1. Now this is a cute picture (and we ain’t “lion.” Get it? Ha ha ha ha). These adorable little library lovers are showing some love to one of The New York Public Library’s newest additions -  two lion statues, donated by the Loews Regency Hotel, who will stand guard outside of our Riverdale Branch in the Bronx. We had a naming contest for the two “cubs” (who are, of course, reminiscent of our two famous lions Patience and Fortitude on 42nd Street) and we received over 300 submissions from all over the globe. The winning names, as chosen by our president Tony Marx and reported in The New York Times? River and Dale. “It was difficult to choose from such a wide range of creative names, but after looking over the finalists with much patience and fortitude, I couldn’t help but name the lions after their new home, a vibrant community with dedicated patrons,” Tony said. So welcome, River and Dale. And happy Caturday!!

    Now this is a cute picture (and we ain’t “lion.” Get it? Ha ha ha ha). These adorable little library lovers are showing some love to one of The New York Public Library’s newest additions -  two lion statues, donated by the Loews Regency Hotel, who will stand guard outside of our Riverdale Branch in the Bronx. We had a naming contest for the two “cubs” (who are, of course, reminiscent of our two famous lions Patience and Fortitude on 42nd Street) and we received over 300 submissions from all over the globe. The winning names, as chosen by our president Tony Marx and reported in The New York Times? River and Dale. “It was difficult to choose from such a wide range of creative names, but after looking over the finalists with much patience and fortitude, I couldn’t help but name the lions after their new home, a vibrant community with dedicated patrons,” Tony said. So welcome, River and Dale. And happy Caturday!!

  2. Caturday gets into the holiday giving spirit this week, with this absurdly cute 1914 image from our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. Although the photo is titled, “A Xmas Shopper,” we’re sure Santa Claws here has plenty of gifts on his sled for those celebrating Hanukkah (which starts at sundown tonight - so Happy Hanukkah all). By the way, if you are looking for gift ideas, check out our Library Shop, and if you’re looking to send a gift that keeps on giving, make a donation big or small to help the Library serve the public, and send this very photo (or another of your choosing) as an eCard. We thank you in advance, and happy Caturday!

    Caturday gets into the holiday giving spirit this week, with this absurdly cute 1914 image from our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. Although the photo is titled, “A Xmas Shopper,” we’re sure Santa Claws here has plenty of gifts on his sled for those celebrating Hanukkah (which starts at sundown tonight - so Happy Hanukkah all). By the way, if you are looking for gift ideas, check out our Library Shop, and if you’re looking to send a gift that keeps on giving, make a donation big or small to help the Library serve the public, and send this very photo (or another of your choosing) as an eCard. We thank you in advance, and happy Caturday!

  3. With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching (can anyone else not even believe how fast that happened) we just wanted to emphatically state that we are thankful for Caturday and for cats, in general. So we thought to highlight that point, we would share one of the cutest darn cat photos ever taken, of a ridiculously adorable child holding a ridiculously adorable cat at the World’s Fair cat show. Who would not be thankful for this? The photo comes from our 1939 World’s Fair collection in our Manuscripts and Archives Division (the collection that was the subject of our first amazing, free Biblion app, which you should download today). Happy Caturday!

    With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching (can anyone else not even believe how fast that happened) we just wanted to emphatically state that we are thankful for Caturday and for cats, in general. So we thought to highlight that point, we would share one of the cutest darn cat photos ever taken, of a ridiculously adorable child holding a ridiculously adorable cat at the World’s Fair cat show. Who would not be thankful for this? The photo comes from our 1939 World’s Fair collection in our Manuscripts and Archives Division (the collection that was the subject of our first amazing, free Biblion app, which you should download today). Happy Caturday!

  4. Today is Caturday - a purrrrrfect day to read a book. Head to one of our 65 branches open today, cuddle up in a corner and get lost in a story, just like this little guy - one of the “little lions” highlighted on our Pinterest page (please pin some of your own cat photos on our page!). Or download one of our eBooks from the comfort of your home. By the way, since it is Caturday, shout out to the ASPCA here in NY, which is handing out supplies to “pet parents” in need after Hurricane Sandy. Check out their blog for the latest. Happy Caturday!

    Today is Caturday - a purrrrrfect day to read a book. Head to one of our 65 branches open today, cuddle up in a corner and get lost in a story, just like this little guy - one of the “little lions” highlighted on our Pinterest page (please pin some of your own cat photos on our page!). Or download one of our eBooks from the comfort of your home. By the way, since it is Caturday, shout out to the ASPCA here in NY, which is handing out supplies to “pet parents” in need after Hurricane Sandy. Check out their blog for the latest. Happy Caturday!

  5. And now, from the “this is so cute it’s absolutely insane” file, comes an adorable photo of Mitik, a baby walrus who now resides at The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium. The NY Times chronicled how the little orphan wound up at our fellow NYC cultural institution, and the captivating story (as well as the great photo) won us all over. This new photo by Julie Larsen Maher @ WCS is currently on the Bronx Zoo’s Facebook page, and it was so cute, we HAD to share it. In Mitik’s honor, we also wanted to share all of the many walrus-related books we have in our collection - check one out today!

