http://www.nypl.org/news/index.cfmUpdates on New York Public Library news, programs and eventshttp://www.nypl.org/databases/images/onsite.gifhttp://www.nypl.org/news/index.cfmFeedSpring - http://feedspring.com/Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:22:49 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/morrisania-library-celebrates-centennial/New York Times By Sewell Chan At a daylong celebration today, the New York Public Library is observing the centennial of its Morrisania branch in the South Bronx, which opened in 1908 with financing from Andrew Carnegie. The library, at 610 East 169th Street, sits on what was once farmland owned by Jonas Bronck, for whom the borough is named. The library is now one of 87 in the New York Public Library system, which encompasses the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. (Queens and Brooklyn have separate systems.) The library received a two-year renovation, completed in 1997, and has served as a symbol of the rebirth of the South Bronx that started in the 1990s, after decades of decay had made the neighborhood the prime example of urban neglect. The Morris High School Campus Band performed when the library reopened in 1997, and it did so again today, along with children from La Peninsula Head Start, a local child-care business. In 1901, Carnegie, the industrialist and steel magnate, gave $5.2 million to the New York Public Library, which was established in 1895 by the consolidation of Astor and Lenox libraries and the Tilden trust. The Morrisania Library, which was designed by the architects Babb, Cook & Willard, is the third in the Bronx to reach the 100-year mark; the Mott Haven branch was the first, and the Tremont branch was the second. The branch has a marble and heavy oak interior, huge arched windows and a grand “imperial” staircase. Numerous elected officials were scheduled to attend the birthday celebration, including Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr., State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, Councilwoman Helen Diane Foster and leaders from Community Board 3. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/morrisania-library-celebrates-centennial/Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:22:09 GMThttp://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/technology/89609/n-y--public-library-shows-rare-treasures-in-online-videos/Default.aspxA new online initiative is aimed at reminding viewers about some of the hidden gems in the archives at the New York Public Library. NY1’s Technology reporter Adam Balkin filed the following report. The New York Public Library is now expanding to Facebook, YouTube and iTunes, by launching a new online video series highlighting rare documents that can only be seen in person. Such documents include handwritten letters by Katherine Hepburn and menus from long-gone restaurants. “What we've amassed over the course of more than 100 years is one of the single greatest repositories of all kinds of materials about the human experience and there are more than 50 million items in these collections,” said N.Y. Public Library President Paul LeClerc. “This shows the sometimes interesting or quirky or fascinating things we have at the library.” Curators of the collections say part of this effort is to remind people there's more to a library than just books. Featured documents, like maps, often times give a more concrete visual than words alone of what life was like in the past. “We have everything from road maps from the 1920s to 2001, to antique atlases bound in vellum hand drawn on handmade paper beautiful materials,” said Alice Hudson, chief of the library’s map division. “So we go from the mundane to the very exotic.” Many of the resources covered have not been posted to the internet. “There's a myth out there that ultimately everything's going to be online. However, that's a myth,” says LeClerc. “Collections are so immense in this library and other great libraries that for a long, long period of time if you want to dig in deeply, you'll have to come to us.” To whet your appetite for such resources, see the new video series at www.nypl.org/news/treasures. The library says, in addition to continuing work with Google on a project to digitize books from libraries all over the globe, it will join many top-notch libraries in putting more collections, exhibits and even lectures online.http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/technology/89609/n-y--public-library-shows-rare-treasures-in-online-videos/Default.aspxMon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:48 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/arts/28wkids.html?_r=1By LAUREL GRAEBER Published: November 27, 2008 The New York Times CHILDREN’S CENTER, NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Patience and Fortitude, the serenely majestic lions who serve as sentinels at the New York Public Library, have recently acquired a host of animal neighbors. Residing inside the building, they include a fox with a luxurious tail, a brilliant blue bull, a cocoa-colored bear and an aardvark wearing glasses. On Saturday owls, hawks and falcons will join the mix. The menagerie is among the draws at the new Children’s Center, a literary oasis for ages 12 and under that will hold opening festivities on Friday and Saturday. This is the first time since 1970 that the main library has had circulating children’s books. While no new construction was done in this ground-floor space, which used to house the relocated Dorot Jewish Division, the area has shed its drab, institutional skin, acquiring a coat of many colors: murals of urban and exotic scenes by Susy Pilgrim Waters; beanbag cushions in Day-Glo tones; and a bright programming space presided over by a huge cutout Cat in the Hat. “We have the largest children’s collection in the library system,” said Elizabeth Bird, senior children’s librarian, noting that it includes CDs, DVDs, video games and even records. “A lot of people still want to hear an old Pete Seeger kids’ album that was never transferred” to CD, she said. At the other end of the technological spectrum, the center has eight computers and a Wii and a Sony PlayStation for monthly video-game nights. “It’s another way of getting kids into the library,” Ms. Bird explained, adding that when library branches held such events for teenagers, “circulation went up.” And the animals? They’re largely stuffed toys, but the birds will be real: the celebration includes, on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., raptors from the New Canaan Nature Center. On Friday the author and illustrator Chris Raschka will appear (11:30 a.m.), and the Talking Hands Theater and Vital Children’s Theater will perform (1:30 and 3:30 p.m.). Saturday offers Central Park Zoo Wildlife Theater (1:30 p.m.) and intriguing experiments in “The Mad Science Holiday Spectacular” (3:30 p.m.). And, of course, there’s always the year-round entertainment: about 25,000 books. (Room 84, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 212-621-0208, nypl.org; free.) LAUREL GRAEBER http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/arts/28wkids.html?