Brooklyn Public Library

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Coordinates: 40°40′21″N 73°58′06″W / 40.672405761553°N 73.968241044961°W / 40.672405761553; -73.968241044961

Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library.svg
Brooklyn Public Library sunset jeh.JPG
Established 1896
Location Brooklyn, New York City
Branches 60
Collection
Size 5,045,500 items
Access and use
Population served 2.5 million (Brooklyn)
Other information
Director Dionne Mack-Harvin
Website http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the public library system of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is the fifth largest public library system in the United States. It is not a New York City government agency; it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the New York City and State governments, the federal government, and private donors.

Contents

[edit] History

The Central Library at Grand Army Plaza October 2005, with the entrance-way still under excavation.

The Brooklyn Public Library system was approved by an Act of Legislature of the State of New York on May 1, 1892. The Brooklyn Common Council then passed a resolution for the establishment of the Brooklyn Public Library on November 30, 1896, with Marie E. Craigie as the first director. Between 1901 and 1923, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated $1.6 million, assisting in the development of twenty one branches.

[edit] Administration

Brooklyn Public Library's governing board is the Board of Trustees, consisting of thirty eight members, all serving in non-salaried positions. The Mayor and the Brooklyn Borough President each appoint eleven of the trustees. Twelve additional members are elected to serve on the Board. The Mayor, New York City Comptroller, Speaker of the City Council and Brooklyn Borough President are ex officio members of the Board. All non-ex officio members of the Board serve three-year terms.[1]

Dionne Mack-Harvin was named Executive Director on March 22, 2007. She is the first African American woman to lead a major public library system in New York state.[2] Previously, Ginnie Cooper, now of the District of Columbia Public Library, had been the executive director of the BPL since January 2003.

[edit] Branches

The Central Library in August 2008.

[edit] The Central Library

Located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials. Its local history division, the Brooklyn Collection, holds over a million individual items including photographs, maps, manuscripts, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia and other ephemeral items. The facility, landmarked in 1997, boast the state-of-the art S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, which opened in 2007 and hosts lectures, readings, musical performances, and other events for people of all ages.

Ground was broken for a Brooklyn central library on Prospect Park Plaza (Grand Army Plaza) in 1912. Original architect Raymond Almirall's design called for a domed, four-story Beaux Arts building, similar in style to the nearby Brooklyn Museum. Escalating costs and political in-fighting helped slow construction throughout the decade. World War I and the Great Depression ensured that Almirall's building, whose Flatbush Avenue wing had been completed by 1929, would never be built. In the 1930s, new architects Githens and Kealy were commissioned to redesign the building, eliminating all the expensive ornamentation and the entire fourth floor. After much public and critical praise for the comparatively inexpensive Art Deco structure, construction recommenced in 1938. Almirall's building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished except for the frame. (Some of the original facade that faces in toward the library's parking lot is still visible.) Completed by late 1940, the Central Library opened to the public on February 1st 1941. The second floor opened in 1955, nearly doubling the amount of space available to the public. Occupying over 350,000 square feet and employing 300 full-time staff members, the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system. Prior to 1941 the Library's administrative offices were located in the Williamsburg Savings Bank on Flatbush Avenue.

Each year, over one million people enter through Central Library’s doors and countless others access its services, such as the Historical Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1841-1902, online.

A 189-seat auditorium built in 2007, the S. Steven Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, hosts lectures, musical performances, and films throughout the year. The library's plaza, renovated in 2007, hosts concerts throughout the summer and has become a favorite outdoor destination for free wireless internet access.

[edit] The Business Library

The Business Library is located at 280 Cadman Plaza West in downtown Brooklyn. Its history precedes that of the BPL itself. In 1852, prominent citizens established the Brooklyn Athenaeum and Reading Room for the instruction of young men. In 1857, a group of young men established the Brooklyn Mercantile Library Association of the City of Brooklyn, which shared a building with the Athenaeum. The Mercantile Library attempted to be more practical, placing less emphasis on literature and philosophy. In 1869, the two organizations consolidated their holdings and moved to a new building, the Montague Street Branch Library. In 1878, the Mercantile Library was renamed the Brooklyn Library. By 1943, the Business Reference Department was known as the Business Library. The library outgrew its space, and in 1957, a new building to house both the Business Library and the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood branch was approved by city government. On June 1, 1962, the new $2.5 million library building opened its doors to the public at its current location. In 1993, a two-year renovation and expansion was completed.

[edit] Neighborhood libraries

In addition to the above, there are 58 neighborhood branches throughout the borough, and a bookmobile.


[edit] Bookmobile

The Bookmobile is a 32-foot-long, 11.5-foot-high vehicle housing a mobile library. Carrying up to 6,000 books, the Bookmobile serves communities whose local branches are closed for renovation. The Bookmobile offers many of the services available at other branches.

[edit] Kidsmobile

The Kidsmobile is a smaller, more colorful version of the Bookmobile. During the school year, the Kidsmobile visits schools, day care centers, Head Start, after-school programs and community events. In the summer, the Kidsmobile also travels to parks and camps. In addition to books, the Kidsmobile offers storytelling and arts and crafts. Also during the summer the book mobile is often found labor day during the floats.

[edit] Other New York City library systems

The Brooklyn Public Library is one of three separate and independent public library systems in New York City. The other two are the New York Public Library (serving The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), and the Queens Borough Public Library (serving Queens). The Brooklyn Public Library card is also accepted by the NYPL and QPL, though they may ask for additional identification.[3]

See also: Education in New York City

[edit] References

  1. ^ Board of Trustees
  2. ^ Our Executive Director
  3. ^ Borrowing Materials

[edit] External links

New York City portal
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Government of New York City
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The Five Boroughs
(Community Boards)
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