NYPL Wire–The New York Public Library

There’s just something beautiful about a book-strewn...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:42 -0400

There’s just something beautiful about a book-strewn aisle, like this one at 58th Street Library, which was beautifully captured by photographer Elizabeth Felicella. The possibilities seem endless! Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Suspense - they’re all available at the Library! 58th Street is even hosting an evening of Downton Abbey on June 3rd.

Help us continue the great work of 58th Street and it’s sister libraries and speak out against the proposed budget cut, which will reduce the services we’re able to offer.

Literary Landmarks in the Village: Goodnight Moon | The New York Public Library

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:39:00 -0400

Literary Landmarks in the Village: Goodnight Moon | The New York Public Library:

In honor of Margaret Wise Brown’s birthday today - we present an oldie, but a goodie… in blog form, anyway. The Library’s own Billy Parrott shares a little NYC history in connection with the iconic Goodnight Moon author.

Published in 1947, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon has certainly had a lasting appeal. Maybe it’s in the simple poetry of the book. Maybe it’s in the story itself: the prolonging of the act of saying goodnight, something that everyone can relate to. Maybe it’s because the story is easily adaptable into a ritual that parent and child can continue after reading the book. Maybe it is because the main character is a rabbit.

NYPL’s Fort Washington Library made the news earlier this...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:09:00 -0400

NYPL’s Fort Washington Library made the news earlier this year when it received an overdue book. A 54-year-old overdue book! After its 15 minutes of nationwide fame, the branch continues to be a local celebrity every day. So why not stop by and sign a letter to support this branch and its fellow libraries throughout the three boroughs. You can help us stop the City’s proposed $47 million dollar budget cut!

This beautiful photo of the first floor of Fort Washington Library is currently on display on Mid-Manhattan Library’s third floor. And at the same library on June 1st, you can meet photographer Elizabeth Felicella and hear all about her experiences photographing the public libraries in all five boroughs.

mkupperman: The librarian in the tuna casserole. Michael...

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:55:43 -0400

mkupperman:

The librarian in the tuna casserole.

Michael Kupperman gave us a particular thrizzle today with this delicious tale. Could there be more librarians hiding here?

These folks at Westchester Square Library have the right idea!...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:49:57 -0400

These folks at Westchester Square Library have the right idea! On a beautiful day like today, we suggest a visit to your local branch where you can pick up your favorite book and enjoy a nice lunch with some favorite literary friends.

In the meantime, have you signed your letter in support of the library? They’re available online or at any one of our branches - including Westchester Square.

Have a lovely day Tumblr friends.

Steampunk: An Introduction for Teens | The New York Public Library

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:59:24 -0400

Steampunk: An Introduction for Teens | The New York Public Library:

Jon Foster/from Boneshaker by Cherie Priest What is Steampunk? For a way to explain a fantasy subgenre, Steampunk is not very descriptive. According to The Steampunk Bible (2011), it can be explained most easily by this equation: Steampunk = Mad Scientist Inventor [invention (steam x airship or meta…

This photo of Van Nest Library - from Mid-Manhattan’s...

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:30:13 -0400

This photo of Van Nest Libra ry - from Mid-Manhattan’s exhibition Reading Room - was taken in the winter, but just a few weeks ago the Library was the recipient of a generous donation of 26 floor mats from the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association to the old and worn out mats in the Children’s section. You can help your local library too! Speak out against the City’s $47 million budget cut by visiting the Library’s website and send a letter to your local councilmember to let them know how important libraries are to you.

And to all those who have sent their letters, we THANK YOU!

On this day in history, blue jeans are born! On May 20, 1873,...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:58:00 -0400

On this day in history, blue jeans are born! On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a a patent to create pants reinforced with metal rivets, thus marking the birth of the popular pant.

The image here depicts the White Oak Cotton Mill in North Carolina, one of the largest denim mills in the world. The GIF was created by the Library’s Stereogranimator using images from the Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views in the Library’s Photography Division.

After last weeks’ Mustache Monday with Solomon J. Solomon,...

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:45 -0400

After last weeks’ Mustache Monday with Solomon J. Solomon, we were still feeling the artistic vibe and thought we’d highlight yet another great artist: Georges Jules Victor Clairin.

Clairin is a French painter who created many decorative pieces for various public buildings in Paris. He also caught the eye of actress Sarah Bernhardt and became one of her most favored portraitist, creating paintings based on various roles that she played.

(Image: NYPL Digital Gallery.)

Today’s Caturday is brought to you by the Music Division...

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:48:00 -0400

Today’s Caturday is brought to you by the Music Division of our Library for the Performing Arts. This score for the song “Kitty” appeared in the music supplement of the New York American and Journal exactly 111 years ago today (or, more precisely, on May 18, 1902). The artwork features both a cat (of course) and a mouse in a tuxedo. That’s an obvious win. So happy Caturday! And, by the way, if you’re into music, the Library for the Performing Arts (at Lincoln Center) has two totally FREE exhibitions you should check out today, or soon - American Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music and 100 Years of Flamenco In NY (check out the NY Times review of Flamenco).

Bronx Literary Festival at the Bronx Library Center!

