What We Were Encouraged To Read

By Emily Rennie, Archivist for the Levittown History Collection

Libraries provide communities with many resources and services, but foremost, they are about connecting people to books. Readers frequently depend on librarians for personal recommendations of what to read next. This matchmaking art between reader and book is what we know professionally as readers’ advisory. One long-standing advisory practice is the creation of mass-produced handouts featuring curated reading lists. Preserved today in the Levittown History Collection, these ephemeral materials have become historical records that reveal how librarians promoted reading and how social priorities, interests, and norms in Levittown were shaped and reflected through the books residents were encouraged to read.

Readers’ advisory handouts from the Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library: Printed Material/Programs, Folder 1), Levittown, N.Y.

The handouts in our collection date primarily to the 1950s and 60s. Many of the suggested titles they recommend–such as Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, and Alan Watts’ The Way of Zen– remain a part of the library’s collection today, underscoring both their lasting relevance and the continuity of the library’s holdings.

One pamphlet in particular, Garden Potpourri, provides a strong reflection of Levittown itself by highlighting the community’s longstanding history of gardening. The handout offers a selection of books intended to support the many Levittowners with green thumbs. The library continues to support the gardening community through its annual seed library, which is often paired with a display of recommended gardening books.

Levittown Public Library. (1961). Garden potpourri [Pamphlet]. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library: Printed Material/Programs, Folder 1), Levittown, N.Y. This material may include outdated attitudes, language, and cultural depictions that could cause offense and which do not reflect the current attitudes of the Levittown Public Library as it is today.

Levittown Public Library. (1963). Summer books for junior girls [Pamphlet]. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library: Printed Material/Programs, Folder 1), Levittown, N.Y.

Levittown Public Library. (n.d.). Books to delight young readers [Pamphlet]. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library: Printed Material/Programs, Folder 1), Levittown, N.Y. This material may include outdated attitudes, language, and cultural depictions that could cause offense and which do not reflect the current attitudes of the Levittown Public Library as it is today.

Levittown Public Library. (1960). Insights and sidelights [Pamphlet]. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library: Printed Material/Programs, Folder 1), Levittown, N.Y. This material may include outdated attitudes, language, and cultural depictions that could cause offense and which do not reflect the current attitudes of the Levittown Public Library as it is today.

To reach a broad audience, librarians organized their suggestions into very general sections. Section labels like “enduring literature,” “historical perspectives,” or “widening horizons,” imply the books were meant not only to entertain, but also to improve character or reinforce social norms– books one should read. Contemporary readers’ advisory services, by contrast, are far more personal than prescriptive, aiming to connect individual readers with books they want to read. Recommendations today are typically guided by responses to questions like, “what was the last book you enjoyed?” and today’s pamphlets similarly tend to focus on read-alikes for popular novels and authors.

As the Levittown Public Library marks its 75th anniversary, these materials remind us that while the ways we connect readers to books have changed, the underlying mission has not. From prescriptive reading lists to personalized conversations, the library has always sought to meet its community where it is, reflecting both shared values and individual interests. Preserved today as historical records, these modest pamphlets tell a larger story about how libraries grow alongside the communities they serve.

Founding a Library for Levittown

By Emily Rennie, Archivist for the Levittown History Collection

This January marks 75 years since the Levittown Public Library was officially chartered. To honor its diamond anniversary, the Levittown History Collection Blog will be spotlighting the history of the library.

A public library was not a part of the initial planned community of Levittown, but the need for one was nearly immediately felt. By January 1950, motivated residents from Levittown and Island Trees formed the Library Planning Committee with the goal of establishing a joint public library for the Levittown and Island Trees School Districts.¹ They held their first meeting on February 16, 1950, at the home of Clyde Kamitchis.² Members of the committee laid the groundwork for establishing and sustaining the library, worked to familiarize the community with the advantages a library would provide, and organized the vote in the districts to fund it.

Library Planning Committee. (1950). [Whether You’re…]. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library Planning Committee), Levittown, N.Y.

Miller, Z. K. (1921/1947). How to organize a library. Library Bureau Department, Remington Rand Inc. Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library (Vertical File, Levittown Public Library Planning Committee), Levittown, N.Y.

The vote for the joint district library was held on May 2, 1950.³ Voters in Levittown largely approved the measure, however, voters in Island Trees largely voted against it. In her correspondence as a leader in the Planning Committee, Clyde Kamitchis attributed the defeat in District 26 to low voter turnout⁴, and to strong anti-Levittown feeling among the older residents of Island Trees.⁵ Because both districts needed to pass the vote, the motion for a joint library had failed.⁶ Still, members of the Planning Committee were not discouraged by their initial defeat– members from Levittown and Island Trees split up and immediately began working to form separate public libraries for their communities.

The committee in Levittown District 5 took advantage of the warm summer weather and hosted several outdoor events in town to demonstrate the kind of services it could offer, including story times and concerts.⁷ The committee was so active in their efforts that they were mentioned in nearly every edition of the local newspapers. They made big headlines when they competed on the television game show, Strike It Rich, and won $280 to cover expenses incurred during their campaign to establish a library in Levittown.⁸

(1950, July). 'Strike It Rich' Game Show Host With Library Planning Committee Members [Photograph]. Photograph Collection (LHC.PHO.1036, Book VII, PHO.469). Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library, Levittown, N.Y.

