| Brooklyn Public Library |
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| Established |
1896 |
| Location |
Brooklyn, New York City |
| Branches |
60 |
| Collection |
| Size |
5,045,500 items |
| Access and use |
| Population served |
2.5 million (Brooklyn) |
| Other information |
| Director |
Linda E. Johnson |
| Website |
http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org |
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. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the New York City and State governments, the federal government, and private donors. In Fiscal Year 2009, Brooklyn Public Library had the highest program attendance of any public library system in the United States.
History [edit]
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.
The first main branch moved among various buildings, including a former mansion at 26 Brevoort Place.[1] [2] Between 1901 and 1923, Andrew Carnegie donated $1.6 million, assisting in the development of 21 Carnegie Library branches.
The Central Library at
Grand Army Plaza October 2005, with the entrance-way still under excavation.
List of directors [edit]
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- Mary E. Craigie [3]
- Arthur E. Bostwick (1899-1901) [4]
- Frank P. Hill (1901-1930) [5]
- Milton J. Ferguson (1930-1949)[6]
- Francis R. St. John (1949-1963)[7]
- John Ames Humphry (1964-?)
- John C Frantz (?)
- Kenneth Farnham Duchac (1970-1986)
- Larry Brandwein (?-1994)
- Martin Gomez (1995-?)
- Ginnie Cooper (2003-2007)
- Dionne Mack-Harvin (2007-2010)
- Linda E. Johnson (2011-)
Administration [edit]
Brooklyn Public Library's governing board is the Board of Trustees, consisting of thirty-eight members, all serving in non-salaried positions. The Mayor and the Brooklyn Borough President each appoint eleven of the trustees. Twelve additional members are elected to serve on the Board. The Mayor, New York City Comptroller, Speaker of the City Council and Brooklyn Borough President are ex officio members of the Board. All non-ex officio members of the Board serve three-year terms.[8]
Linda E. Johnson was named President and CEO on August 16, 2011, after having served as the institution's Interim Executive Director since July 1, 2010. She replaced Dionne Mack-Harvin who served as executive director from March 2007. Mack-Harvin was the first African American woman to lead a major public library system in New York state.[9][10] Previously, Ginnie Cooper, now of the District of Columbia Public Library, had been the executive director of the BPL since January 2003. Other notable executive directors include Kenneth Duchac who ran the system from 1970 until his retirement in 1986. Duchac is the father of John Doe, founder and lead singer of seminal 80s punk band X.
Branches [edit]
Central Library [edit]
Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library in January 1941 shortly before it opened
Located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials.
The Business & Career Library [edit]
The Business & Career 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. The librarian in charge was Stephen Buttrick Noyes. In 1866, he went to work at the Library of Congress.[11]
In 1869, the Mercantile Library and the Athenaeum consolidated their holdings and moved to a new building, the Montague Street Branch Library. Also in 1869, Noyes returned, and one of his labors on his return was the preparation of a catalog, which was issued in 1881.[11] 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.
Neighborhood libraries [edit]
There are 58 neighborhood branches throughout the borough, of which many are Carnegie libraries. The library has four bookmobiles, including the Kidsmobile, which carries children's materials, and the Bibliobús, which carries a Spanish language collection.[12]
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Previous location of Kensington Library at 410 Ditmas Ave.
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Park Slope Library (previously known as "Prospect Branch")
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Services [edit]
The Bookmobile is a 32-foot (9.8 m)-long, 11.5-foot (3.5 m)-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.
The Kidsmobile is a smaller, more colorful version of the Bookmobile. During the school year, the Kidsmobile visits schools, day care centers, Head Start, 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.
The Bibliobús is a mobile Spanish-language library. It brings books and other media to Spanish-speaking communities in Brooklyn. The Bibliobús serves sites such as schools, daycares, community-based organizations, senior centers, nonprofit organizations, and community events.[13]
The library provides access to print on demand books via the Espresso Book Machine.[14]
The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons opened at Central Library on January 15, 2013. It features an open workspace with 25 computers and seating and outlets for more than 70 laptop users; 7 meeting rooms, including one that doubles as a recording studio; and a 36-seat training lab.[15]
Other New York City library systems [edit]
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, though they may ask for additional identification.[16]
References [edit]
- ^ Building of the Day Brownstoner.com
- ^ Brooklyn's Municipal Library System New York Times 15 December 1900
- ^ "Made Managing Director," Brooklyn Eagle, Sunday, January 30, 1898, Page: 10, retrieved 12/14/2010 from http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Skins/BEagle/Client.asp?Skin=BEagle
- ^ "New Librarian's Career," Brooklyn Eagle, Sunday, March 12, 1899, Page: 7, retrieved 12/14/2010 from http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Skins/BEagle/Client.asp?Skin=BEagle
- ^ "Frank P. Hill Will Take Position of Librarian," Brooklyn Eagle, Tuesday, March 26, 1901, Page: 2, retrieved 12/14/2010 from http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Skins/BEagle/Client.asp?Skin=BEagle
- ^ "NAME BROOKLYN LIBRARIAN :Trustees Elect M.J. Ferguson of California to Succeed, Dr. Hill.." New York Times (1923-Current file), April 30, 1930, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed December 14, 2010).
- ^ "BROOKLYN LIBRARY INDUCTS NEW CHIEF :Francis R. St. John Becomes Its Fifth Director -- Staff's Pay Discussed by Mayor." New York Times (1923-Current file), May 25, 1949, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed December 14, 2010).
- ^ Board of Trustees
- ^ Our Executive Director
- ^ "Brooklyn PL Director Mack-Harvin Resigns After Three Years; Interim Director to be Named; Board Meeting Tonight," by Norman Oder, Library Journal, 4 March 2010.
- ^ a b
Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1900). "Noyes, George Rapall". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/bookmobile.jsp
- ^ http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/bibliobus/
- ^ "EBM Locations: List View". OnDemandBooks.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ "Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ Borrowing Materials
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