_r=1Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:38:37 GMThttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2008-11-11-new-york-public-library-video_N.htmBy Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY The New York Public Library quietly rolled out a new video series last month. Titled "Treasures," it showcases 11 gems of the library's vast collection of more than 50 million items. And since then it has joined Facebook, broadening an online reach that already included YouTube and iTunes pages to gain more of an audience — which, for one of the world's largest public libraries, includes "everybody from preschool toddlers to the greatest writers in the world," says president Paul LeClerc. Curators and administrators whittled a list of hundreds of ideas to record videos of the most "visually grabbing," says director David Ferriero. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2008-11-11-new-york-public-library-video_N.htmWed, 12 Nov 2008 14:38:00 GMThttp://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/10/2008-11-10_throw_the_bums_out_board_of_elections_bo.html?page=1I got my job through ... ... the New York Public Library. That might well be the slogan of an ad campaign suited to an era when unemployment is rising and the U.S. is shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month. As a reminder that local libraries offer extensive job-search resources, here's how Barack Obama found his community organizing job in Chicago after he graduated from Columbia University. In 2005, he told American Libraries magazine: "People always mention libraries in terms of just being sources for reading material or research. But I probably would not be in Chicago were it not for the Manhattan public library, because I was looking for an organizing job and was having great trouble finding a job as a community organizer in New York. "The Mid-Manhattan Library had these books of lists of organizations, and the librarian helped me find these lists of organizations, and I wrote to every organization. One of them wound up being an organization in Chicago that I got a job with." The help is still there, and in even greater sophistication. Check it out. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/10/2008-11-10_throw_the_bums_out_board_of_elections_bo.html?page=1http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_NYPL_Library_Lions_Benefit_Honoring_Albee_Ephron_Bryan_and_Rushdie_20010101The New York Public Library honored playwright Edward Albee, children's author and illustrator Ashley Bryan, screenwriter and essayist Nora Ephron, and novelist Salman Rushdie at its annual Library Lions black-tie benefit on Monday, November 3, 2008, at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Master of Ceremonies for the evening's program was be Nobel Laureate and Library Trustee Toni Morrison. The evening also featured a disco dance party hosted by the Young Lions, a membership group of New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s who support the work of the Library. "The individuals we are honoring this year embody the highest level of accomplishment in their respective fields. Their achievements encompass a variety of rich forms of creative expression that the Library preserves and makes accessible in its collections," said Library President Paul LeClerc. "We are proud to recognize them as Library Lions for their groundbreaking artistry and for their noble commitment to a life of ideas, inventiveness, exploration, and thought." The event's co-chairs were Mr. and Mrs. Oscar de la Renta; H.R.H. Princess Firyal and Mr. Lionel I. Pincus; Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Fuld, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. John B. Hess; Mr. and Mrs. Felix Rohatyn; Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Schwarzman; and The Honorable Merryl H. Tisch and Mr. James S. Tisch. The Young Lions dance co-chairs are Mr. Nicholas T. Brown, Ms. Claire Danes, Ms. Amanda Hearst, Mr. Michael Hess, Mr. Hudson Morgan, and Ms. Andrea L. Olshan. "The Library Lions benefit is our most important fundraiser of the year," said Catherine C. Marron, Chairman of the Library. "With the help of a group of dedicated co-chairs we are able to highlight the accomplishments of the Library and generate crucial support for our collections and operations." For more information please visit www.nypl.orghttp://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_NYPL_Library_Lions_Benefit_Honoring_Albee_Ephron_Bryan_and_Rushdie_20010101Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:50:35 GMThttp://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2008/11/party-animals-take-over-the-library.htmlThe economy may be tanking, but New York City’s fall gala season is in full swing, as patrons of the arts continue to open up their pocketbooks to attend events at Gotham’s venerable institutions, such as the Met, the Whitney, and Lincoln Center. Last night, the Young Lions, the junior arm of the New York Public Library’s fund-raising efforts, held its yearly fête in conjunction with the Library Lions Gala, whose guests (Barbara Walters, Oscar de la Renta, and Ivanka Trump, among others) honored Edward Albee, Ashley Bryan, Nora Ephron, and Salman Rushdie. At the disco party, which took place inside the white-marble entranceway facing Fifth Avenue, it was hard to miss one particular big cat on the dance floor: Stephen Schwarzman. The Blackstone