Jason Antos testifies on Queens history and libraries

Good afternoon.

Hi.

Hi, good to see you again.

Good to see you too.

All right.

So to the New York City Council, my name is Jason Antos.

I am the current Queensborough historian.

I'm also the director at the Queens Historical Society in Flushing, and I'm just here to talk as an advocate for the research and collection of local history.

Via the public library system, specifically the Queens Library system.

I had been using the central, or what used to be known as the Long Island Division, now known as the Archives at the Central Library, since I'm 19 years old.

I started off researching Queens history.

As a hobby and eventually turned into a part-time job and now as a career.

And had it not been for the Queens Library,

and the other library branches of the greater city of New York probably wouldn't have been to this level that I am now.

In fact, Queens history is everywhere, and it covers all of the other library systems as well.

It includes the New York Public Library.

It includes the Center for Brooklyn History.

In fact, on my social media, about two months ago, I visited the Center for Brooklyn History, and I put under the caption, what is the Queensborough historian doing in Brooklyn?

And that's to say that the collections in these archives are tremendous.

And they do a huge public service to the community.

And I just came down here today to advocate for their continued support because I'm living proof that if you go down there as a young researcher and you dedicate your time and your life to

these places into these wonderful institutions that can lead you down a very good path in life and that they provide a tremendous service to the public.

And I thank you.

Thank you.