With thousands of New Rochellians still without power Wednesday, hundreds of them found it at the public library.
People of all ages and walks of life—from students to stranded commuters to retirees—packed the library, where they watched films, browsed the Internet, charged laptops and phones and found refuge from the mess left behind by Sandy.
Robert and Lois Frost, whose home in the city’s North End is without electricity, stopped by to pick up books on traveling to Argentina, check the Internet and find some comfort.
“It’s warm here,” Robert Frost said, “and there’s light.”
Library Director Tom Geoffino said he was pleased to see the library so full and to know that it was providing solace to so many people.
“We welcome this kind of usage because we’re a community resource,” he said.
Asked to recommend a book to people who are still trying to recover from the storm, he chose a recent favorite: “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
“He (Lincoln) set an example that I wish more politicians would follow,” Geoffino said.
