The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the
public library system of the
New York City borough
New York City is composed of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of New York State, making New York City the largest U.S. municipality situated in mult ...
of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two
other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
governments, the federal government, and private donors. The library currently promotes itself as Bklyn Public Library.
History
In 1852, several prominent citizens established the "Brooklyn Athenaeum and Reading Room" for the instruction of young men. It was as was the practice in those times, a private, subscription library for members, who were recruited and encouraged by the up-rising mercantile and business class of young men, to continue by constant reading whatever formal education they had received through a university, college, high school/private academy, or trade school. Its collections focused on the
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...
and the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
such as biography, economics, history, literature, philosophy, and other applications later labeled
social studies.
Five years later, in 1857, another group of young men, along with businessmen, manufacturers, and merchants, founded the "Brooklyn Mercantile Library Association of the City of Brooklyn", with holdings more pronounced in the business, commercial, economics, mathematical, scientific, and technical fields. The Librarian-in-Charge was Stephen Buttrick Noyes, who later went to the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
in 1866 but returned to Brooklyn three years later, in 1869. This collection and the previous one were merged in 1869 and later moved to a headquarters building on
Montague Street. In 1878, the Library Associations were renamed the "Brooklyn Public Library". Stephen Buttrick Noyes commenced developing an extensive catalog for the collections which he completed in 1888.
The first free public library in Brooklyn was that of
Pratt Institute, a collegiate institute founded by
Charles Pratt
Charles Pratt (October 2, 1830 – May 4, 1891) was an American businessman. Pratt was a pioneer of the U.S. petroleum industry, and he established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. He then lived with his growing fam ...
in 1888. Available not only for its own students and faculty, the library was also open to the general public at that early time.
![Brooklyn Public Library LOC gsc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Brooklyn_Public_Library_LOC_gsc.5a06136.jpg)
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 library was re-incorporated in 1902.
The first main branch ("central library") moved among various buildings, including a former mansion at 26 Brevoort Place. Between 1901 and 1923, the famous Scotsman, steel industrialist, financier and philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
donated $1.6 million, assisting in the future development and construction of 21
Carnegie Library additional neighborhood branches.
In 2020, Brooklyn Public Library made an agreement to merge its archives and special collections division, th
Brooklyn Collection with the
Brooklyn Historical Society
The Center for Brooklyn History (CBH, formerly known as the Brooklyn Historical Society) is a museum, library, and educational center founded in 1863 that preserves and encourages the study of Brooklyn's 400-year history. The center's Romanesque ...
. The new entity is called the Center for Brooklyn History.
Branches
![Brooklyn Public Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Brooklyn_Public_Library.jpg)
There are 60 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
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...
collection.
Central Library
Located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Park Slope neighborhoods, Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials.
The Brooklyn Collection holds the manuscripts and archives for the Brooklyn Public Library and is located at the Central Branch. The Brooklyn Collection holds over a million individual items including
Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia, a collection for the ''
Brooklyn Eagle'', which
Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...
edited, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and other
ephemeral items.
Services
The
Bookmobile is a -long, -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.
Th
Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commonsopened 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.
The library'
Learning Centersprovide adult literacy and adult education services for free.
Civil rights support
The Brooklyn Public Library has a
Free Speech Zone
Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment zones, free speech cages, and protest zones) are areas set aside in public places for the purpose of political protesting. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congre ...
. This was created in response to the attempt to ban several 20th century texts. The increase in attempts at restricting free speech has prompted this installment at the library. The display includes two sets of illuminated triptychs and backlit portraits of individuals from the library's community who are affected by the censorship. The display also includes passages from the challenged books, including ''
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
'', ''
Naked Lunch
''Naked Lunch'' (sometimes ''The Naked Lunch'') is a 1959 novel by American writer William S. Burroughs. The book is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes, intended by Burroughs to be read in any order. The reader follows the na ...
'', ''
The Well of Loneliness
''The Well of Loneliness'' is a lesbian novel by British author Radclyffe Hall that was first published in 1928 by Jonathan Cape. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose " sexual inversion" (hom ...
'', ''
Lysistrata
''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...
'' and ''
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted tow ...
''. Recently challenged books, including ''
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the '' Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers ...
'', ''
The Color Purple
''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. '', ''
Native Son
''Native Son'' (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s.
While not apologizing f ...
'' and ''
Heather Has Two Mommies'' are featured as well.
Administration
Brooklyn Public Library's governing board is the board of trustees, consisting of 38 members, all serving in non-salaried positions.
The Mayor and the
Brooklyn Borough President each appoint eleven of the trustees. These appointed trustees elect twelve additional board members to serve. The mayor,
New York City Comptroller
The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...
,
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.
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. Previously, Ginnie Cooper 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
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...
, founder and lead singer of seminal 1980s
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
X.
List of directors
* Mary E. Craigie
* Arthur E. Bostwick (1899–1901)
*
Frank Pierce Hill (1901–1930)
*
Milton J. Ferguson (1930–1949)
*
Francis R. St. John
Francis Regis St. John (June 16, 1908 – July 19, 1971) was an American librarian and director of the Brooklyn Public Library from 1949 to 1963. In 1999, ''American Libraries'' named him one of the "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 2 ...
(1949–1963)
* John Ames Humphry (1964–?)
* John C Frantz (?)
* Kenneth Farnham Duchac (1970–1986)
* Larry Brandwein (1987–1994)
* Martin Gomez (1995–2002)
*
Ginnie Cooper (2003–2007)
*
Dionne Mack-Harvin (2007–2010)
* Linda E. Johnson (2011–present)
Other New York City library systems
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 (NYPL), serving
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, and
Staten Island, and the
Queens Public Library
The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest li ...
, serving
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. The Brooklyn and Queens Public Library cards can be accepted by the NYPL, once they are linked to the NYPL system at any NYPL branch.
Books Unbanned Initiative
In April 2022, the Brooklyn Public Library instituted a new initiative known as Books Unbanned. Going forward, anyone in the United States between the ages of 13 and 21 will be able to apply for a digital library card. Once approved, teens and young adults will be granted free access to the Brooklyn Public Library ebook catalogue. This waives the $50 fee typically required by the Brooklyn Public Library for out-of-state applicants. According to a spokesperson for the Brooklyn Public Library, this offering is intended to counteract the “increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves.” The Brooklyn Public Library has cited the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Statement as a driving force behind the decision, noting the "729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals."
The president of the Brooklyn Public Library, Linda E. Johnson, was quoted as saying: “Access to information is the great promise upon which public libraries were founded. We cannot sit idly by while books rejected by a few are removed from the library shelves for all. Books UnBanned will act as an antidote to censorship, offering teens and young adults across the country unlimited access to our extensive collection of ebooks and audiobooks, including those which may be banned in their home libraries."
To further combat the recent spate of banned books, the Brooklyn Public Library has also made a selection of frequently banned audiobooks and ebooks available to cardholders. The list, which includes titles from well-known authors such as Ocean Vuong, Angie Thomas and Toni Morrison, is available through the Brooklyn Public Library website.
See also
*
Brooklyn Visual Heritage
Brooklyn Visual Heritage is an online digital history website resource produced by Project CHART, presenting historical 19th and 20th century photographs of Brooklyn, New York City, held by several cultural institutions.
Project CHART was a colla ...
References
External links
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{{authority control
1896 establishments in New York City
Carnegie libraries in New York City
County library systems in New York (state)
Education in Brooklyn
Federal depository libraries
Libraries established in 1896
Libraries in Brooklyn
Public libraries in New York City