, we must continue to invest in our libraries.”
These are the winning libraries:
- Arverne Library – Arverne (Queens)
- Glen Oaks Library – Glen Oaks (Queens)
- Inwood Library – Inwood (Manhattan)
- Morrisania Library – Morrisania (Bronx)
- Sunset Park – Sunset Park (Brooklyn)
In a new twist this year, a sixth branch was chosen to receive a $20,000 prize: the Heckscher Foundation for Children awarded the Heckscher Prize for Outstanding Service to Children and Youth to the Jerome Park Library (the Bronx)—a branch that has proven its commitment to the City’s youth through special programs, classes and events.
The five finalists, including our own Kings Bay branch, were presented with checks for $10,000 for their remarkable service to the community. They are:
- Aguilar Library – East Harlem (Manhattan)
- Dyker Library – Dyker Heights (Brooklyn)
- Far Rockaway Library – Far Rockaway (Queens)
- Fort Washington Library – Washington Heights (Manhattan)
- Kings Bay Library– Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn)
To document the impact of these exemplary library branches on their surrounding communities, acclaimed filmmakers Juliane Dressner and Nara Garber produced a series of two-minute documentaries on each of the winning branches and five additional finalists.
The mini-documentaries feature stories of New Yorkers whose lives have been improved by libraries and their dedicated staff — individuals like Juan from Sunset Park, a recent immigrant who hopes to take advantage of the free legal services at the library so he can bring his wife to the U.S.; and 89-year-old Gertrude from Glen Oaks, who takes one-on-one technology classes so that she can use her iPad to stay connected with family. Watch all eleven films here.