chief put aside stock-price woes for a moment and, amid pulsating strains of funk’s most memorable anthems, enjoyed some sweet moves with his wife, who was frosted in diamonds. It appeared as if a $100 million contribution can make even one of the grandest buildings in Manhattan feel like one’s personal castle. Schwarzman wasn’t the only one letting loose. Bohemian girl-about-town Arden Wohl flitted about in a retro schoolgirl frock, blowing out tea lights before making an early escorted exit. Fashion editor Stephanie LaCava showed off an avant-garde L.B.D. and super-high heels, while New York Times best-selling author (and one of the Young Lions’ own) Marisha Pessl made her way through the crowd. VF Daily was pleased to spot Dan Abrams, the former MSNBC host who was recently replaced on the roster by Rachel Maddow. But the night wasn’t just about resurrecting one’s inner groove. The Young Lions raises capital that helps contribute to the vitality of the library. With any luck, the event went a long way toward bringing in essential funds without disco-ing out the party animals who need to make it to the polls today.http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2008/11/party-animals-take-over-the-library.htmlWed, 05 Nov 2008 14:45:58 GMThttp://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/11/salman_rushdie_graphic_novelis.html"I'm a world expert on superhero comics," Salman Rushdie told us last night at the New York Public Library's Library Lions benefit, where he was among the honorees. "I think maybe only Michael Chabon knows more than me." The Satanic Verses author owns oil paintings of Spider-Man and Wolverine, signed by Stan Lee. Also, he collected comic books as a kid, but, sadly, his father threw them away. "They’d be worth so much money now if he hadn’t done that. You know, 1950s and sixties Dell Comics, and Marvel; it would be worth a fortune,” he said. And while he hasn’t yet written a superhero into one of his novels, Rushdie's actually considering writing a comic book. "Just recently I’ve been approached by a couple of publishers of what are now called graphic novels to say, would I like to do one. And, I mean, I haven’t said yes. But I am quite interested." He added that Doris Lessing told him she’d had a great time writing a graphic novel and recommended it highly. Rushdie wouldn’t say which publisher had made the offer, or which artist might do the drawings. "We haven’t got that far yet. Literally, I just got the letter a couple of weeks ago," he said. "So we’ll see."http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/11/salman_rushdie_graphic_novelis.htmlWed, 05 Nov 2008 14:49:06 GMThttp://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/2008-library-lions-roar-at-nyc-public-library/The New York Public Library’s Young Lions Disco Party took place last night at Library Lions and was a total blowout success with over 650 tickets sold. The dancing, dessert, and drinks began at 9:00, and the Literary Lion made quite a hit on the dance floor well into the early morning. Around 11pm, the music switched from the Bee Gees and other disco favorites to a club centric play list whereby guests started to get down. The copious amount of drinks, dancing, and beautiful attendees made it quite the night in the Big Apple. The Young Lions Dance Chairmen include Nicholas T. Brown, Claire Danes, Amanda Hearst, Michael Hess, Hudson Morgan, and Andrea L. Olshan.http://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/2008-library-lions-roar-at-nyc-public-library/Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:51:36 GMThttp://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/books/68270/the-cheapest-bookstoreIt’s called the library, geniuses. Here’s how it will save you money—and more. By Michael Miller, Time Out New York While we would never recommend that you stop buying books, the economic downturn will surely cause some readers to think twice before shelling out $25 or more every time they want to pick up a new hardcover. Especially when you can get them for free at the literary gold mine known as the New York Public Library. With more than 52 million items (books, DVDs, CDs) available in Manhattan (41 branches), the Bronx (35) and Staten Island (12), the NYPL makes your local bookstore look like a veritable grain of sand on the beach. They have great author events (NYPL Live, soon to welcome Joan Didion), nerdy exhibitions (a new one is devoted to the artists colony Yaddo), places to sit, computers and, for laptop luggers, powerful Wi-Fi. Any city resident can sign up for a card at nypl.org. According to David Ferriero, the Andrew W. Mellon director of the NYPL, more people are starting to use the library; here are some reasons why.http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/books/68270/the-cheapest-bookstorehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=sloginNew York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff has given his ringing endorsement: “There is no project today that is more important to the civic identity of New York—or to reasserting a populist ideal that has been dormant for too long.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=sloginTue, 28 Oct 2008 15:47:19 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23libr.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=sloginThe New York Times writes: "Norman Foster, the eminent British architect who has made something of a specialty out of inserting contemporary designs into historic buildings, has been selected for a major renovation of the New York Public Library’s landmark 1911 main building, on Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets."http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23libr.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=sloginTue, 28 Oct 2008 15:38:59 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=175The New York Public Library explores the far-ranging influence of Yaddo, and opens a window onto some of the most significant events in twentieth-century life as experienced by its artists, in this richly detailed multimedia exhibition. The free exhibition is on view from October 24, 2008 to February 15, 2009 in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall (First Floor) of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Sociologist and cultural critic Micki McGee, Fordham University, has served as the Spencer Trask & Co. Curator for Yaddo: Making American Culture. