The Reference Department at the Garden City Public Library provides a variety of services and resources to residents. Services include book selection, homebound delivery, interloan, reader's advisory, reserves, and of course, assisting patrons with their research. The department has research tools in both print and computerized formats.  (Periodicals, encyclopedias, business listings, and many other types of information can be found in electronic databases.)  In addition, the librarians have other specialized computer databases they can use to help answer patron inquiries. The Library also has an extensive Local History collection housed in the Alexander Turney Stewart Room. Files related to Garden City history can be found in the Reference Department Vertical Files.

Talking Books is a free service provided by the Library of Congress and administered through the Nassau Library System. If you cannot read printed materials because of a visual or physical disability that prevents you from holding a book or turning pages, you are eligible to use the Talking Book program. For those who have hearing loss, there is also an amplifier available. The available Talking Book collection contains over 100,000 recorded books, the same type of books you would find at your public library, including mysteries, romances, biographies, best sellers, and much more. You also have access to over 30 recorded magazines, such as Good Housekeeping, People, and Sports Illustrated. The recorded books and equipment needed to listen to them are mailed directly to your home via postage-free mail. Applications for this free library service are available at the library. For more information, call Mr. Martin Bowe at 742-8405.

Free Museum Passes: To make the museum experience accessible to all of our residents, the Library, through the generosity of the Friends of the Garden City Public Library, is pleased to offer free passes to five museums. The museum passes allow entry to the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, and Old Westbury Gardens. The Guggenheim Museum pass includes reciprocal membership with the Brooklyn Museum, and the New York Botanical Garden pass has reciprocal benefits with Planting Fields Arboretum.

Museum passes may be reserved in advance and checked out by an adult (18 years and older) Library cardholder in good standing who has signed a Museum Pass Agreement. Reservations will be taken up to one month in advance of the desired date, subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations must be done in person at the Reference Desk and will not be taken over the phone.

One pass per museum per household may be borrowed within a six month period. The passes may be borrowed for three days and must be returned by one hour before the Library closes on the day the pass is due.

Further information about the Library’s policies governing the museum passes is included in the borrower’s Museum Pass Agreement. In addition, patrons should call the individual institution directly for hours, parking, and directions, and for the rules governing the use of the museum pass. For more information, visit the Library or contact the Reference Desk at 742-8405.

With the wide range of materials found in our collection, the Reference staff are always available to provide patrons with the best assistance possible.