Library Draws New Visitors With ‘Friendly Friday’ Program

Ditmas Park residents can get more than just books at the nearby Flatbush Library. They can now show off their inner American Idol at karaoke, get some exercise at Zumba, or listen to a poetry reading.

The events are part of a new program at the library called “Friendly Fridays.”

Negla Ross-Parris, the library’s head, started the program to improve the image of the library and bring more people in.

“We want to portray the library as not only an integral community resource, but more so an indispensable one,” she said.

About 20 people attend an average Friendly Friday event, said Linda Weir, library circulation supervisor, and more and more people are using the free community spaces.

"People are starting to come in more,” said Weir. “This is a diverse neighborhood and we’ve been getting everyone of every background.”

Since the program began, overall library attendance has been up overall at least five percent, Ross-Parris added.

Many of the Friendly Friday programs will be aired on Brooklyn Community Access Television, with the goal of letting more people know about the programs offered at the library. The shows broadcast on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on channel 42 on FIOS, 67 on Time Warner and 34 on Cablevision, Ross-Parris said.

“Those who don’t come into the library will still get a taste of what we do,” she said.

Because the Flatbush Library is located on Linden Blvd., just east of Flatbush Avenue and a three-block hop from Ocean Avenue, quite a few of the patrons are from Ditmas Park.

One local teenager who lives on Church and Ocean aves regularly uses the branch for one simple reason: "It's closer," the 18-year-old said.

Alejandra Myerston, who lives on Avenue H and East 17^th Street uses the library while her 4-year-old daughter attends preschool nearby.

“It's a good library,” she said. “Very quiet which makes it ideal when you need to work on something that requires concentration. It also has a nice selection of kids books.”

Unfortunately for Myerston and other patrons, the Flatbush Library will be closed from March 31 to April 29 for the installation of two self-check machines and an indoor book return drop-box.

Although a month seems like a long time for the installation, library spokeswoman Kate Call said the long closure is necessary. "It is a time intensive process to install the machines and all of the associated hardware and programs," she said via e-mail.

According to Weir, however, the wait to will be worth it. Self-check machines, like the ones recently installed at the newly re-opened Cortelyou Library already installed at other libraries have worked well and have been embraced by patrons for the time they save.

“The most important thing is speed, it will get them in and out,” she said.