Photo Credit: Taken with permission from the Queens Public Library Central Division

In 1968, John V. Lindsay was Mayor of New York City, and the first battle of Saigon ended during the Vietnam War.  Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968; Apollo 8 enters orbit around the moon, and the Queens Library (with funding from the City of New York), constructed a branch library on the grounds of Rochdale Village.

New York Mayor Lindsay carries in his budget (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since 1968, the Rochdale Village Branch of the Queens Public Library system has provided cooperators and neighboring patrons alike with access to extensive educational resources, literacy programs, culture clubs and state-of-the-art digital equipment.  For 45 years and counting, the Rochdale Village Branch has been a bulwark of educational support to the Jamaica Queens community.

As you walk through the doors of the library’s vestibule, the bronze plaques pictured above grace the entrance itself.  What many people may not know is that

President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

the original library was called the “Locust Manor Branch” and it wasn’t actually located anywhere near the grounds of Rochdale Village at all.  The closest library for this community was located at 116-06 Merrick Road.  Now how’s that for distance learning!