If the library were to be passed, Levittown residents in 1950 would be faced with an increase of about $5.00 in annual taxes per household⁹– equal to about $65.61 today.¹⁰ This would cover a minimal budget that would fund the initial outlay of books, supplies, and salaries for a small staff to get the operation started. It did not cover costs for a facility, which was under discussion as being provided rent-free for a limited time by Levitt & Sons. The Library Planning Committee proposed this to be a “great big value for just a little money,” because, after all, “a library isn’t just a building full of musty books…it’s a friendly community center where you can get help in many of the problems that come up in your daily life.”¹¹

The resolution for a Levittown Public Library for District 5 went to a vote on October 30, 1950, and was approved by the community¹². The first Library Trustees were also elected: Newman Baum, Dr. Joseph Brennan, Laverne King, Nina Ladof, and Alice B. Miller– all of whom were  involved with the functioning of the Planning Committee. A Provisional Charter recognizing the Library was officially issued by New York State on January 19th, 1951, the commemorative date recognized to be the birthday of the Levittown Public Library.

From Community Programs to International Stardom: Sylvia Weinstock

By Katherine Parente, Intern for the Levittown History Collection

Programming is a vital part of a public library. They have the ability to bring members of the community together to learn or improve important skills, socialize, and enjoy activities in a shared space for free. Most importantly, their accessibility ensures that all members of the community are able to participate. Levittown Public Library has always seen the value in programming, which is represented in its history. In the library’s early years, a strong emphasis was placed on programs, and many of those programs are documented with photographs in the Publicity Photographs Collection, which can be found in the Levittown History Collection.¹ These included a variety of programs for all ages, including children’s story times, arts and crafts, design, and gardening activities. 

One such program took place in 1979, which was a baking demonstration and workshop. The instructor was a local baker and cake decorator from Brooklyn named Sylvia Weinstock. She and many enthusiastic participants created desserts such as cakes, pies, and pastries, which were captured in photographs for the History Collection. Years later, Weinstock would become a widely successful baker and decorator, creating extravagant wedding cakes for high-profile celebrities, lavish events around the world, and guest judging on reality competition TV shows such as Food Network’s Chopped and Netflix’s Nailed It!

Levittown Public Library. (1978). Pastry Demo: Sylvia Weinstock Instructing Workshop [Photograph]. Levittown Public Library Publicity Photographs Collection. (LHC.LPP.1020, LPP.015). Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library, Levittown, NY.LHC.LPP.1020_LPP.012

Levittown Public Library. (1978). Pastry Demo: Sylvia Weinstock Instructing Workshop, Assisting Participants [Photograph]. Levittown Public Library Publicity Photographs Collection. (LHC.LPP.1020, LPP.015). Levittown History Collection, Levittown Public Library, Levittown, NY.

Weinstock began her career as an elementary school teacher on Long Island, having completed her bachelor’s degree at Hunter College and a master’s degree in education at Queens College. It wasn’t until 1980, at the age of 50, that she began baking professionally from her own store in Manhattan, Sylvia Weinstock Cakes, founded by Weinstock and her husband, Ben. She had practiced the art during her family’s ski trips to Hunter Mountain in Upstate New York.² The business started out small, with cakes ordered and purchased by appointment. However, demand quickly grew within the next few years, when she was commissioned by top hotels in the city and by the elite. Over the years, word spread even further, and throughout her career Weinstock’s impressive clientele included celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro, and Bill Gates, and political figures like the Kennedys and Clintons.³ 

Creator: Manny Hernandez | Credit: Getty Images

Copyright: 2014 Getty Images

How did Weinstock’s business become highly successful so quickly? Her cake decorating was considered transformative in the industry. Traditionally, wedding cakes were small and simple with little decoration. Weinstock transformed the way these desserts were decorated by creating extravagant floral designs and multiple layers. To create perfect replicas, she deconstructed real roses and studied each petal, sculpting her sugar dough flowers until they were just right. Another staple of her cakes was that she only used buttercream icing, which takes more time to smoothen, but refused to take the “easier” route with fondant. She once told The New York Times, “I hate fondant. It’s cheap and easy.”⁴

Later in her career, she appeared as a guest judge on several reality competition baking shows. She appeared in Season 1, Episode 9 of Top Chef: Just Desserts in 2010, Season 1, Episode 1 of Nailed It! in 2018, and Season 43, Episode 11 of Chopped: Sweets in 2019. 

Sylvia Weinstock and fellow judge Jacques Torres advising a contestant on Nailed It!

Creator: Greg Gayne / Netflix

Copyright: 2018 Netflix

She remained highly successful in her career until her death in 2021 at the age of 91. Her work pioneered an entire culinary industry, influencing the luxury art around the world and for future generations of bakers and artists. She is appropriately dubbed the “da Vinci of Wedding Cakes” and “Queen of Cakes” by the media and peers in the industry.⁵  

Sylvia Weinstock’s remarkable career serves as a reminder that the impact of a public library’s programming can extend far beyond the event. What began as a simple, local workshop in 1979 now stands as part of Levittown Public Library’s history, preserved as physical, and newly digital, photographs in its collection. Her story shows how community programs can bring people together to create, learn, and form lasting connections, and perhaps become a stepping stone to unexpected opportunities. 

Interesting Woman SYLVIA WEINSTOCK

Echo New York