School may be out for the summer, but the Queens Library in Jamaica is assuring kids will continue to expand their minds, regardless of the season.
The library unveiled their new, one-of-a-kind Children’s Library Discovery Center, designed for kids between the ages of three and 12, on July 6.
The Jamaica branch now boasts the unique distinction of being the only public library in the country that combines a conventional reading environment with interactive museum exhibits. The center is also original because it does not lighten your wallet. It is the only free children’s educational area in the city that emphasizes science, technology, math and engineering, and it is open seven days a week.
“Parents and kids are delighted,” said Joanne King, associate director of communications for Queens Libraries. “Kids walk in and there is an audible ‘ooo,’ because it is full of color, motion, light and interactivity.”
Among the facility’s many attractions are computers with educational games, hands-on scientific exhibits, such as identifying the various parts of a cell or using magnifiers to examine insects, three dimensional animals, celestial objects hanging from the ceilings and an aquarium with live fish. The library also has a “Discovery Team,” composed mostly of college students, who work with children on experiments.
The center’s most popular feature is located at its entrance. Visitors are greeted by an interactive floor map of Queens, which has motion-activated sound effects positioned at numerous borough landmarks. Walking past JFK International Airport releases the thundering sound of a plane taking off and stepping on the Mets logo discharges the cheers of a Citi Field crowd.
The educational area is designed to make children feel comfortable while they learn. The chairs are meant to lounge on, making them drastically different from those found in schools. The upper level of the building has numerous windows, allowing children to read next to a vista of their neighborhood while engulfed in natural sunlight.
“It’s better than other libraries,” said Shuayb, 11-years-old. “It is more fun because it has more books and it has interactive things to do. I like the aquarium and the computers where you get to play educational games, and I like where you get to look at all the insects.” Shuayb said the Jamaica branch is the only library he wants to visit, which does not bother his father in the slightest.
“This new facility is bright, it’s beautiful, and it has so much space and so many things for them to do,” said Riyaad, Shuayb’s father. “The fact that they can do things with their hands and see things with their eyes, apart from the books that they can get, I think it is much more beneficial for them and their development.”
The two-story structure, which is a 25,000 square foot addition to the main library, took a decade to design and build and cost $38.1 million.
