The New York Public Library Publishes a Richly Illustrated Popular History -- The New York Public Library: A Universe of Knowledge, by Phyllis Dain

New York, November 6, 2000 -- With four major research centers and eighty-five branches, The New York Public Library is one of the great libraries of the world. The fascinating story of this unique and beloved institution is told in a new book, The New York Public Library: A Universe of Knowledge, the first richly illustrated popular history of one of the nation's cultural treasures, written by Phyllis Dain.

Founded in 1895, the Library grew with the city and today consists of internationally renowned scholarly research collections as well as a network of neighborhood libraries with popular collections and activities for young and old. Virtually all its collections and services are freely available to all comers, providing democratic access to information on a scale unmatched by any other institution in the world.

High points in the sometimes dramatic story of the Library include: the construction of the beautiful Beaux Arts building on Fifth Avenue guarded by its stately lions; the historic gift from Andrew Carnegie and the building of 39 branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island; the impact of great waves of immigration on the Library's character and fortunes; facing war and the Depression; and the modern initiatives that have kept NYPL a leader in both collections and technological innovation among the world's 21st-century libraries.

The book also examines and beautifully illustrates NYPL's superb collections of rare books, original manuscripts, and artifacts (which include such rare treasures as the original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals, the final draft of Washington's Farewell Address, the literary archives of Virginia Woolf, and the diaries of ballet legend Vaslavee Nijinsky); the development of research collections for performing arts, black culture, science, industry, and business; NYPL's unique Picture Collection, founded in 1915 and well used over the years by the design, advertising, and fashion industries; its World Languages Collections, which acquire materials in over 80 languages; its educational role in an ethnically diverse city; and the development of distinguished children's services over the years.

The New York Public Library; A Universe of Knowledge chronicles the evolution of a unique and complex institution that has informed, inspired, entertained, and challenged all who have entered its doors for over 100 years.

Phyllis Dain is the author of The New York Public Library: A History of Its Founding and Early Years and, most recently, co-author, with Kathleen Molz, of Civic Space/Cyberspace: The American Public Library in the Information Age.

The New York Public Library: A Universe of Knowledge

By Phyllis Dain

Published by: The New York Public Library in association with Scala Books, London

Publication date: November 17, 2000; Distributed in the U.S. by Antique Collectors' Club

Price: $20.00 paperback; Pages: 144, including 150 color illustrations

ISBN: 1-85759-234-4

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