Handbook of The New York Public Library

By New York Public Library

This book, as one can guess from its title, is a handbook to the New York Public Library, albeit not so much the system it is known by today, but rather to the buildings and services that make up the institution. It was written in 1916, when New York Public Library was still in its infancy, since it was built in 1854 with the construction of the Astor Library (now defunct).

• Language: English
• Publisher: DigiCat
• Release date: Nov 22, 2022
• ISBN: 8596547412052

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how you can help support the library on their website.

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New York Public Library

Handbook of The New York Public Library

EAN 8596547412052

DigiCat, 2022

Contact: [e-mail]

Table of Contents

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

THE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LIBRARY

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE LIBRARY

BRANCH LIBRARIES

PUBLICATIONS OF THE LIBRARY

THE CROTON RESERVOIR

Footnote

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Although the purpose of this Handbook is to tell the principal facts about the Library as an institution, its chief use is likely to be that of a guide to the Central Building. The section about the Central Building is therefore given first place. Any visitor who cares to take the trouble, before beginning his tour of the Building, to read the brief historical sketch (on pages 63-73) will have a better understanding of the organization and work of the Library, and see the reasons for a number of things which might not otherwise be clear.

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THE CENTRAL BUILDING

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Open: Week days, including holidays, 9 A.M. to 10 P.M.

Sundays, 1 P.M. to 10 P.M.

(Except where otherwise noted these are the hours of the special reading rooms.)

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THE CENTRAL BUILDING

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The Central Building of The New York Public Library is on the western side of Fifth Avenue, occupying the two blocks between 40th and 42nd Streets. It stands on part of the site of the old Croton distributing reservoir, and it was built by the City of New York at a cost of about nine million dollars.

Competitions to choose the architect for the building were held in 1897, two years after The New York Public Library was incorporated. The result of the competition was the selection of Messrs. Carrère and Hastings, of New York, as architects. In 1899 the work of removing the old reservoir began. Various legal difficulties and labor troubles delayed beginning the construction of the building, but by November 10, 1902, the work had progressed so far that the cornerstone was laid. The building was opened to the public May 23, 1911, in the presence of the President of the United States, the Governor of the State of New York, the Mayor of New York, and an audience of about six hundred persons.

Exterior. The material of the building is largely Vermont marble, and the style that of the modern Renaissance, somewhat in the manner of the period of Louis XVI, with certain modifications to suit the conditions of to-day. It is rectangular in shape, 390 feet long and 270 feet deep, built around two inner courts. It has a cellar, basement or ground floor, and three upper floors.

MAIN ENTRANCE

The Library, wrote Mr. A. C. David, in the Architectural Record[1], "is undeniably popular. It has already taken its place in the public mind as a building of which