The Elmont Public Library was honored with the prestigious Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award. The announcement was made by Lydia M. Acosta, chair of the American Library Association (ALA) jury appointed to adjudicate applications submitted for consideration of the award.

This annual award is presented to a library organization for exhibiting meritorious achievement in carrying out a project to secure new funding resources for a public or academic library. When advised of the library's successful award application, Elmont Library Board President Maria Gregori indicated the board and the library staff were very proud to have been selected.

The new Elmont Library, which opened its doors in September 2006, was constructed around the Alva T. Stanforth (ATS) Junior High School auditorium, which was restored into a theater of professional standards. Further plans consisted of leasing the auditorium to the Broadhollow Theatre and included provisions in the lease for the theatre company to have three annual performances, dedicating the revenues to fund library projects. The board of trustees for the library appointed a fundraising committee to create a development plan. The committee quickly identified two initial projects for which funds would be raised: an early childhood learning center in the library and funding of college scholarships for local high school graduates. The first fundraiser generated $3,800.

"The Gale Cengage Learning Award jury members saw this innovative financial development plan not only as a sustainable fundraising program for the Elmont Public Library, but also a model for other libraries in the future," Acosta said.

Residents of the Elmont School District passed a referendum in 2004 to purchase part of the ATS property from the Sewanhaka Central High School District and build the new library on the premises.