Libraries on Long Island to share in $4.5 million state funds for building improvements

A Long Island library near you could be seeing significant improvements.

From new electronic vehicle charging stations to replaced HVAC systems, more than two dozen libraries across the Island are being awarded a portion of $34 million in state money to fund key infrastructure projects.

On Long Island, the total award amount from the State Education Department is about $4.5 million, the state said in a statement from Oct. 1.

Those funds will go to projects, some of which may have been completed, like the replacement of some windows at Bellmore Memorial Library and an archive document center at Oceanside Free Library, the state said. Other projects include renovating restrooms at Northport Public Library and Huntington Public Library. Officials say libraries either have completed the projects or have several years to do so.

While the projects are significant, library experts say they are not a cure-all to the more than $1.7 billion in needed work across the state, according to a survey conducted in 2023 that looked at libraries' anticipated infrastructure needs in the following five years.

"The way our communities are using our buildings now, and the way we need to provide services to our communities now are completely different than what our buildings were designed for," said Caroline Ashby, director of the Nassau Library System.

Library experts say many of the libraries on Long Island are decades-old, built in a time before Wi-Fi, online catalogs or even widespread internet usage. Previously, many people thought of the spaces as a warehouse for books along with some programing and technology services, they say.

Today, the demand placed on libraries is more dynamic. Many now serve as home offices, cooling centers in the face of climate change, as well as places where people can go to connect with social workers and get tax services and Medicare assistance.

"There's just not the kind of support that, you know, people need for the issues and challenges they're facing, and libraries are picking that up," said Kevin Verbesey, director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System.

But changing the spaces to meet the times is costly, experts contend.

In Nassau County, alone, the estimated construction and broadband needs will come to roughly $130 million from 2023 to 2027, according to the survey.

Meanwhile, in Suffolk County, around $70 million will be needed for construction and broadband projects in the same time frame, the survey said.

Projects listed in the survey included renovation to a children’s room and the main floor at Patchogue-Medford Library, along with a telecommuter space at Westhampton Free
Library.

The funding will also pay for a family restroom and cafe at Plainview-Old Bethpage Library and a new roof at Deer Park Public Library, the state said.

Other projects that received funding include the renovation of several meeting rooms at the Freeport Memorial Library and replacing the HVAC system at the Amagansett Free Library, the state said.

Ashby, Nassau Library System director, said the funding has been "fantastic," but it’s just the beginning.

“[I]t's really just chipping away at the need that's out there," said Ashby. "And it's a priority of a library community to really ... see this state aid program grow, so that it can better meet the needs of our communities."

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.