Where is home?

Our central library at Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street hosts travelers from all around the world, every day we are open. And we’re open today! So if you read this, please stop by our Map Division on the first floor (turn right before The Library Shop) and stick a map tack onto a reproduction of a rare map and show us where you call home! Library staffer Artis Wright came up with the idea for this cool exhibition. 

As you can see, there are actually five rare map reproductions that you can stick your map tack into! And a guest book for you to sign (Artis says the book allows visitors to get more specific with where they’re coming from)!

Somebody has tacked the North Pole — Santa, was that you? — although nobody’s claimed Antarctica. As for that map of the United States in the center, a few states are also map tack-free, so if you call South Dakota, Montana, Nevada, or Arkansas home, definitely stop by if you can! (It’d be cool to have map tacks in all of the states, right?)

And yes, The New York Public Library is actually pictured on the U.S. map! (This map was created by Ernest Dudley Chase in 1935, and we were on the scene back then.)

So please stop by, regulars, tourists, and friends just looking for something to do before converging to Times Square! Our remote friends can click here to find out more about the exhibition and the included maps.