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4 Queens Library Card Secrets

4 Queens Library Card Secrets

If you’ve got a card to the Queens Borough Public Library, you can get free music, movies, ebooks and more! Don’t miss out on these great discounts available to Queens Library cardholders!

Although it appears there are no Queens Library Museum passes, New York City residents can sign up for a FREE municipal ID that provides a FREE membership to over 30 cultural institutions and discounts to other places as well!

Get free downloads and access to amazing streams.

Download free eBooks and audio books. The Queens Borough Public Library offers an extensive list of e-Book sources for patrons. Just use your Queens Library card information to log in to Axis 360, Overdrive, One Click Digital, TumbleBooks (animated, talking picture books for kids), Tumble Book Cloud(YA/teen), Tumble Book Cloud Jr. (young readers), Tumble Talking Books (audio books) and BiblioBoard. You can also read magazines on Zinio!

Spanish materials are available from TumbleBooks Libros en Espanol and TumbleBooks Biblio Enfants.

Chinese materials are available from the Chinese eBooks service and the Chinese eMagazines portal.

Download free music {or stream free music}. The Queens Borough Public Library partners with Freegal Music. Through this service, you can access over 7 million songs in 100 genres. There are also 12,000 music videos. The songs are in MP3 format and are not DRM-free. Just log in to Freegal with your library card information and begin downloading! You are currently limited to five free songs per week. The limit resets every Monday morning at midnight!

Download free movies! The library offers free movies through InstantFlix and Overdrive. InstantFlix offers over 7,000 films and is available on Roku, xBox and Apple TV. Overdrive has a large collection of audio books, e-books, music and movies.

Learn another language online. From Afrikaans to Zulu, Transparent Language Online can help you master over 100 languages for FREE with your library card!

The Queens Library offers great programs for everyone!

Borrow a mobile hotspot from the Queens Borough Public Library! Families of eligible K-12 students can borrow a hotspot absolutely free for the remainder of the school year so they can have high-speed Internet access in their homes. Find out if you’re eligible!

Borrow an Android Tablet! The tablets are preloaded with content that is useful with or without Internet access. The tablets can be borrowed for one month with three renewals (up to four months). First time borrowers must supply photo ID and sign an agreement. Children under age 17 can borrow one with parental consent.

Read to pay your late fees! If you owe the Queens Library money, they will allow you to read books to pay off your fees. For every 30 minutes that you read in the library, you’ll earn a $1 voucher (Library Buck) to help pay off your fines. This program is available to customers up to age 21. If a young adult reads to a younger child, both will receive credit for the time.

Health screenings are available at your local library through the Connect Care program! You can schedule a medical appointment to screen your blood pressure, blood glucose, body mass index and more. A medical librarian may also be available during certain hours to provide information about health concerns.

Books by mail are available for home-bound patrons of all ages. Materials that can be mailed include audio books, large print books, regular print books, movies, DVDs, and music on CDs. The items are mailed in zippered canvas bags and return postage is included. Home-bound patrons may also participate in interactive programs through Teleconferences and Skype sessions.

Summer meals are served at the Queens Library every weekday during the summer. Meals are served between 1 pm and 2 pm and are open to all children ages 18 and younger.

Sunday concerts are free to attend and feature local artists. You can also screen world-class performances from the Lincoln Center via streams to the Queens Library.

Fitness programs are also available for free at the local library. From cardio and boot camp to low impact “dancercise,” these programs are hosted by a variety of instructors and are available for free. However, space may be limited.

Get customized book suggestions by BookMark, a personalized service from Queens Borough Public Library. Complete the reader profile and get suggestions for books that match your preferences!

Learn something new.

Learn a foreign language with Queens Library partners, including Transparent Language Online, Rocket Languages and BBC Languages.

Adult education courses are available at the Queens Borough Library. It is estimated that one in three New Yorkers has only basic literacy skills and 25% of Queens residents don’t speak English. The library can help! Programs include English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, pre-HSE classes, High School Equivalency classes, Literacy Classes, Computer Classes, Citizenship Preparation and more.

Join the Job & Business Academy to learn more about finding a job, starting a business, using technology with business and more! You could even enter to win $10,000 in seed funding for your business plan!

Special programs for seniors include a TTY-device loan program, book mailing service, stay well exercise program, computer skills classes and more.

Immigrants can learn English, prepare for citizenship, apply for the Diversity Visa lottery and obtain a directory of immigrant-serving agencies from the Queens Library. Immigrants can also receive information about health programs. The library offers many programs for new immigrants.

Check out these special programs for kids & teens!

Toddler learning programs help parents of young children (18-36 months) learn the basics of nutrition, speech development, early literacy and parenting skills. Toddlers socialize while parents learn these essential skills. There are five sessions per term.

The Cambria Heights Teen Center provides a safe place for middle and high school students to study, do homework, explore their creativity and participate in programs. The space incldues a gallery, meeting room, tech area and recording studio. Approximately 100 teens use the Center daily!

Free podcast workshops help teens learn useful presenting skills, especially if they are interested in careers in journalism, audio engineering, radio or news reporting.

Get more FREE stuff in New York!

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.