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Wantagh - Seaford Your local Libraries

Courtesy library director Shannon Marchese The Wantagh Public Library set up an interactive table at the annual Wantagh Kiwanis Festival on July 25.

Wantagh

After being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic for several months, the Wantagh Public Library reopened to the public in fall 2020.

“This made us stand out from a lot of other libraries,” said Library Director Shannon Marchese, “because a lot of them were hesitant to do so…but we did it while maintaining social distance and keeping small group sizes.”

Marchese, who became the library’s director in January 2021, said it’s been exciting to work in the Wantagh community.

“The community is great,” Marchese said. “They come in and they’re excited and thankful to have a library to come into, and we’re happy to be there for them.”

Wantagh Public Library typically hosts summer reading programs for children, teens and adults. After being forced to cancel these in-person events last summer because of the pandemic, staff looked forward to hosting this year, Marchese said.

Some of the library’s events this summer included exercise classes, book discussions, arts and crafts sessions for kids and adults, and a scavenger hunt in the children’s rooms.

The 2021 summer reading theme, Tails and Tales, encouraged readers to learn about animals throughout the world as well as the environments they inhabit. The three programs, which included one for children, one for teens and one for adults, ran from mid-June to mid-August.

With all that the Wantagh library provides, it’s no wonder why so many residents check it out all year round.

Courtesy library director Frank McKenna The Seaford Public Library hosted a live band at the community event, Seaford Saturday Nights, in July.

Seaford

Like the neighboring Wantagh Library, Seaford Public Library reopened to the public in fall 2020 after being shut down for many months. Library Director Frank McKenna, who has held the position since 2011, said the library is making progress in its return to normalcy. “We’re not fully back to prepandemic normality just yet. … but we’re certainly getting there,” McKenna said.

The library hosted its outdoor concert series in the summer of 2021, which saw a big turnout with residents eager to celebrate. The series kicked off July 24 with Long Island-based band, The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll. While the library normally hosts about four concerts per year, owing to the uncertain circumstances of the pandemic, organizers managed to put together two concerts this year, McKenna said.

Seaford’s Library will continue to host a number of in-person programs that benefit the community, including defensive-driving classes, mahjong and bingo sessions, book discussions and film screenings.

The library will continue to roll out virtual programs, which started in 2020. “This was a good thing that came out of the pandemic,” Mckenna explained. “We were able to get connected with certain lecturers and authors who wouldn’t have been involved with us before the pandemic because they don’t live nearby.”

Wantagh Public Library

3285 Park Ave., Wantagh 221-1200 www.wantaghlibrary.org Director: Shannon Marchese

Hours: Monday - Thursday:

9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in July and August) Sunday: Closed

Seaford Public Library

2234 Jackson Ave., Seaford 221-1334 www.seafordlibrary.org Director: Frank McKenna

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday:

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday: 1 to 7 p.m. Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from mid June through early September) Sunday: Closed

Levittown Public Library

1 Bluegrass Lane, Levittown 731-5728 www.levittownpl.org Director: Trina Reed

Monday through Friday:

9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday: Closed