Brooklyn’s bookworms looking for their next literary endeavor can head to the brand-new Brower Park Library in Crown Heights, where the recently-completed book repository will open grab-and-go service from their perch inside the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Book-lending bigwigs say the new program, which launches at the Brooklyn Avenue library branch on March 8, is the first step toward fully opening the literary hub — which vacated their St. Marks locale in late 2020, and moved inside the Children’s Museum.
Brooklyn Public Library’s president said they hope to welcome Kings County reading lovers to the shiny new location by the fall of 2021 — giving a lifeline to central Brooklynites starved for a new page-turner.
“We look forward to welcoming the community to their newest library in the fall of 2021,” said Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson. “In the meantime, we are thrilled to offer grab-and-go lobby service, so patrons can pick up library books, art supplies, and more. Start placing your holds, Crown Heights!”
The Brower Park Library branch had previously been located a block and a half from the museum in a crumbling building that was both the library’s only rented space and the smallest in the system.
The former building was in need of some $5.6 million in repairs if they were to keep it operational, so rather than shell out the cash to fix the building they didn’t own, library bigs hatched a plan to relocate the book-lending hub to a city-owned building, where they would pay comparable rents for a similarly sized space.
The arrangement will be the first of its kind for any city library and will make the Brooklyn Children’s Museum the first to offer book-lending services.
“Brooklyn Children’s Museum is delighted to open our space to Brooklyn Public Library,” said Stephanie Wilchfort, president of the Children’s Museum. “The library is an important part of our community, and we are thrilled that services will be available on the museum’s site.”
Book lending will be available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the museum on Brooklyn Avenue near St. Mark’s Avenue from 10 am to 4 pm.
