Although it was organized in 1858 on a subscription basis, the original Central Library on Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica was opened in 1930 and later expanded with a four-story Renaissance Revival themed architecture.

Consequently, a large percentage of the library's collections are in languages other than English, particularly Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Russian.

The original Central Library on Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica was opened in 1930 and expanded with Works Progress Administration funds in 1941.

In spite of its elegance, it was too small for the demand and was replaced by a new, more spacious facility in 1966, through the persistent efforts of the Library Director, Harold W. Tucker.

[5] Many additional branches had been approved to be built between 1954 and 1965, but were not completed due to a New York City fiscal crisis.

[10] Central Library includes resources that support education and research through the college level.

Queens Library at Flushing has collections in many non-English languages, including Bengali, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.

It is the largest collection of materials dedicated solely to Black culture in New York State.

It consists of books, publications, current and historical newspapers, family manuscripts and genealogical material, historical maps and atlases including Belcher Hyde and Sanborn Company maps, late 19th- and early 20th-century photographs, as well as other archival material.

Queens Public Library has long had a variety of services to aid children and teens.

Every Queens Public Library branch also provides an assortment of enriching activities and clubs for children and teens daily.

Family literacy programs take an inter-generational approach to learning English and include practical information about living in NYC.

[14] Queens Public Library offers intensive assistance for those who wish to find employment and/or upgrade their job skills.

Through a partnership with Workforce 1, job placement assistance is available at the Flushing branch, and near the Central Library in Jamaica.