As part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of Independence, the New York Public Library has created a display of 250 sources from its archives for public viewing. [Read more…] about ‘Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond’ Exhibit in Manhattan
New York Public Library
Ventriloquism & America’s First Modern Public Libraries
New York-born John Bigelow started his career in 1849 as co-owner with William Cullen Bryant of the New York Evening Post. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him Consul in Paris and promoted him to American Ambassador four years later.
His diplomatic efforts were aimed at influencing the French in favor of the federal government. Working with Charles Francis Adams, U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom, he blocked political attempts to have France and Britain intervene in the Civil War on behalf of the Confederacy, thus paving the way for the United States victory. [Read more…] about Ventriloquism & America’s First Modern Public Libraries
New York City Municipal Archives: A Short History
When we think about the past, how do we know what we know about it? Sure, someone can tell you that something happened, but what about events and actions that took place beyond the reaches of living memory?
For archivists, the answer to this question is simple: the documentary record. Our ability to authenticate what we know (or challenge what we think we know) about the past rests in the security, integrity, and accessibility of the archival record. [Read more…] about New York City Municipal Archives: A Short History
State Education Department Awards $34M For Public Library Construction Projects
The New York State Education Department has awarded $34 million to 207 public libraries and library systems across the state to support construction and renovation projects. These funds assist libraries in constructing new buildings, creating additions, updating electrical wiring and computer technology, improving broadband infrastructure, meeting energy efficiency standards, renovating facilities to provide greater accessibility, and providing meeting spaces to accommodate community needs. [Read more…] about State Education Department Awards $34M For Public Library Construction Projects
Michael Hiller and the Fight to Save the New York Public Library
The Historic Districts Council of New York City (HDC) has named Michael S. Hiller, a zoning, land-use, and historic preservation attorney who has made an almost three-decade-long career of defending the City’s landmarks, their 2024 “Landmarks Lion.”
Hiller handles the lion’s share of preservation law on behalf of historic preservationists in the City. [Read more…] about Michael Hiller and the Fight to Save the New York Public Library
Black Librarians & America’s Battles Over Books
In 1727, Benjamin Franklin and friends formed the Junto Club (from the Spanish junta or assembly) in Philadelphia, a debating society that probed questions of morality, politics and philosophy. The group was composed of twelve members drawn from diverse backgrounds, but they all shared a spirit of inquiry and a desire to improve society.
Access to books was limited at the time. Most of them were imported and expensive. There were no public libraries. [Read more…] about Black Librarians & America’s Battles Over Books
Back Number Budd: A 19th Century One-Man Newspaper Archive
“Back number” in contemporary parlance means “back issue.” Today we take for granted the availability of old newspapers and other periodicals, as well as their invaluable glimpse into our past. But this was not the case in the 19th century. [Read more…] about Back Number Budd: A 19th Century One-Man Newspaper Archive
NYC Bridge Lecture Planned For Roosevelt Island
“The Bridge Man,” photographer Dave Frieder, has climbed 20 of New York’s great bridges to photograph them in intimate and distinctive ways. His photographs are now published in the book The Magnificent Bridges of New York City.
Frieder is set to discusses his approach to capturing the engineering behind and supporting the bridges at a lecture at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, December 19th, at 6:30 pm. [Read more…] about NYC Bridge Lecture Planned For Roosevelt Island
Revolution of ’28 Talk At NYPL Grand Central Branch
Historian Robert Chiles is set to discuss his book The Revolution of ’28 at the New York Public Library’s Grand Central branch, 135 E 46th St, New York, on Tuesday, July 23, at 6 pm. [Read more…] about Revolution of ’28 Talk At NYPL Grand Central Branch
Historic Preservation, Architecture on Roosevelt Island
Architect Thomas Fenniman is set to speak on historic preservation and architecture on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, January 17th at 6:30 pm, at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, NY.
Historic preservation combines multiple disciplines: architecture, design, knowledge of period materials and construction techniques, plus communication to manage the process of building owners, regulators and the masons and builders who perform the work. [Read more…] about Historic Preservation, Architecture on Roosevelt Island
NYC Lecture: FDNY On Blackwell’s, Welfare Islands
The New York Public Library, Roosevelt Island Branch are planning to host a free lecture by Gary Urbanowicz on The FDNY on Blackwell’s and Welfare Island, on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm.
The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has a long apresence on Roosevelt Island, according to FDNY historian and author Gary R. Urbanowicz. [Read more…] about NYC Lecture: FDNY On Blackwell’s, Welfare Islands
Roosevelt Island Lecture: History of Affordable Housing in NYC
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) has invited the public to the first of four free lectures: Eastwood and the History of Affordable Housing in New York City by Matthias Altwicker, Architect, at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 6:30 pm.
