Talk:New York Public Library

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Telephone Reference

The telephone reference service section is copied nearly verbatim from This New York Times article but the footnote at the end of that section leads nowhere. Plagiarism is bad!

Lions

I removed this anonymous addition about the lions:

Their former names were Lord Astor and Lady Lenox, though both lions are male. At Christmas they were known for wearing large wreaths around their necks, though this practice ceased at the turn of the millenium because the necks of the lions were weakened by the weight of the wreaths.

This mixes truth and fiction and I thought it was too embarrassing to let the passage stand while I sorted it out. I must admit, though, that the fanciful notion that the weight of Christmas wreaths might weaken the lions' marble necks is a cut above our average vandalism. JamesMLane 14:49, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

In the 57 years that I have called NYC home, Patience' and Fortitude are the only names I've known, and it was my parents who named them for me. They still get "wreathed" at Christmas time - it is a tradition that no one is thinking of ending. SSG Cornelius Seon (Retired) 19:30, 17 February 2006 (UTC).[reply]

A November 2004 press release from NYPL (http://www.nypl.org/press/2004/lionconservation2004.cfm) describes the full restoration of the lions from damage due mainly to exposure, and states that they are not going to resume holiday wreathing. A wreath several yards wide may indeed weigh a fair amount, and while not mentioned as a cause of the surface damage, certainly couldn't help, especially during the freezing part of the year when the marble might need to expand and contract. The lions have not been wreathed since December 2003.

For what it's worth, the story I've heard while working at NYPL is that the wreaths themselves aren't causing damage, but that during inclement weather they trap moisture which freezes in the same spots repeatedly, accelerating damage to the Lions' necks. Epistemographer (talk) 04:03, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If there is a section on "Branches," then there should also be a section on the Research Library. Almost nothing is said about the other 3 research centers.--kosboot 17:36, 6 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The New York Public Library

I'm having trouble moveing the page/article to include the capitalized article "The" in the title of this page. Yours, etc. Ludvikus 20:42, 23 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Breaking the Main Branch building into it's own article

The article covers the entire organization, when a significant portion of it concerns the actual building. By breaking the main branch out, we can also comment more on the NRHP, etc. One question is the title of the new article, it's currently called the History of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, but that's just the current organization name and likely to change over time. I'm thinking it should really be called either the address (though since it takes up the whole block that seems to be difficult to find) or NYPL: Main Branch dm 02:40, 5 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I added more about the NHL and NRHP, including in NRHP infobox, within the current article. I think that worked okay, so perhaps the need to create a separate article is less right now. Unless you or someone wants to add a lot more detail about the flagship building. doncram 13:02, 19 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Done: New York Public Library Main Branch. Potentially (probably eventually when enough information is added) the article could be separated into one on the building as a building and another on the branch as a functioning library. Noroton (talk) 02:59, 21 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Separate section for the main branch building

With just a few moves, it's possible to create within the History section a subsection on just the "main branch building". I think doing so helps to clarify the purpose of the many paragraphs that just deal with that branch, and it would help readers who are looking for other history information (not about the main branch) can more quickly look elsewhere. I also plan to add information to the new main branch subsection about an article in today's Times about damage to the facade and repair efforts. The Wikipedia style recommendation for article sections is that they generally be about three paragraphs, just to make the articles easier to read. I'm hoping my rearranging would help with that, although the pictures already break up the gray matter, and the section is already extremely well written. Noroton (talk) 23:00, 20 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

As I mention just above, there was so much information in the section that I created a separate article and cut down on the section: New York Public Library Main Branch. Noroton (talk) 02:59, 21 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How many branch libraries

At different points in the current article, it is stated there are 87 branch libraries, 82 branch libraries, 86 branch libraries. I don't really care how many there are, but this is way too many repetitions and, at a minimum it should be consistent. Is it noteworthy that there are about 80 branches, like is that more than in any other library system in the world? Maybe the count should be deleted altogether, especially if it is impossible to get it right. I am the one who got rid of the list of individual branch library names, of which there were 80(!), replacing that list with statement that there are 35 in Manhattan, 34 in the Bronx, 11 in Staten Island, adding up to 80. The public user in New York should go to the library website, not to wikipedia, to get their local branch info. I only then noticed that it added up to 80 not to the 82 stated in the text right there. ARGH. Someone else fix this! Or delete it all. doncram 13:02, 19 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The article now gives 3 different figures for branch libraries--77, 82 and 132! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.175.109.15 (talk) 19:24, 1 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Telephone reference service

Is it free? It doesn't specify in the text. 86.147.160.133 (talk) 13:56, 11 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Epistemographer (talk) 04:04, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Astor Library

The Astor library, which has an interesting history and a wonderful building, really should have its own page or section.

Controversies

On July 29, 2009, David Ferriero, the head of the Research Libraries, was nominated to be the 10th Archivist of the United States. At that time, Kosboot reviewed and edited the brief article about him.

In my view, the controversial issues which were added to that article about an NYPL administrator are no less relevant in this NYPL context? I have mirrored and tweaked Kosboot's contributions while adding them here. No doubt that this will garner comment and further editing which enhances the quality of both articles. --Tenmei (talk) 14:19, 31 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Literary Lions

Does anyone know what a "Literary Lion" is? A whole bunch of Wikipedia articles mention this, some author or another is a NYPL "Literary Lion" (see for example Billy Collins) - I can't find anything on the web or NYPL website. Green Cardamom (talk) 15:54, 5 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I believe people designated as "Literary Lions" function as unofficial advocates for the Library. -- kosboot (talk) 01:54, 8 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Plagiarism

Much of the History section appears to have been plagiarized from http://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/history. Someone may want to rectify that. howcheng {chat} 17:38, 24 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Since the Schomburg Center has a separate article, I'd like to make a separate article for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Are there any issues I should recognize before I get started? -- kosboot (talk) 01:57, 8 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

File:New York Public Library 1908c.jpg to appear as POTD soon

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:New York Public Library 1908c.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on May 23, 2011. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2011-05-23. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :) Thanks! howcheng {chat} 17:08, 19 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Picture of the day

The Main Branch building New York Public Library in 1908, during late stage construction. Upon his death in 1886, New York governor Samuel J. Tilden bequeathed funds to build a grand library in New York City, and that money was used to combine the financially struggling Astor and Lenox Libraries. Construction began in 1902 and the library officially opened on May 23, 1911.Photo: Detroit Publishing Co.; Restoration: Lise Broer

Archive – More featured pictures...

Third largest

The article says the library is the 3rd largest in North America without defining largest in what--size, collection, users, space?

At the end of that paragraph, it is stated the library is the 3rd largest in size of collection in the world.