Lynbrook library accepts solar eclipse glasses from Valley Stream after controversy

After almost having to cancel its solar eclipse viewing party event on Monday because of issues with the glasses, the Lynbrook Public Library accepted 100 glasses from the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library in Valley Stream.

“Due to authentication issues from Amazon, our order of solar eclipse glasses was cancelled,” posted Robyn Gilloon, the director of the Lynbrook Public Library, on the Friday before the event. She declined to comment further about the change in the library’s decision.

But according to Mamie Eng, the director of the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library in Valley Stream, the shipment of 500 solar eclipse glasses proved to be safe for the solar eclipse. Originally, she said, there was some doubt because Amazon e-mailed the library on Aug. 12, and said that the glasses had been recalled, even though they were listed as compliant with international safety standards for filters for direct viewing of the sun.

“To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers,” the email read. “Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness. Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer. We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.”

However, because the library already had the shipment of glasses, Eng decided to get them tested at an independent laboratory. There, scientists ran the solar eclipse glasses under a spectrometer and compared the results with other factory-certified solar eclipse glasses. According to Eng, the spectrometer showed that the glasses she bought and the glasses that were certified were almost identical.

At the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library, the glasses were available to the public with full disclosure about the issue, Eng said. “It was up to the patrons to decide if they wanted them,” she said, adding that Lynbrook would not be giving out their solar eclipse glasses in advance.

Now, Eng said, she is glad she tested them for authenticity. “If I did not have access to a lab, I couldn’t distribute them,” she said.