In this lecture, architect Matthias Altwicker who is Associate Professor and Chair at the School of Architecture and Design of the New York Institute of Technology, will discuss the history of Eastwood and the contributions of its designer, noted architect Josep Lluís Sert, then Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Mr. Altwicker will also discuss the origins and progress of affordable housing in New York City. [Read more…] about Roosevelt Island Lecture: History of Affordable Housing in NYC
NYC Triboro Hospital: Photographs and Impressions
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society will host a free lecture by Charles Giraudet, entitled Triboro Hospital: Photographs and Impressions on Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 6:30 pm at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island.
Triboro Hospital, located in Jamaica, Queens, was built to specialize in the treatment of tuberculosis. The facility, which was designed in 1937 and opened in 1941, was constructed during the same era as Welfare (now Roosevelt) Island’s Goldwater Hospital. [Read more…] about NYC Triboro Hospital: Photographs and Impressions
Exhibit: The African-American Migration Experience
The Albany Institute of History & Art is partnering with the African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region, the Capital District Black Chamber of Commerce, and the JAFJR Community Foundation to host a traveling panel exhibition created and curated by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at The New York Public Library.
This panel exhibition will be displayed in a public space on the third floor atrium of the Albany Institute of History & Art through March 25, 2017. There is no admission fee to see this exhibition. [Read more…] about Exhibit: The African-American Migration Experience
Early NY and NYPL’s Digitized Manuscript Materials
To coincide with New York History month, the New York Public Library (NYPL) will host a class on researching early New York history using digitally available NYPL manuscript materials.
The class will take place on November 29th, from 5-7 pm, in Room 217 of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (the Library’s main branch), located at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. [Read more…] about Early NY and NYPL’s Digitized Manuscript Materials
Applicants Sought For NYPL Fellowships
The New York Public Library is seeking applications for Short Term Research Fellowships to support scholars from outside the New York metropolitan area engaged in graduate-level, post-doctoral, and independent research.
Individuals needing to conduct on-site research in the Library’s special collections to support projects in the arts and humanities are welcome to apply. Preference is given to scholars whose work is based on materials in the NYPL research and special collections, especially when those materials are unique. Fellowships are normally not granted to scholars who live within commuting distance of the library. [Read more…] about Applicants Sought For NYPL Fellowships
Lecture: NYC Carnegie and Branch Libraries History
The Historic District Council of New York City will present a lecture, “The History and Endurance of New York City’s Carnegie and Branch Libraries”, by Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 5:30 pm at the Yorkville Branch of the New York Public Library (the first Carnegie Library built in New York City), 222 East 79th Street (between Second & Third Avenues).
In 1899, industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated the funds which would build 67 architecturally distinctive libraries in the five boroughs between 1901 and 1923. These buildings, of which 54 still function today as libraries, have been community landmarks ever since. Together with the more recently built branch libraries, and the famous main branches, they make up the three library systems that serve the dynamic population of New York City. [Read more…] about Lecture: NYC Carnegie and Branch Libraries History
New York Tenant Farmers: Little-Used Resources
Professional genealogist Jane E. Wilcox of Forget-Me-Not Ancestry in Kingston will present a talk on New York tenant farmers at the New York Public Library in New York City on Tuesday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Wilcox’s presentation, “Looking for Your New York Tenant Farmer: Little-Used Resources,” will focus on the tenants of the major colonial manors and patents of the Hudson Valley between Westchester and Rensselaer and Albany counties. Wilcox will discuss the types of records that were created in New York’s manorial lease-holding land system and will explain how and where to find documents that recorded the lives of the tenants. Included with the talk will be a handout with genealogical resources. [Read more…] about New York Tenant Farmers: Little-Used Resources
Opposition Vigil Planned at NYPL Fundraising Gala
The Committee to Save the New York Public Library will hold a vigil in opposition to the plans for the NYPL’s 42nd Street and Mid Manhattan Libraries on Monday, June 3rd, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the 5th Avenue entrance to the 42nd Street Library.
The vigil will coincide with the New York Public Library Spring fundraising gala. The event is co-sponsored by Citizens Defending Libraries, and will feature an appearance by Rev. Billy and his choir. [Read more…] about Opposition Vigil Planned at NYPL Fundraising Gala
Advocates Respond To New York Public Library Claims
The Committee to Save the New York Public Library has just released a point-by-point rebuttal of claims made by the New York Public Library (NYPL) administration over a controversial plan for the library’s 42nd Street branch.
Previously, the Committee issued a document entitled “The Truth About the Central Library Plan,” which it calls an “analysis of the NYPL’s plan to gut the 42nd Street Library and sell the Mid-Manhattan Library and Science, Industry and Business Library.” The latest volley in the battle over the library is a response to NYPL’s recent “Setting the Record Straight,” an attempt to counter critics. [Read more…] about Advocates Respond To New York Public Library Claims