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:55:19 -0400

Join the Bronx Library Center in celebrating the best and brightest literary talents of the borough tomorrow, Saturday, May 18th at 11am!

Meet local authors, sit in on fiction-writing workshops and network with fellow writers, readers and Bronxites!

Highlights of the day’s events include performances by the Edy Martinez Big Band, Peggy Robles Alvarado, Layding Lumumba Kaliba, Tony Mitchelson, Sandra Maria Esteves, and more.

More information can be found here.

A librarian’s work is never done! How could it be, when...

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400

A librarian’s work is never done! How could it be, when there is so much information to share? Today’s image is brought to you by Roosevelt Island Library and gives you a brief snapshot behind-the-scenes. The black and white photo is awesome and we’re pretty stoked about the stamp right above it. (We like stamps and stamp pads, though find little reason to use them over here in Tumblr-territory)

So, in honor of today’s photo, which (as you know) is on exhibition at Mid-Manhattan Library… put your stamp of approval on one of our letters speaking out against the $47 million budget cut proposed for NYPL.

schomburgcenter: Dr. Khalil Muhammad and the staff of the...

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:30:01 -0400

schomburgcenter:

Dr. Khalil Muhammad and the staff of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are deeply saddened by the passing of William Miles, filmmaker and producer. A Harlem native, Miles will be best remembered for documentaries such as Men of Bronze (1977), I Remember Harlem (1981), and The Different Drummer: Blacks in the Military (1983). The Schomburg staff remembers William Miles as a dedicated researcher, supporter, and exhibition collaborator.

This photo of Miles is from our Photographs and Prints Division.

May we introduce Mosholu Library? The soon-to-be-full desks,...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:13:00 -0400

May we introduce Mosholu Library? The soon-to-be-full desks, open dictionary in the corner and gorgeous view seem the perfect compliment for learning, don’t they?

Libraries, like Mosholu, are inspirational and so full of promise. Help the Library continue its work and speak out against the $47 million budget cut being proposed. With your help, we can continue inspiring generations to come.

(Photo of Mosholu Library courtesy of Mid-Manhattan’s exhibition, Reading Room currently on display)

UPDATE: Sometimes in our eagerness to share news, we type too quickly for our own good and typos appear. You’re all ~~grogeous~~ gorgeous.

Today in History Coney Island’s Luna Park in opened today...

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:01:01 -0400

Today in History

Coney Island’s Luna Park in opened today in 1903. This photo was taken shortly after the park opened, in 1907 (Courtesy of NYPL Digital Gallery.)

DId you know that NYPL teamed up with Coney Island Brewing Company in Brooklyn to create a beer fit for a Founding Father – a porter based on George Washington’s handwritten “small beer” recipe, which can be found in the Library’s extensive collections.

What’s your favorite Coney Island attraction?

A most happy birthday to playwright and screenwriter Peter...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:36 -0400

A most happy birthday to playwright and screenwriter Peter Shaffer, who also happened to work as a clerk at The New York Public Library! The creator of the plays Equus and Amadeus visited the Library back in 2000 to honor the 100th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s death and we have it all on tape! Enjoy one great playwright discussing another!

You can sharpen your pencil AND you can sharpen your mind at...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:16:00 -0400

You can sharpen your pencil AND you can sharpen your mind at NYPL’s Baychester Library. (Yes, this is one of their pencil sharpeners) They even have a chess program for the kids! Now that takes some serious mental sharpening!

Visit this photograph at the exhibition, Reading Room at Mid-Manhattan Library, stop by Baychester Library for some interesting chess play, or you can just stop by your local branch and sign a letter to let the City know how awesome your library is. (That concludes the PSA portion of this post)

"He thought her beautiful, believed her impeccably wise; dreamed of her, wrote poems to her, which,..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:49:00 -0400

““He thought her beautiful, believed her impeccably wise; dreamed of her, wrote poems to her, which, ignoring the subject, she corrected in red ink.””

- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (published May 14, 1925)

Today’s a good day to correct with red ink or buy flowers yourself… or re-visit an old classic like Mrs. Dalloway. Or if you’d like to learn more about the inimitable author, visit the Library’s Berg Collection, which is a lovely spot to learn a great deal about English and American Literature. In any event, have a perfectly Dalloway day!

Forgive us, yesterday we missed posting a photograph of one of...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:49:12 -0400

Forgive us, yesterday we missed posting a photograph of one of our beautiful branches from the exhibition, Reading Room at Mid-Manhattan. So today, you get two beautiful branches of the red brick variety - Hunt’s Point and City Island. If you can’t visit either of the two, you can stop by any of our 85 locations throughout Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. When you visit, just remember to sign your letter to let the City know how important your libraries are. (Or you can send a letter online)

Solomom J. Solomon, a British painter, is best known for his...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:15 -0400

Solomom J. Solomon, a British painter, is best known for his dramatic, theatrical scenes from mythology and the biblical context. Ironically, Solomon painted these scenes out of pure enjoyment. He mainly painted portraits to make ends meet.

NYPL has a great selection of works about Solomon’s work if you are interested in learning more about his style of art.

Happy Mustache Monday!

(Image: NYPL Digital Gallery.)