ABOUT US

The Elmont Memorial Library is dedicated to inspiring and engaging our community by providing free and valuable resources to enrich lives through cultural and educational experiences, fostering lifelong learning through the access of information, knowledge, and ideas.

The year was 1939, and while Elmont was an already established community, it lacked a library. A student named Mildred Katz wrote an editorial for the Community News, in a plea for volunteers to establish a library in Elmont. Twenty students answered the call and the Elmont Library Club was formed. With the support of the PTA and faculty members of the Elmont School District (then comprised of Sewanhaka High School and three elementary schools), along with a door-to-door drive to collect books from residents and local businesses, a store was rented at 593 Hempstead Turnpike for $21.50 a month. Thus was born the Elmont Public Library headquarters, supported by the Elmont Library Club and its first president, Mildred Katz.

Staffed by students and teacher volunteers, the library was open during evening hours; shelves were built by volunteers, a teacher acted as the librarian, and other volunteers made the one-room library a thriving, yet inadequate, institution. A petition signed by 500 taxpayers resulted in a $2,000, 1939-1940 budget for the Elmont Public Library, the first public funds authorized for library use in this area.

By 1944, the formation of plans for the new Elmont Memorial Library, as it was to be known, had begun. In September 1945, the Elmont Memorial Library Association approved plans for a building to house a library, trophy room, and civic hall. This proposed institution gained publicity when then-General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote in a letter to the Association, “I think your proposal to establish a memorial library is a very good idea and I know that it will not only be much appreciated but also will fill an important need for the returning servicemen.” A plaque was created bearing the inscription, “This library is dedicated by a grateful people to our men and women who served in our Armed Forces, to those who gave their lives this shall ever be a living memorial.” In June 1950, the Elmont Public Library and its Stewart Manor branch received its charter; the Alden Terrace branch received its charter in October 1955. The new building, located at 1735 Hempstead Turnpike, was dedicated on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 1956.

Fifty years later, a new Elmont Memorial Library, on the site of the former Alva T. Stanforth Junior High School at 700 Hempstead Turnpike, opened in September 2006. Chosen as one of the four best libraries on Long Island by Newsday, the Elmont Memorial Library received the 2008 American Library Association Gale Cengage Financial Development Award for creating fundraising efforts. The library serves a diverse community spanning North Valley Stream, East Franklin Square, and Elmont, including Alden Terrace and Stewart Manor.

Comprising 60,000 square feet on 3.8 acres, the library’s spacious quarters include three meeting rooms, a children’s story hour room, children’s craft room, a classroom, a quiet study room, two group study rooms, an adult computer area, a gallery, and mezzanine. In addition, the Elmont Memorial Library houses a state-of-the-art 6,400 square foot, 430 seat theater. Numerous tables with traditional lamps fill the central space of the building, where patrons can be seen daily, evenings and on weekends, reading, studying, researching, computing, and generally enjoying the peaceful environment. A magnificent feature of the central space is the photography that circles the area below the ceiling. Known as the Foster Meadows Elmont History Wall (Foster Meadows being the original name of this area), enlargements of photos – dating back to the first Elmont schoolhouse in 1865 and including such highlights as a 1920s trolley stop on Hempstead Turnpike, the first firehouse of 1927, first library building of 1936, and the Alva T. Stanforth School in the 1950s – surround patrons with glorious images from the past.

As has been an important part of its mission for the past 75 years, the Elmont Memorial Library is proud of its place in the community. It is a hub for programs spanning the interests of all ages and perspectives, among them feature films; dance; arts and crafts; international music; health programs such as nutrition workshops and exercise classes; art and photo exhibitions; guest speakers and performers; community outreach; book discussions; support groups; poetry workshops; and a plethora of children’s and young adult programs, just to name a few. At the entrance to the building, placed high on the walls bordering either side of the doors, visitors are welcomed with these inscriptions: “This building will forever be a tribute to those brave individuals who selflessly gave their lives to protect our freedom” and “This library is a living memorial, dedicated to the men and women who served in our Armed Forces.”

Livingstone Young, President
 email: livingstone.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Natasha Warburton-Welch , Vice President
 email: natasha.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Ellice Bekier
 email: ellice.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Gina Burnett
 email: gina.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Monique Hardial
 email: monique.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Mimi Pierre-Johnson
 email: mimi.trustee@elmontlibrary.org

Suzanne Schatz
 email: suzanne.trustee@elmontlibrary.org


Jean Simpson, Library Director
phone: 516-354-5280 x220 email:jsimpson@elmontlibrary.org

Upcoming Board Meetings 

These meetings are in-person.
Times and details will be announced. 
(Every Last Thursday of the month unless otherwise specified)

  • March 28, 2024: Board Meeting & 2024/2025 Library Budget Hearing (click for agenda)
  • April 18, 2024 
    • (Passover is April 22 thru April 30)
  • May 23, 2024
  • June 27, 2024
  • July 25, 2024
 

Past Board Meeting Minutes

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Click the link to see our Annual Report.

ANNUAL REPORT

Click the link to see our 5-year plan for the library.

5-Year Plan

Click Here for the latest on the NYS Labor Law Information

LABOR LAW INFO