June 15, 2018 By Tara Law

The Queens Library at Steinway will close this November for a one-year, $4.025 million renovation.

The long-awaited project is the second step of a three-phase overhaul of the library, which is located at 21-45 31st St. This phase will include the installation of an elevator and a new roof, as well as renovations to the children’s room.

The library will close for a week in August for preliminary work. It will close again for construction from November 2018 through to the fall of 2019, according to Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, a spokesperson for the Queens Library.

The library will offer mobile library service while it’s closed.

The renovations will include the installation of a ramp, a new security system and an outdoor self-check station. New technology, including new computers and printers, will be installed. Solar panels will also be added to the new roof.

Dates for the final phase of the overhaul— which will include renovations to the children’s bathrooms, meeting rooms and staff rooms— will be announced after the completion of the second stage.

The three-stage project dates back to 2010, when the first stage of the project was completed. At that time, ADA-complaint bathrooms were installed, as well as self-check-in kiosks.

Kern-Jedrychowska said the renovations are needed because the library, which was built in 1956, is “outdated.”

“The renovations will bring it up to 21st century standards, turning it into a modern facility, fit to serve the needs of our patrons,” said Kern-Jedrychowska.

The library is one of the busiest in Queens, serving nearly 200,000 patrons last year, Kern-Jedrychowska said.

Councilmember Costa Constantinides, who allocated funds for the elevator and children’s room, said that he is excited that the library is finally getting an elevator. There is currently no elevator access to the second floor or the basement–where the library’s bathrooms are located.

“This elevator is going to make the library accessible to everyone,” said Constantinides.

Constantinides acknowledged that the project has taken a long time to move forward, and said that he’s glad it is finally happening.

“I made it a priority to get this done because it’s time to get the renovations this community needs,” said Constantinides. “At the end of the day it’s going to be a great library.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz also provided funding for the revamp.