I have just heard some shocking news. When the Great Neck Library closed for renovation, hundreds of books were put into storage. We were told that eventually these books would be returned to the shelves. Now, I have learned that many of the stored books are going to be discarded. Why? Because the new plans for the library do not include space for these books. If shelves were made tall enough to hold the books, the view from the library windows would be blocked. People would no longer be able to look out at the pond. I have always enjoyed that pond view. However, for a library to discard books so that one can see the pond is utterly ridiculous. The pond will be waiting outside when you come out with your library books.
I write this letter not as a former children’s librarian at the Great Neck Library and not as the author of 70+ titles that are part of the stored collection. I write as a 42-year Great Neck resident. I feel sorry for the current generation of children and adults who will be deprived of an outstanding collection of books. And I feel outraged that something that was once such an important feature of Great Neck is being destroyed.
—Johanna Hurwitz
Read the library’s executive director’s response here.
