The Carnegie Reading Room at Elmhurst Library is named after businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919).

The name honors the original Elmhurst Library building, which was a “Carnegie Library”, built with money donated by Carnegie. Over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built across the world, between 1883 and 1929. In 1907, funds totaling $240,000 donated by Andrew Carnegie were used for the construction of seven new libraries in Queens, including the old Elmhurst Library. The one-story structure served the community for 110 years, but more space was needed, and in 2011 the building was demolished. The new four-story library opened in 2016. The only artifact saved was the edifice of the old fireplace, which is now in the 3rd floor room of the children's section.

Four Carnegie Library buildings (Astoria, Poppenhusen, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven) are still in use in Queens at this time.

Robert Tilitz (1909-1996) moved to Elmhurst in 1917. He served in World War II, and rose to the rank of Captain. After the war he attended the New School and went on to a career at the Veterans Administration - he taught social services at Columbia University after he retired.

Tilitz was often referred to as the "Mayor of Elmhurst," where he was very active in the community. He volunteered at a mental health clinic, was president of the Newtown Civic Association and was the associate editor of The Newtown Crier. He also served on Community Board 4 and was a trustee of Queens Borough Public Library for 13 years.

In addition, Olga Conway, Bob's sister, was a tireless advocate for gardens and green spaces. She and her crew could be found at the oasis which was the Elmhurst Library Garden, taking care of the wide, spacious, and diverse groups of flowers.

James William Charles Pennington (1807-1870) was an African American orator, minister, writer and abolitionist who served a congregation at what is now 90th Street and Corona Avenue in Queens, in the mid-19th century.

Born into slavery in Maryland, Pennington became an expert blacksmith and carpenter and taught himself to read, write and do math. In 1827, at age 19 he escaped via the Underground Railroad to Pennsylvania. In 1830, he traveled to Long Island, where he worked as a coachman and studied, teaching himself Greek and Latin, and devoted himself to Black education and antislavery. Pennington attended the first Negro National Convention in Philadelphia in 1829, and was a leading member, becoming the presiding officer in 1853. He was hired to teach school in Newtown (Elmhurst), and wishing further education, he became the first Black student to take classes at the Yale Divinity School, although he was not allowed to be listed as a student and was required to sit in the back row at lectures. Pennington was ordained as a minister in the Congregational Church and after completing his studies, he returned to Newtown to serve as a church pastor. In 1838, he officiated at the wedding of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray.

Pennington continued to work as an educator, abolitionist and minister in the New York and Connecticut area. While working in Hartford he wrote "A Text Book Of The Origin And History Of The Colored People" (1841). In 1843 he attended the World's Antislavery Convention in London and toured Europe, giving antislavery speeches. His memoir, "The Fugitive Blacksmith," was first published in 1849 in London.

Walentyna Janta-Połczyńska (1913-2020) and Aleksander Janta-Połczyński (1908-1974) were heroes in the fight against Nazism. Walentyna was one of the last surviving members of the Polish government in exile, formed after Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. She became a personal secretary to General Władysław Sikorski, the prime minister of the Polish government in exile and commander of the Free Polish Armed Forces. She translated and prepared reports by Jan Karski, the underground courier who delivered eyewitness accounts of atrocities against Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, and helped organize Dawn, a clandestine radio station that broadcast to Poland from an intelligence complex in England. Aleksander Janta-Połczyński was a second lieutenant of the Polish Army cavalry.  

They later moved to New York and opened an antiquarian bookstore. They also opened their home to Polish artists and writers who escaped the postwar Communist dictatorship. Walentyna was known as the first lady of American Polonia, active in Polish-American cultural institutions such as the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America and the Kościuszko Foundation. Jan was president of the American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs and a board member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

The street co-naming is actually for the couple's accomplishments, and the sign is in error, as it should read Polczyński, which denotes the couple, rather than just for Walentyna.

After Walentyna passed away at the age of 107, the community rallied to save their 1911 home, which was on a plot of land owned by Cord Meyer's brother and partner, Christian Meyer. In the process, they documented the home, filming top to bottom as well as the garages—the very place where their manuscript business was conducted. They also held rallies, a heart bombing, a vigil, and submitted a landmarking application with support letters from Polish groups, organizations, elected officials, etc., making a strong case on many levels. Despite these efforts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission did not calendar the home. Subsequently, Councilman Shekar Krishnan wrote a scathing letter to the Commission, stating the agency must reevaluate its decision-making process and be more transparent in the future.