104-Year-Old Patron Honored By Queens Library

HOLLIS, QUEENS — The Queens Public Library celebrated one of the borough’s longest library card holders, 104-year-old Kenneth Neilson, on the 104th day of the year, last Wednesday.

QPL President and CEO Dennis Walcott joined Neilson’s family and friends at his home in eastern Queens to celebrate his longstanding commitment to the QPL — which is itself celebrating a milestone 125th birthday this year.

“Kenneth Neilson has shown how one person can make an enormous difference in their community,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “He not only is one of our most dedicated patrons, but also is committed to fostering a love of community, of reading, of writing, and of learning.”

Since he moved to Hollis in 1953, Neilson has been actively involved at his local library — authoring several books which today appear on the branch’s shelves — and is known to use the library’s resources for his community work in Queens at large.

He worked as an elementary school teacher in Richmond Hills for three decades, led a movement to name PS 134 The Langston Hughes School, and advocated to turn an empty lot into a community garden.

Wednesday’s festivities included a drive by from the QPL Mobile Library decked out in balloons and banners, but Neilson took time during the celebration to speak about the importance of librarians.

"It's the librarians that make the building, remember. The library is a building, but the librarians are the people who make it run,” he said, according to the QPL.

Neilson’s celebration isn’t the only place Queens residents will see the QPL Mobile Library in upcoming months, since it’s continuing on a spring mini-tour of neighborhoods around the borough.

The Bookmobile — which is an extension of the physical library branches complete with free Wi-Fi and digital resources for completing your tax returns or searching for vaccination center locations — visits “a variety of events, ranging from street fairs and block parties to cultural and religious celebrations,” said a QPL spokesperson.

Its stops this May and June haven’t been determined yet, but you can check the QPL website for updates, said the spokesperson.

As of next week there will also be 39 branches of the QPL open for to-go service, including libraries in Bayside and Douglaston.