Fun at Friends of the Library’s open house

The Glen Cove Public Library held a free open-house event to celebrate the Friends of the Glen Cove Public Library which also served as a membership drive to have others join in the efforts they make to support the library.

The library’s lower level was filled with music, refreshments, and a local history presentation at the Oct. 20 event.   

The Friends are a non-profit membership organization established in 1970 by a caring and dedicated group of people. They are the liaison between the library and the community, serving preschoolers to retirees. The group is dedicated to supporting the activities and mission of the library and was established to be its fundraising arm.

During the event participants had the opportunity to meet local author Belinda Celis Basaca, who has her first book, “Mom, I Wanna Be A Fighter!” on the same shelves she admired as a little girl. Before reading excerpts from her book, Basca recalled one of her most precious childhood memories of going to the Glen Cove Library with her father and feeling proud the moment she received her own library card. She recalled that as the librarian typed her info onto the mint green library card, her heart leapt with joy.

Carol B. Rubin, the 101-year-old president of Friends, said the libraries resources, like their history room, is a treasure trove for those looking to expand on their knowledge of local history. She credits the libraries resources such as movies, books, and technology as valuable tools to keep her mind sharp and entertained. Since she can’t drive, volunteers from the library often deliver materials to her. “For me, it’s been a godsend,” Rubin said.

Board members of the Friends organization went on a private tour of the library’s temperature-controlled storage unit, where it keeps their most valuable historic documents. They also toured the history room which holds older books, historical journals that pertain to Long Island, photographs of old Glen Cove as well as historical artifacts like guns and dairy bottles from the city’s colonial era. The room also holds a bookcase that belonged to Washington Irving, an early American writer.

Lydia Wen, librarian, and archivist, said the library is currently working on projects that include military tribute banners, which collect stories of veterans, and a genealogy collective that collaborates with four neighboring North Shore libraries. The libraries have a newly established program where they share funds to virtually access monthly presentations on the topic of genealogy that are shared with their respective communities.

“Libraries have to evolve, just like everything else has to evolve,” she said.

Wen said she strongly feels the library is an important factor to understanding the people behind history, and feels the resources offered can paint a better understanding of the Glen Cove community. “We have this wonderful library,” Wen said, “and we have this wonderful history room that belongs to them.”