The Elmont and Franklin Square public libraries have joined the 2025 Nassau Library Quest, which begins Jan. 25 and runs through March 3. Participants who visit 10 libraries in the county will earn a prize, which has yet to be announced.
According to Jean Simpson, director of the Elmont Memorial Library, people who want to participate in the program must sign up through one of the Nassau County libraries. Then, participants will receive a map that displays libraries included in the program and use it to track which ones they visit. In the past, Simpson said, participants have needed a special stamp or sticker from the libraries they have visited to log their progress.
The program, which is sponsored by the Nassau Library System, is normally exclusively held during the summer. However, this year, they are hosting a winter session, which is something Sonya Jones, head of customer service at the Elmont library, said she is excited for. She said not many people know the library hosts winter programming, and she hopes the quest helps spread the word.
According to Simpson and Jones, the library hosts a winter book club, updates artist displays in their gallery every month and shows movies in the library’s theatre every Tuesday and Friday. They hope visitors will see that the library welcomes people to join their programs year-round, and can be a great way to stay involved in the community during the colder months.
“It’s a really nice way to showcase what libraries do, because people think it’s just books,” Simpson said. However, she added, the library offers games, computers, study rooms, e-books, kids programs and museum passes. “Libraries have really evolved,” she pointed out.
Jones said the library quest attracts visitors of all different ages. The fact that visitors are walking through the door and seeing everything they have to offer is exciting, she said. Even people from the city have visited in the past, she added, and visitors have told her how fun it is travelling through the county and exploring what it has to offer. In particular, she said, people are impressed with the library’s theatre, which has 430 seats and hosts a variety of live theater and musical performances.
The Elmont library is one of the largest libraries in Nassau County, Simpson said, and she is happy to see new people from other towns come in and share the space with Elmont residents. When visitors show up to the Elmont library for the quest, she said library staff walks them around and gives them a tour. “We pride ourselves in our library,” she said.
Jones said the Nassau Library System also recommends libraries create an interactive element to the quest. This year, she said, participants will have to find a little stuffed cat hidden in each library they visit in order to complete the quest.
Sometimes the Elmont library sets up places for participants to do small activities, such as coloring, in order to add another interactive element to the quest, Jones explained. In the past, she added, libraries have used hashtags so guests can participate in the quest on social media. Simpson said they have also staged photo-ops for visitors to take pictures, which she said is fun because she gets to see what other libraries are doing when they post the pictures online.
Visitors who are not from Elmont are welcome to show up for Elmont library programs at any time of the year, Simpson said. The quest just helps the library advertise all the events they hold, she explained, such as exercise classes, arts and crafts, move showings and book clubs. But, she added, every library is a little different, and she encouraged people to explore all over the county. “We feel it’s a good way to market all Nassau libraries,” she said.
According to Jones, the library quest is an opportunity to connect the community with libraries across the county. She said it’s a great experience to see new visitors come through the door and find something new. “It’s a community thing,” Jones said. “It brings the community together.”