    And now, from the “this is so cute it’s absolutely insane” file, comes an adorable photo of Mitik, a baby walrus who now resides at The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium. The NY Times chronicled how the little orphan wound up at our fellow NYC cultural institution, and the captivating story (as well as the great photo) won us all over. This new photo by Julie Larsen Maher @ WCS is currently on the Bronx Zoo’s Facebook page, and it was so cute, we HAD to share it. In Mitik’s honor, we also wanted to share all of the many walrus-related books we have in our collection - check one out today!

  6. The Halloween-related Caturdays continue for the month of October! This cute card shows a little girl bobbing for apples next to her loyal kitty companion with the words “Halloween Pleasures.” The undated card then states, “Bobbing. Bobbing everywhere. Apples in a tub.” OK, it’s not exactly Sir Walter Raleigh, but it’s cute. The postcard is in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection (as were the images used for Halloween Caturdays one and two). Happy Caturday!

    The Halloween-related Caturdays continue for the month of October! This cute card shows a little girl bobbing for apples next to her loyal kitty companion with the words “Halloween Pleasures.” The undated card then states, “Bobbing. Bobbing everywhere. Apples in a tub.” OK, it’s not exactly Sir Walter Raleigh, but it’s cute. The postcard is in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection (as were the images used for Halloween Caturdays one and two). Happy Caturday!

  7. We thought this drawing from the 1887 book Home Picture Book for Little Children portraying a cat drinking coffee and a rabbit seemingly using snuff would be a cute (and slightly bizarre) feature for Caturday. According to the words scribbled in the left hand corner, this is part of an “animals as humans” category in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. So enjoy! Happy Caturday! And, by the way, anyone with time this summer should definitely drop into the Picture Collection, which The Times wrote about this year. There are many, many pictures of cats.

    We thought this drawing from the 1887 book Home Picture Book for Little Children portraying a cat drinking coffee and a rabbit seemingly using snuff would be a cute (and slightly bizarre) feature for Caturday. According to the words scribbled in the left hand corner, this is part of an “animals as humans” category in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. So enjoy! Happy Caturday! And, by the way, anyone with time this summer should definitely drop into the Picture Collection, which The Times wrote about this year. There are many, many pictures of cats.

  8. Here is a feel-good Caturday for you all. This photo from sometime between 1898 and 1905 is in the “animal friendships” section of our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection, and shows a little cat and his or her canine companion sniffing something out together as a team (likely food). How cute is that? In addition to being adorable, it gives us an excuse to use this line from “Ghostbusters,” one of many films shot at our landmark 42nd Street building (and one that we had a little fun with to fight budget cuts with group Improv Everywhere): “Cats and dogs living together - mass hysteria!” Do you like this crazy Caturday feature? Check out all of our previous entries, too. Hey, it’s raining. You need something to do!

    Here is a feel-good Caturday for you all. This photo from sometime between 1898 and 1905 is in the “animal friendships” section of our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection, and shows a little cat and his or her canine companion sniffing something out together as a team (likely food). How cute is that? In addition to being adorable, it gives us an excuse to use this line from “Ghostbusters,” one of many films shot at our landmark 42nd Street building (and one that we had a little fun with to fight budget cuts with group Improv Everywhere): “Cats and dogs living together - mass hysteria!” Do you like this crazy Caturday feature? Check out all of our previous entries, too. Hey, it’s raining. You need something to do!

  9. Good thingz come in teeny packagez, big boy. There’s really no story behind this week’s Caturday. We just thought this cigarette card from between 1932 and 1934 was a cute way to brighten up a gloomy, cloudy day. It’s from our George Arents Collection. Happy Caturday!

    Good thingz come in teeny packagez, big boy.

    There’s really no story behind this week’s Caturday. We just thought this cigarette card from between 1932 and 1934 was a cute way to brighten up a gloomy, cloudy day. It’s from our George Arents Collection. Happy Caturday!

  10. Sweetest Thing Ever: Selling Cookies and Lemonade For Libraries

    Here is something unspeakably amazing to brighten up your Monday morning - little six-year-old Helen Stone spent her Sunday outside her Morningside Heights apartment selling homemade cookies and lemonade to support The New York Public Library. According to her mom Robin Aronson, Helen (who uses the 115th Street, Morningside Heights and St. Agnes libraries with her family) has long wanted to have a lemonade stand, and decided to give her earnings to NYPL so “the library could buy more books for people.” And she did quite well - Aronson happily reported that “many people were very happy to support the library! Our second sale went to a guy who gave us $10 for a cookie and 2 lemonades!” She also said, “I personally can’t quite get over the magic of the library. You can just take books- for free!” How great is that? NYPL Wire just happened to stroll by the stand yesterday and couldn’t resist taking a few pictures. I mean, it’s just SO cute. And the cookies and lemonade were quite delicious, by the way. Check out more pics below, and if you love NYPL, check out ways you can give to the Library!