Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach Public Library patrons are capitalizing on its core services, reporting over $27 million in savings across District 20 last year.
The report, released by Nassau Libraries System, includes fellow District 20 libraries in Hewlett-Woodmere, Island Park, Oceanside and Lawrence. Patrons saved $21.4 million by borrowing either a physical book or e-book, rather than making a comparable purchase. Libraries also helped patrons save $2.7 million through free or low-cost enrichment programs for adults or children five and younger.
“It is proof that these institutions don’t just educate,” District 20 Assemblyman Ari Brown wrote in a statement to the Herald. “They deliver real financial relief to families.”
Tara Lannen-Stanton, the library’s director since 2019, said it has spent time growing its services for patrons, even beyond literary programs. The library has added dance lessons, where patrons learn swing and salsa, as well as exercise classes. Albums and Asanas, is another popular program, combining yoga with music. The library also has a courier service for homebound patrons, delivering books and other library resources to their homes.
“This is why public libraries exist,” Lannen-Stanton said of the library’s services. “It goes back to our core purpose.”
Core services at the library have attracted many patrons, including Kate Sheil, who has lived in Long Beach for a decade. Sheil, 44, visits the library at least twice a month, and has even been there four times in one week.
Last year, Sheil read and/or listened to 80 books, using both physical copies and audiobooks, a feat, she said, that would be unattainable without the library. “I don’t think I would have been able to read that much if I had to actually purchase the books,” she said. “It’s great to have this resource when everything is so expensive nowadays.”
Sheil is a member of two library book clubs, reading titles in nonfiction and romance. She has participated in the swing and salsa dance classes and has attended Albums and Asanas — all of which she joined to meet new people.
Sheil noted that she’s made friends with some of the 25 people in her book group, and has gone to comedy shows and concerts with them. “Without the library, I don’t think I would have ever met them,” she said.
Acting as a hub for community members like Sheil has always been a goal for Lannen-Stanton. “We exist to bring the community together in so many different ways,” she said. “It’s wonderful to hear the individual impact of that.”
The library is a recipient of Assemblyman Brown’s bullet aid, a type of funding given to libraries and schools. Brown thanked libraries for their service to the community, saying the role they play is vital.
“I proudly divide every dollar of my bullet aid equally among them because the dedicated people who work in our libraries strengthen our community every single day,” he wrote.
More information about events and features of the LBPL is available at longbeachlibrary.org “A library is always something that brings communities together,” Sheil said. “It’s a great way to become involved in your community, and I tell people that all the time.”
