The Reference Department at the Garden City Public Library provides a variety of services and resources to residents. Services include book selection, 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.

Book Club in a Bag: We supply the books you supply the people! Each bag contains 10 copies of a title, discussion information, discussion-leader tips, and a book sign-up sheet to help the leader keep track of the books - everything you need to help you run your own book discussion group.Whether you’ve always wanted to start a book club but just didn’t know how, or your existing book discussion group is looking for an easier way to select books, the Library’s Book Club in a Bag may be just what you need.

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 the Reference Department 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 four museums. The museum passes allow entry to the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and Old Westbury Gardens. (The Library was both surprised and disappointed by the decision of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Botanical Garden to cancel their museum-pass program with libraries without notice.)

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.

The Job Corner, which is located at the entrance to the adult reference collection, offers up-to-date books on careers, resume writing, interviewing, and test preparation.

What are the best jobs for the 21^st century? Did you know that there are 150 best recession-proof jobs? The Library has updated its job-search titles for both the new job seeker as well as the career changer. The Best Jobs for the 21^st Century and 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs are just two of the new titles that were recently added to Library’s Job Corner to help job seekers succeed in this difficult economic climate.

At home or in the Library, patrons can also click on the Job and Career Resources link on the home page of the catalog and access employment-related titles that are available either in the Library or that can be interloaned to assist with job searches. The Library also keeps current lists of upcoming Nassau County and New York State Civil Service openings and tests. These lists are located on a table in front of the Reference Desk. In the Periodical Room, there are civil-service employment publications including The Chief and Federal Jobs Digest, as well as the current issues of local and national newspapers with classified sections.

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