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 museum passes. Patrons will be able to visit free of charge the Brooklyn Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Old Westbury Gardens, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The passes are available only to Garden City Public Library cardholders. Museum passes may be reserved in advance and must be checked out by an adult (18 years and older) family member. 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 and will not be taken over the phone. Request forms are available at the Reference Desk. We thank The Friends of the Garden City Public Library for their support in making the Museum Pass Program possible. For further information please call Mrs. Flanagan 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.