Brooklyn Public Library

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 but rather an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the New York City and State governments, the federal government, and private donors.

History

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 21 branches.

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. Previously, Ginnie Cooper, now of the District of Columbia Public Library, had been the executive director of the BPL since January 2003.

Branches

The Central Library

The Central Library is adjacent to Prospect Park, just south of Grand Army Plaza, where Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue intersect. The building resembles an open book, with the spine at the main entrance on the plaza, and the two wings running along the avenues. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 1941. It opened on February 1 1941. The Central Library was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1997.

Special collections within the Central Library include the renowned Brooklyn Collection, which includes photographs, manuscripts, clippings, books, maps, prints, and ephemera, chronicling the history of the borough.

In addition, the library has a cafeteria-style restaurant on the third floor (open weekdays), as well as a cafe on the first floor that sells coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, sandwiches and snacks.

The Business Library

Another major branch, 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.

Visual and Performing Arts Library

The Visual and Performing Arts Library (VPA) is in development. Construction is currently on hold for the project.The V-shaped library will be located near the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on a triangular site, bounded by Flatbush Avenue, Lafayette Street, Ashland Place, and Hanson Place. The 110,000 square foot (10,000 m²) structure will cost an estimated $75 million.

Neighborhood libraries

In addition to the Central Library and Business Library, there are 58 neighborhood branches throughout the borough, as well as a bookmobile.

*Arlington
*Bay Ridge
*Bedford, including the Bedford Learning Center
*Borough Park
*Brighton Beach
*Brooklyn Heights
*Brower Park
*Brownsville
*Bushwick
*Canarsie (closed due to construction; a Bookmobile is on-site)
*Carroll Gardens
*Clarendon
*Clinton Hill
*Coney Island, including the Coney Island Learning Center
*Cortelyou
*Crown Heights
*Cypress Hills
*DeKalb
*Dyker
*East Flatbush
*Eastern Parkway, including the Eastern Parkway Learning Center
*Flatbush, including the Flatbush Learning Center
*Flatlands
*Fort Hamilton (closed due to construction; a Bookmobile is on-site)
*Gerritsen Beach
*Gravesend
*Greenpoint
*Highlawn
*Homecrest
*Jamaica Bay
*Kensington
*Kings Bay
*Kings Highway (closed due to construction; a Bookmobile is on-site)
*Leonard
*Macon
*Mapleton
*Marcy
*McKinley Park
*Midwood
*Mill Basin
*New Lots
*New Utrecht
*Pacific
*Paerdegat
*Park Slope
*Red Hook
*Rugby
*Ryder
*Saratoga
*Sheepshead Bay
*Spring Creek
*Stone Avenue
*Sunset Park
*Ulmer Park
*Walt Whitman
*Washington Irving
*Williamsburgh
*Windsor Terrace

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.

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 and 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.

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. [ [http://brooklynpubliclibrary.org/borrowing_materials.jsp Borrowing Materials] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ Brooklyn Public Library]
* [http://www.biz.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ Brooklyn Public Library - Business Library]
* [http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/pdf/about/generalfact.pdf General Facts] (PDF fact sheet from BPL Web site)