Port Washington Library Passes 500,000 Patron Mark

When Port Washington resident Jocelyn Panameno walked into the Port Washington Public Library just after noon on Wednesday, she was greeted with a round of applause and bag full of goodies as she was honored as the library's 500,000 patron since July 2009.

"I just came in to get a book, and I had no idea about the numbers," Panameno said. "But this is so exciting!"

Nancy Curtin, director of the Port Washington Public Library, said she was thrilled to celebrate the milestone. "The numbers are quite high," Curtin said. "It shows the real need for a local library, and how successful our establishment is. It's clear that people really use the library the way they should be using it."

The library, which follows the fiscal year calendar, was able to generate more than 550,000 patrons since July 1, 2009, according to Curtin. She explained how the library came to know of the achievement. "Installed in the front entrance of the library is an invisible beam, which counts the number of people walking in and out of the front door," Curtin said. "The library Board of Trustees reviews the statistics every month, and cuts the number in half to distinguish the correct amount of people coming into the library, as well as the number leaving."

Along with Curtin, the people present for the noon celebration included library trustees Myron Blumenfeld and Robert Lee Aitken, Assistant Director Corinne Camarata, Director of Community Relations Jackie Kelly, as well as several library visitors.

Harold Cohen, a resident of Mill Pond Acres and frequent library user, was one of the patrons on hand for the party to celebrate the special milestone.

"The library is a fantastic place with endless options," Cohen said. "I've been coming here for years, and I have had access to hundreds of books, as well as several seminars and programs. It's a wonderful feat for them to have accumulated such a large volume of customers."