In 2026, Queens Public Library is celebrating its 130-year anniversary! During Women’s History Month, Queens Public Library is partnering with the Queens Name Explorer project to honor the brave and brilliant women, with named places in Queens, who have built, shaped, and sustained us for 130 years! From advocates to volunteers, from librarians to gardeners, these women embody the imagination, leadership, and commitment to public service that has made QPL the vibrant and essential institution it is today.

As we celebrate our 130th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to the diverse people of Queens and to providing free access to information and opportunity for all. The Library’s long legacy as a cornerstone of democracy remains as vital now as ever, and we look forward to a future rooted in connection, community, growth, and understanding. This collection spotlights individuals featured in the Queens Name Explorer who have worked for, supported, or in other ways impacted QPL and our communities. Join us in celebrating this milestone! Learn more at Queens Public Library.

Queens Public Library Connection Betty Pegen (1912–2008), a resident and volunteer in College Point for more than 75 years, dedicated herself to the cultivation of the gardens at Poppenhusen Monument Park. Pegen also devoted many hours to other gardens in College Point, including Municipal Park and the Poppenhusen Library. Known as the “Gardening Angel” of College Point, the German immigrant took it upon herself for over 50 years to plant, weed, trim, cut, and cultivate the small garden around the monument to Conrad Poppenhusen—the German-born benefactor of College Point who founded the Poppenhusen Institute in 1868, which housed the first free kindergarten in America.