I love libraries! They have many different events for the community and have been to a few in past. They are so advanced now with drop offs in the bins. There's also a restroom in case since bathrooms in NYC are premium. read more

The library is very small but has enough to entertain kids. The second floor is the kids section which has a room in the back for them to do activities. There are only four tables in which one can sit to read on this floor but there are other things such as puzzles for the little ones to keep busy. There is street parking available but limited, similar anywhere near the area. read more

Queens Public Library - Forest Hills - Kids Section - Libraries Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

This place is fantastic, a very safe and comfortable oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of an otherwise crazy and noisy if extremely diverse and fun neighborhood. I've come here countless times since I was growing up in Forest Hills, often immediately after school, and from then to today, it has changed a lot in some ways, yet has remained quite the same in others. Free Internet and printers are also provided here for anyone with a valid library card. It has long been a tremendous source of vast and helpful knowledge to almost anyone in the local Forest Hills and Queens community - whether you are in middle or high school, in college or graduate school, a parent or educator or writer, or simply an elderly grandparent reading some magazines and newspapers in their spare time. Lots of accessible resources for the Asian and Hispanic immigrant communities here also, and frequent literary-related activities and free events for families and book-lovers of all ages and backgrounds! :) read more

Happy with all branches of Queens Library. If book isn't available it is easily requested from another branch read more

Good collection of books. However, before or after covid pandemic, front desk of the children floor is still rude. This time is a grumpy African American lady who sat there during Saturday lunch hour. Looks like she has no idea about the library live animal event regarding the sign up policy. I called in the day before, the representative stated no need to sign up; the requirement on the website was an error. The appropriate Caucasian lady who showed up after lunch stated there was an error, the event required to sign up. Looks like 'error' is a popular word in this big branch. I always go to Windsor park branch, the employees there are friendly and helpful. I wonder if Forest Hills branch is close to the subway station and have pressure to face different diversities of neighbors. Hopefully they can improve after another year. read more

My go to place to meet up with all the nannies and kids to do playdates and activities the staff on the top floor is very nice I love my forest hills library I have been going to this library for years thank you forest hills library read more

Being a longtime resident of Forest Hills, I have seen this library at its best. But now, this sad excuse for a library is so dreary and extremely unwelcoming. The front desk staff is always so grumpy and makes me feel as if the dmv is more welcoming. Never a smile and if you have a question, it's like out of their way to even bothering answering you. Today i went in and an older woman who i guess works there was going off on a racist rant. I have been to many other libraries in Queens ( bayside, elmhurst, flushing,...) and they have such friendly happy staff. Why does Forest Hills get stuck with these sour faced, cranky tenured librarians. We deserve better. We are a vibrant neighborhood full of diverse people, young families, elderly, ... We all deserve respect and a place that makes us all happy readers. Besides the unfriendly front staff, the book selection is decent and up to date. But I just wish it was a place that welcomes everyone. It's a library. It's supposed to be a reader's paradise, not a reserved book grab and go. read more

This an ok library without the nasty white old librarian. If you are new, not white (maybe) and do not know how to use the machine to borrow books, do not ask the old thin lady librarian. She will give you an attitude. From outside it is so easy to return the books in the machine, and have a receipt. Happy reading. And let's all be kind to one another. Cheers! read more

The library itself it nice and spacious. Upstairs children section gets crazy after 2:30 when school gets out. It seems its a popular place for parents to bring kids right from school. The parents that come here are super rude and entitled thou. We had our coats and everything at the table me and my kids were using. And every time we got up to go get new books a parent with their kids would come take our table. When its clear from our coats on the chairs that its in use. Holy cow, you have to sit guard at your table here. If you are at a table, dont ever get up LOL.....make sure you grab every book that you are going to read with your kids on the first round. read more

The buildings shroud is on somewhat of a slant, so your feeling the 1960's groovy vibe already. Once inside and the beats go on from floors to ceilings, a cute nostalgia stop - having been in and out of here over the years, late night research of years past. There are so many available programs at this Forest Hills branch, my branch, Forest Park North, pales in comparison to what's offered here. E-Books, E-Videos, E-Music, computers, magazines, newspapers, helpful librarians -- as well as two floors of book stacks, quality and sturdy study tables with pleanty of sunlight during the day. read more

Okay it is one of the smaller libraries in queens but it gets the job done. It has a decent selection and my book pickups usually go smoothly. Most of these librarians unfortunately aren't very personable so that's one thing you just have to live with. Overall its clean and does exactly what library should do. Maybe one day the city can renovate it and modernize it but until then ill be happy as long as I can keep requesting and picking up my books from this library. read more

