News & Events

  • Landmark the Rose Reading Room!

    Did you know that NYPL’s Rose Reading Room is not a designated NYC landmark? While New York has 117 designated interior landmarks, the Rose Reading Room is not one of them. Completed in 1911, the 42nd Street Library designed by Carrère and Hastings is one of New York’s most splendid civic monuments. As the Landmarks…

  • Genuine Public Review Needed for 42nd Street and Mid-Manhattan Library Renovations

    Last month, NYPL officials held a public meeting to review aspects of plans for major renovations to the 42nd Street and the Mid-Manhattan Libraries. As can be seen from the agendas and pre-determined questions here, the meeting was structured to channel discussion narrowly rather than to encourage broad public discussion of options. The meeting left…

  • Here’s What Happened at NYPL’s Recent Public Forum

    Last week, the New York Public Library hosted a public meeting about its proposed “Midtown Campus Renovations.” Library lovers from across the city converged on the Edna Barnes Salomon Room in the 42nd Street Library to voice their concern for the two most popular libraries in the NYPL system. NYPL President Anthony Marx made brief…

  • Key Questions to Ask at NYPL’s Upcoming Public Meeting

    On March 26th from 6 to 8 pm NYPL is holding a public meeting on their plans for renovating the Mid-Manhattan and 42nd Street Libraries.  The meeting will be in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room on the third floor of the 42nd St. Library. Please sign-up to attend here. Library leaders say they will listen, so make sure you are heard. Ask…

  • NYPL Announces Upcoming Public Meeting

    Three million books are overdue! Sign up here:  http://www.nypl.org/midtownmeeting  to demand their return to the stacks!  On Thursday March 26th from  6:00 to 8:00 pm in the 42nd Street Library’s Edna Barnes Salomon Room, NYPL will conduct a public session devoted to renovations of the landmark 42nd Street Library and the Mid-Manhattan Branch Library across the street. Mark your calendars, library lovers. This…

  • Let’s Make NYPL Great Again

    At a time when demand for books in the NYPL system is at an all-time high, the removal of three million books from the 42nd Street library, and numerous books from the Science Industry and Business Library and the Library for Performing Arts, has diminished these formerly first-class research libraries. Many of these books have been exiled…

  • Library Lovers Converge On 42nd St. for Valentine’s Day

    A big thanks to everyone who braved the elements to attend our Valentine’s Day rally outside the 42nd Street library yesterday! It was great to see so many dedicated individuals show their support for the defense of public libraries. Although it was bitterly cold, Rev. Billy warmed our hearts with his fiery oratory. Framed by Edward Potter’s Patience and Fortitude, library…

  • On Valentine’s Day, Show Some Love for the 42nd St. Library!

      On Valentine’s Day, show some love for the 42nd Street Library.  Tell NYPL:  Return the books to the stacks and reopen the Rose Main Reading Room ASAP!   Join Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir outside the 42nd Street Library this Saturday at noon to ask, Why is it taking so long to reopen the Rose Main Reading Room?  When will the books…

  • Bring Back the Books!

    Rose Reading Room – CLOSED Gottesman Exhibition Hall – CLOSED Bookstacks – EMPTY Readers, scholars, and library users at the 42nd Street Library report that delivery of requested books is often delayed for days or weeks. Some books are reported missing. In 2013 NYPL hastily moved 3 million books from its stacks at 42nd Street…

  • Essential Reforms Needed at NYPL – Share Our City Council Testimony With Elected Officials

    We’d like to thank everyone who attended last week’s City Council hearing. Below you can read a copy of the testimony we submitted before the Council. We are sending out copies to elected officials, and you can too! We recommend sending a polite email to City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer ([email protected]), Chair of the…

  • Join Us As We Testify at City Hall on Wednesday

    At 1:00 pm on December 10th, the NYC Council Committee on Cultural Affairs and the Sub-Committee on Libraries will hold a hearing on capital needs in the Council Chambers in City Hall (see attached). Charles Warren has been invited to testify on behalf of the Committee to Save NYPL. New York Public Library President Anthony…

  • NYPL Survey Seeks Public Feedback

    Appearing to engage library users, the New York Public Library has circulated an online survey to measure how the public uses their libraries. The results will inform their decisions about renovations to the Mid-Manhattan and 42nd Street libraries. Although the multiple choice format constrains complex answers, we recommend responding in ways that encourage the NYPL to return…