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=175Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:51:34 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=176A New York Public Library exhibition explores the rich history, legacy and influences behind Art Deco, a style which visually captured the fascinating decades of the 1920s and 1930s and signaled the birth of our contemporary concept of modernism. Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve will be on view at The New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street from September 12, 2008 to January 11, 2009. Admission is free. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=176Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:10:40 GMThttp://nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=162The New York Public Library’s ASK NYPL reference service is introducing two enhancements that will improve and expand the service. The Library recently launched 917-ASK-NYPL, a new easier to remember telephone number for Library information and for asking reference questions. In addition, for the first time the ASK NYPL service is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Library users can ask reference questions in Spanish and English and seek help at anytime through online chat via the Library’s website at www.nypl.org. http://nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=162Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:39:28 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/arts/design/12doug.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=sloginThe New York Times reviews Aaron Douglas: African American Modernest, a new exhibition that just opened at The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Aaron Douglas (1899–1979) was considered the foremost visual artist of the Harlem Renaissance. In paintings, murals, and book illustrations, he incorporated elements from music, dance, literature, and politics to produce powerful artistic forms that had a lasting impact on American art history and the nation’s cultural heritage. Working from a politicized concept of personal identity, he combined angular Cubist rhythms and seductive Art Deco dynamism with traditional African and African American imagery to develop a radically new visual vocabulary that evoked both current realities and hopes for a better future. Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist, curated by the Spencer Museum of Art/The University of Kansas, is the first nationally touring retrospective to celebrate his art and legacy. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/arts/design/12doug.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=sloginMon, 15 Sep 2008 15:15:34 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=109Tony Kushner and Edmund White Help Launch New Support Group for The New York Public Library's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Collections LGBT @ NYPL Announces over $500,000 in Major Corporate Gifts from Time Warner, MAC AIDS Fund, and Estee Lauder and Private Donations at April 3 Kickoff (New York, NY) April 4, 2008 – A new donor support group, LGBT @ NYPL, will help to expand, build, and make accessible The New York Public Library’s extensive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) collections, one of the few such efforts by a non-LGBT organization. At an inaugural reception last night at the Library, LGBT @ NYPL’s Co-Chairmen Hermes Mallea and Carey Maloney announced it has raised more than $500,000 in corporate and private donations to strengthen LGBT collections across the The New York Public Library’s four research libraries and 87 branches. Mallea and Maloney were joined by Library Chairman Catherine C. Marron and President Paul LeClerc as well as Honorary Chairmen Tony Kushner and Edmund White. (Honorary Chairman Rita Mae Brown was unable to attend.) http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=109Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:41:10 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=107The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers announces the selection of its tenth class of Fellows: fifteen exceptional creative writers, independent scholars, and academics, coming to the Library from as near as Brooklyn and as far away as Warsaw. The Fellows, whose appointments were announced today by Library President Dr. Paul LeClerc and Jean Strouse, the Sue Ann and John Weinberg Director of the Center, will use the research collections and online resources of The New York Public Library’s landmark Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to pursue a variety of book projects. They will be in residence at the Center from September 2008 through May 2009. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=107Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:09:14 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/2007/FacadeRestor.cfmThe New York Public Library Will Restore its Fifth Avenue Building's Historic Facade. Project to be Completed in Time for Building's 2011 Centennial. http://www.nypl.org/press/2007/FacadeRestor.cfmMon, 07 Apr 2008 14:33:22 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=100Five Young Literary Talents Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library’s 2008 Young Lions Fiction Award. Winning writer, aged 35 or younger, to be awarded $10,000 prize at April 28, 2008 ceremony hosted by Actor Ethan Hawke. The finalists for The New York Public Library’s 2008 Young Lion Fictions Award are: Ron Currie, Jr., God Is Dead Ellen Litman, The Last Chicken in America Peter Nathaniel Malae, Teach the Free Man Dinaw Mengestu, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears Emily Mitchell, The Last Summer of the World http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=100Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:31:57 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=86A Re-envisioned Library System to Meet the Needs of a Growing, Changing New Yorkhttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=86Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:46:42 GMT