They have good current books, not so great selection of novels and such. Their magazines are random and popular. They have internet stuff, and Wifi, so people seem to do homework and such here. They even have a manga section and some DVDs. And, thank you automated world, you can check out your own books now! But alas, I like to read about 10 books at a time, and time limits cramp my style. I go here to try and defray book costs and just to pick out a book that isn't something I would normally read. I tried to book one of their rooms to teach meditation and they said they wouldn't let me because it's a religious thing. I guess that's true because I'm a Buddhist, and I did want to talk about the Dharma in the second half. So I guess that's fair. I remember when I first got a library card there, I thought they were kind of reactionary to insist on me proving my address. All these crazy out of borough people who get cards and then don't really live there. I tried to get a library card in nowhere New Jersey once, and they wanted proof of address. Public libraries aren't what they used to be. Still, I think Queens has a lovely library system, and this branch isn't half bad. read more

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A decent library in Forest Hills. Clean, organized and staff are efficient. Tranquility exists here. A small library but gets the job done. read more

Queens Public Library - Forest Hills - Forest Hills, Queens - Libraries Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

The customer service workers have an attitude and obviously shows they hate their jobs. Every question you ask them will result in a rude response. Such a shame this Forest hills branch cannot hire better quality workers. All the employees looks like they are ready to retire. And don't want to be bothered by anything. read more

Poor selection of books and rude employees who are more concerned with enforcing mask policies than they are actually helping you

My neighborhood library. No where near as large as the Central Library in Jamaica so it doesn't have the same size catalog. I usually request books online and then come here to pick them up. Seems like a nice neighborhood library, as I always see people sitting inside reading or using the computers. It's a block away from the 71st-Continental subway station which makes it ideal popping in right from the train. My major complaint with this location is that the self-serve book return outside of the location constantly has mechanical failures that prevent you from returning books when the library is closed. read more

Rude employees in both adult and children floor. I was visiting there in non-peak weekday hours. The library has good collection of books but you better look for yourself and don't ask anyone any questions. read more

I am a bibliophile. I am a bookworm. I always make it a point to visit my local library no matter where I am living (Maryland, Boston, Queens). I find libraries soothing. It is to me like lullabies are to babies. I like the silence. The endless rows of beautiful tomes. The constant clicking from computer keyboards. The lovely Dewey Decimal System. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification But today, I visited this library for another reason. This branch is not my local branch and I actually drove 25 minutes west in the pouring rain to get there. I was attending an orientation meeting for NYCares. I spent more than 20 minutes looking for a parking space. Bringing your car here (especially on a rainy day) is suicidal. Don't do it! Most parking spaces require you feed the meter. It is 25 cents for 20 minutes, so even before stepping inside the library, I was already $1.50 in the hole (I am not happy about this because for me, a library excursion should be free, unless you have late fees)! Once inside, I go downstairs. I needed to drain my bladder. I am standing in line, and then from around the corner, a big burly man with a "spare tire" waltzes by me and stands right in front of the bathroom door. At this point, I am like that little kid who really has to go, and my knees are knocked together, hoping I can hold it in just a little longer (In my head, I am thinking, this jerkface better not butt in front of me). But then again, if he were to butt in front of me, I don't think I would win the battle with him for the bathroom. But of course, irony always prevails. When the bald man came out of the bathroom (he was in line before me), he directly handed me the key. And the big burly man made a stink about it. Shockingly, the bald man yelled at him, " she was in line!" Seizing the moment, I made a quick dash for the bathroom. When I came out, neither one of the two men were anywhere to be found. What a relief. There are some serious weirdos that hang out at the library (that includes me)! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/opinion/nyregionopinions/08WEborchert.html In any case, the orientation was helpful and now I am one step closer in caring for NY and volunteering my time to help those less needy. Let's just hope my path doesn't cross again with bathroom bully. FYI - NYCares is the largest volunteer agency in NYC, if interested, check out their website: www.nycares.org read more

