Outdoor Library Planned For Forest Hills Park

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A Forest Hills park could be turned into an outdoor library.

The Rego Park Green Alliance is planning to set up a "pop and swap" library in McDonald Park, setting up books in various locations around the greenspace, RPGA Founder and Executive Director Yvonne Shortt said.

The first pop-up library will be on a yet to be decided date in June and will have 150 curated titles, which will include work by local writers, art books, children's books, new fiction and non-fiction. In addition to the curated sections, community members will also have the chance to swap books.

RPGA hopes to promote community engagement by bringing local authors to the park to read from their work.

The "pop and swap" will offer coffee, tea and muffins and tents will be set up for kids to read in.

Shortt said the alliance chose Forest Hills as the first location of its "pop and swap" library because the community lost its Barnes & Noble last year. The Queens Library's Forest Hills branch is also currently closed for repairs.

The project, funded by Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz and RPGA, will expand into other areas in Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill if it's popular.

The success of the "pop and swap" library ultimately relies on the Forest Hills community. "The more support from the community, the more often this can be done," said Shortt.

The RPGA is working to get a permit from the Parks Department before an exact date is set.

Lead image via Google Maps