[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING QUEENS BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY

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                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 1, 1996

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, this summer an important anniversary is 
being celebrated in my district, one that is a vital part of the 
American experience.
  The Queens Borough Public Library has now served the residents of 
Queens for 100 years. During that time, millions of people have walked 
its halls seeking knowledge and self improvement. Students have found 
help with their homework, researched information for school reports, 
and read the classic literature of the world. Newly arrived immigrants 
have learned the basics of U.S. citizenship, improved their English and 
received assistance in finding a good job. Families that have been in 
America for generations have used it to trace their roots.
  What is more American than the public library? Public libraries like 
Queens Borough give people a chance to learn and to become contributing 
citizens. Such opportunities have nurtured the leaders that have made 
America the great nation that it is today.
  Today, the Queens Library is the backbone of the community, offering 
18,000 programs to Queens residents free of charge. Most of the nearly 
2 million borough residents live within walking distance of a Queens 
Library branch.
  Libraries are more important now than ever. Increasingly they serve 
as on-ramps to the information superhighway for those who cannot afford 
computers of their own. The Queens Borough Public Library ensures that 
the educational opportunities offered on the Internet are available to 
all the residents in my district.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Queens Borough 
Public Library on its 100th anniversary, and applaud its continuing 
effort to serve the Queens Borough.

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