Wow! This is a really decent library. I live in the farther end of Forest Hills, closer towards Kew Gardens. I usually goto the North Forest Hills branch on Metropolitan Ave. It's really small and not funded as much as this one. This Forest Hills Library is nice! The check out process is all self-checkout. There's never ever a line. There's always somebody ready to help you at the help desk. It's amazing. You can reserve books and you can change the pickup locations. I haven't been in public library for over 10 years and so all of this seem really new and cool to me. What I really like about this branch, they got a nice section of graphic novels and some mangas. I've been reading up on my Batman. Currently reading Knight Fall Volume 2. "KnightQuest". Verdict - Excellent library in this beautiful neighborhood. Plenty of bicycle parking in front of the main entrance, location is right off of Queens Blvd, 71st Continental Ave subway station and bus stop are all within a block. The only minor issue I have with this library are with some of the elderly people who come here. A lot of them are very rude and they seem to cut in front of you whether you're using the self-checkout machine or when you're waiting on line to ask for help from a librarian from the help desk. They simply don't care but I just look the other way when that happens. Really no point of arguing with a senior citizen in a public library of all places. The librarians are helpful but they sound very impatient when they're dealing with you. read more

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Who shushes a toddler in the children's room?? This place is just... sad. And rundown. The children's room is in need of a major weeding. The old books need to go and new books need to be purchased. The people who think this library is great have obviously not been to many libraries. All of the staff I have encountered, with the exception of the children's librarian, are extremely ill tempered and do not belong working in public service. There needs to be more programs for babies and toddlers. read more

I gave it two stars instead of one, because I love that it offers a drop slot for books on the outside so you don't need to waste your time by going in. This is normally helpful when I'm running late to work and also racking up the fines on my book [unfortunately, back in my wilder days I've managed to rack up $34 in fines. Don't ask. Not my proudest moment] Cons: -Small -Not a lot of options -bathroom in the basement is filthy and the area is abandoned looking. Overall, the one time I went down there I didn't feel safe. And not exactly the most sanitary place. -had bad experiences with attitude from two staff members Pros: -book slot outside! If you're in the area and need to drop a book off and it's close, doesn't matter, you still can! -next to austin street which has some good places to eat/shop read more

Small library, which isn't the staffs fault but it takes a while to get a reserved book. However the customer service stinks! The front desk people have made me feel unwelcomed and seem like they just want the computers next to them to do their jobs. Meanwhile, sometimes people need to speak to HUMANS to solve their problems. I shouldn't feel horrible trying to check out a book from a library that I belong to. read more

Sometimes the staff here looks unapproachable but in reality they are the kindest bunch of people ever. They have a decent selection of books overall, not much but you'll find at least one book you want (Probably more). The New Book selection is excellent. If they do not have a book, they are more than happy to assist you in having it send to their location for you. And I know this isn't new but that Check Out System! I can't get over how AWESOME it is! You just beep your library card, enter your pin and stack your check-out items on a pad and Bam, done! Receipt prints and you are on your way! LOVE IT! read more

This is my library so I'm gonna give it 4 stars. For all its faults, and there are many, it's a library and they've been great about going in the direction of modernizing and making up to date books available. I would agree with prior comments that he staff, while looking a bit crabby, are actually really nice and knowledgeable. read more

Not true to closing- time at all. This rating primarily reflects staff/ customer service. The branch manager is a very lazy woman who is constantly stating "The machines are already down" up to 15 minutes before the advertised time so that she won't be impeded when walking out the door before actual closing time. Being a new Yorker who works until at least 530pm everyday, this is a huge peeve of mine as every minute counts. Also, do your own research as most of staff is not knowledgeable in terms of answering basic questions pertaining to library books. Selection is small but so is library, which would lead one to think that customer service would take priority... clearly not the case however. read more

I think the older we get the more we can appreciate the simple things in life. And what is more simple then the public library. Today I received my card for the Queens Public Library, and it was a painless experience. This place gets packed on a Saturday afternoon, so be prepared for a crowd. The staff was definitely overworked but still helpful. There are a ton of movies available to borrow, with a very diverse selection. Also, there was a great selection on new books. I agree with prior reviewers that the check out system is awesome. So, rather then spending money at B&N, save a few bucks and visit the local library. read more

This is my local library and its pretty simple and small. Not a huge selection of new books or good old ones for that matter. I do use the reserve book option a lot for this reason. The computer areas are always full which I use when I need to print something quick. The place gets packed afterschool and Saturdays. Staff are helpful for the most part and I love the self check out machines. Ive never used their DVD checkout but there's a decent selection to choose from. read more

Decent branch location. I came here a few years back because I was in Forest Hills and wanted to check out the library. The staff were helpful. Computers ran smoothly and it wasn't full for the time of day that I went. I would return again. read more

Pros: * Great service from efficient, intelligent, helpful employees * Convenient location right near the Forest Hills subway station, in the heart of the shopping district * Easy to access website; reserve books online; phone or email notification when books ready for pickup * Borrow digital books to read on smartphone Cons: * Parking very challenging; walk or bike instead of driving * Can be busy during peak times read more

