Langston Hughes Library to be designated a Literary Landmark by United for Libraries

PHILADELPHIA — Queens Library’s Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center will be designated a Literary Landmark at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9.

A plaque will be placed in the library at 100-01 Northern Boulevard during the 28th annual Langston Hughes Celebration, which will begin at 11 a.m. with a film screening of “Hughes Dream Harlem” and continues with a lecture, music and more. The community is invited. Admission is free.

Hughes wrote more than 860 poems in his lifetime, and was heralded as an author of short stories, plays, essays, anthologies and as a journalist from the 1920’s until his death in 1967. Although Hughes lived in Harlem the library was named in his honor in 1969 when it opened for public service.

Langston Hughes Community Library is home of the Black Heritage Reference Center of Queens County, housing New York State’s largest public circulating collection of print and non-print material on the black experience. This collection is estimated at more 45,000 titles, including approximately 1,000 volumes of theses and dissertations on black literature.

Partnering with United for Libraries for the dedication are the New York State Education Department, the New York State Council on the Art, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Queens Council on the Arts and the Queens Borough President’s Office.

The Literary Landmark program is administered by United for Libraries. More than 120 Literary Landmarks across the United States have been dedicated since the program began in 1986. Any library or group may apply for a Literary Landmark through United for Libraries. More information is available on the United for Libraries website.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association that supports citizens who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries. United for Libraries brings together library trustees, advocates, friends and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information or to join United for Libraries, visit the United for Libraries website or contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.

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