This is one of the worst libraries I have ever been to. For starters in the quite room there are signs that saids in each cubicle NO EATING, NO SLEEPING,NO DRINKING people still do it. People are on there cell phones talking loud or something that is being played. Then you have the bigger room you have people taking the whole desk up and not sharing. People come to the library to read and study. The staff when answering a call they get on the loud speaker to announce a call. You have people sleeping . What kind of library is this? If there was another library close by I would go there instead. read more

My complaint is against the children's librarian who kept rebuking my two year old son for not using a "library voice." My son has no idea what that type of language means and was barely speaking. There was one other family in the area near us and no one was disturbed by my son's excitement about his coloring page. If you do not like to be around children maybe don't become a children's librarian. The librarian also had no problem speaking loudly with a coworker while we were there. This woman's tone caused me to leave the library after about 15 minutes rather than stay longer as we had planned. read more

I really like this library! I'm not the type to read in a library, so I have no advice on that...but they do have a great book collection, good mystery books! They also have a great collection on movies! They are about a one minute walk from the Forest Hills subway stop, they are near little shops, such as, a subway, Starbucks, grocery shop, Sushi restaurant, clothing shops, and more. read more

This library is the worst I've visited in both Queens and Manhattan. Unfortunately it is in my neighborhood. It serves as a public library, a senior center and homeless shelter. Should I be happy as my tax dollars is used for this multi-purpose library? Every time I visit, I see many homeless there (some of them are frequenters). They occupy the study room and stink so badly that I have to stay away from using the room. I even saw one lady coming in with a cart full of her meal ingredients (not sure if she is homeless). She started to display various small containers on the table and assemble her meal there and ate it. No staff seems to be bothered by this. There are also many seniors playing chess in the library. The problem is that they are so loud arguing about their games (they spoke in foreign language) and it doesn't seem they care about other patrons. This is a daily phenomenon. Of course, no staff ever addressed this issue. People talk on their cells loud all the time and no staff does their duties to interfere. The staff is very rude and helpless. When the bathroom is out of order for weeks or when a printer is out of order for days, their answer to when the problem will be fixed is "I don't know". Does anyone working in this library know anything about the status of fixing a problem or at least try to find out? No. But they want to use that little authority as a staff taking pay from our tax dollars to show who the boss in this library. One time, two girls were using the outlet on the wall for their computer works. This skinny half-bald male staff demanded them not to use the outlet - why do they have outlet on the wall but not allow patrons to use? When his demands were not satisfied, he abruptly unplugged the girls' computers and caused one of the girls lost her work that she's been worked on for hours. The male staff just marched away in victory. No staff cares about any issues I mentioned above for a public library, but unplugging patrons' computers without consent is their duty. I am speechless. Do you wish me to continue? I am fed up with how they run this library with my tax dollars. read more

By any standards, the Forest Hills Library is a disappointment. When you consider that this library has had a fairly recent remodeling , however, the disappointment grows further. When you consider the financial means of the area's many citizens the disappointment turns to anger. I happen to frequent this abysmal library because my mom is an avid reader & her limited mobility makes this the easiest destination option. It's a dated, ugly building & it's innards are equally drab. I get the distinct feeling of being in a 70s-80's era schoolroom when inside. Depressing & anything but relaxing & conducive to reaching a nice sense of relaxed calmness. Maybe I'm weird in that the aesthetics of where I sit & stay matter to my sense of happiness. And speaking of nice...on our last visit, I now see they allow loud chess players to long inhabit & congregate a large wing of the library, thus reducing seating options for the elderly & schoolchildren who regularly visit this downer domicile. The older chess men are very loud, rude & their appearance actually makes the library appear even uglier & seedier. . Well done library heads who chose this sterling idea. Several year ago, I used to often visit an acquaintance in Corona near Junction Blvd & Northern Blvd. I was amazed when the beautifully constructed Langston Hughes Library went up on 100th st. near there. I was thinking what kind of greased pockets & political chicanery allowed this rather desolate strip to get such a beautiful, large(!) and modern library. And meanwhile, Forest Hills, which has a high median average of living not only has an armpit of a library but gets only the most superficial scant remodeling of it. Like applying lipstick to a pig. I actually dislike so many things that are just flat out wrong with Forest Hills as a long time denizen. For such nice homes and besides the higher median base of people here-the amenities & basics are often horrid or merely disappointing. Plus we had the career political doorblock Melissa Katz represent us for way too long. She did this by masterfully utilizing the senior voting block to constantly re-elect her by ritual appearances at senior homes, events, etc. All the while neighborhoods like LIC, Astoria & others transcended us by light years in their advancement & development as Forest Hills remained stagnant & uninteresting this last decade. And now Katz is the borough President with the equally charlatan other recent new other borough Prez. charlatans. Falling upward indeed. Katz is endemic of the career politicians mainly enriching their own pockets than their constituents & rotting our N.Y.C. offices like king toady Sheldon Silver. It's no wonder Katz is married to ace huckster, self promoter Curtis Sliwa. What a perfect symbiosis of self interest, self promotion & smoke & mirrors not even worth the Windex to clean those dirty mirrors. Bah, humbug! read more

Once again Forest Hills Library employees have showed me just how forgotten customer service is! I walked in with my bike (after seeing that all bike racks were occupied and realizing I did NOT want another bike of mine stolen outside this facility) to grab two books that were already reserved for me. It was a two-minute in and out job. As I was walking to check out (time in library: 15 seconds), a young Haitian girl berated me for having my bike in the library and then proceeded to mumble under her breath as she walked away (something to the effect of "are you serious...?", etc). When I tried to talk to her, she made hand gestures behind her back as she walked away from me. Then she tried to get another employee to pull out her cell phone and take a photo of me (!!) which I informed her was illegal and would DEFINITELY get her fired. It was only when I threatened to call her manager and get her fired (which she SHOULD be because people who value their jobs do NOT treat human beings this way!) and confronted her in French that she backed off. And by then I was out of that damn place anyway. I was told it's common sense that bikes are not allowed inside- Wow! Questioning my sensibility! How is that common sense when there is no sign that bikes are not allowed and no place to park my bike? Common sense is something I have. Leaving my bike outside unchained is nonsensical. I bring my bike into almost every shop I go to (because I have had bikes stolen in the past) and I bring my bike into my apartment at the end of the day. Is that also nonsensical, FH library employees? Or maybe the people who work here are the type to double-park in bike lanes and cross the street when it says "do not walk" and a person on a bike is approaching at full speed. And then blame the biker when they almost get hit. The employees here need SERIOUS training on how to treat customers. It's because of US that this godforsaken location is still open and you have a job! Learn from me and AVOID AVOID AVOID this dump of human misery. The people who work here just hate human beings and are not afraid to let you know it!! read more

This is a great branch bc the staff is so attentive and helpful. I always put books on reserve, and they are helpful. They help me find books for my toddler and the librarians are always willing to come out from their desks to assist. The children's floor is upstairs and it has a totally different vibe from the adult reading room. It's clean and full of activities like coloring, puzzles computer stations, updated calendar of events, readings and classes. read more

The place is mostly clean, the staff is helpful and you can request stuff online to be held for you at this library. However, there are a couple of things that are CRAZY ANNOYING about this library: - The drop-off bin outside the library is always broken. ALWAYS. Even if they just fixed it and took the "Out of Order" sign off of it, it doesn't work. Can't you just revert it back to an old-style slot at this point, so people could at least drop stuff off? Or at the very least cover up the sign that says "Always Open, 24 Hours." It's like that sign is mocking me whenever I try to return something. - Speaking of the library being closed, this place has the weirdest hours. It's like scheduling bingo. One day is 9-8. Then the next day, 1-6. Then 10-6. Then 12-8. Da fuq? It's a library defined by Alice in Wonderland logic. - If your hours are going to be weird and you can't drop stuff off when the place is closed, then allow people to rent movies for more than 3 days. I need a few days to calculate how I'm going to get to you to return this darn thing. read more

If all you need is free wifi and a chair, then this is the place to be, otherwise don't come here expecting to be productive. Among other things: -Outlets are limited and seemed to be occupied by people surfing on their mobile devices. -I guess quiet libraries are a thing of the past because everyone talks in the top of their lungs. -Foul odor everywhere, particularly in the bathroom -Rude, unhelpful staff. read more

So grateful to have this place right around the corner from my house. i used to borrow a lot of free dvds back in the days and also, you can request books from other locations and drop them off in your area. By all means, love the fact that you can check the materials with the check-out machines and drop them off with the machine too, 24/7. Using it a lot for printing services there too - you have yourself 20 pages a day free. And they have free events and work shops for kids and adults (not that i attend any). in any event, what's a great spot to have in your neighborhood. read more

Every Monday: FREE BALLROOM CLASS -) From: 6:15 pm to 7:30 PM Normally in the basement if they have a meeting then it will be at the second floor. It is a very good entry level ballroom class. read more