Posts from Bronx Library Center

Black History Month was first observed as Negro History Week by Historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926. Dr. Woodson chose the month of February because it was the birthday of two important figures who contributed to the abolition of slavery: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Woodson, whose parents were slaves, was self-taught and went on to Harvard where he obtained his PhD. In 1976, President Ford officially declared February as Black History Month in the USA. The goal of Black History Month is to recognize nationally the contributions of Blacks.

This winter NYPL brings a week-long festival of outstanding, exciting events for children and their families every day at the Children's Center at 42nd Street in Manhattan, the Bronx Library Center in the Bronx and the Richmondtown Library in Staten Island. Special performances include the Paper Bag Players, Jim West and his giant puppet friends and music concerts for the entire family. All events are free and open to the public. First come, first served.

The New York Public Library’s premier Puerto Rican/Latino Cultural Center—The Bronx Library Center—kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with Pioneros II: Puerto Ricans in New York City 1948–1998, an exhibit from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. The exhibit is based on the book by the same title by Virginia Sánchez Korrol (Professor emerita at Brooklyn College) and Pedro Juan Hernández (Archivist at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College).

They were all made in the Bronx. The New York Public Library Lions (1911) and the Abraham Lincoln statue (1923) at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington were carved by the Piccirilli Brothers in their studio on 142nd Street near St. Ann Avenue. The cast iron dome (1858) crowning the Capitol Building in Washington was cast by the James & Kirtland Foundry located in the vicinity of St. Mary's Park.

Hey, Adults, looking for that great summer read for the beach or something lengthier than Poetry in Motion while commuting through dark subway tunnels – look no further than the Bronx Library Center. This summer the Bronx Library Center is looking to reward four readers who read and post the most book reviews online at www.summerreading.org.

On May 26 from 10 am – 3 pm the Bronx Library Center will be having its 3rd Annual Employment Expo.  All will receive critical job skills.  However, especially unique about this year’s expo is the first 100 women job seekers who attend will receive free business appropriate attire provided by the non-profit Dress for Success.

THEN

The year was 1910 and there was a huge influx of immigrants into New York so much so that the foreign-born population rose to 41 percent. Meanwhile, the New York Public Library, a free public library of New York was being birthed into existence. In 1895, an agreement was signed to consolidate the Tilden Fund and the Lenox and Astor Libraries, two private libraries in New York. The Tilden Fund financed the construction of The Research Library located on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Construction was completed and the New York Public Library opened its door to the public in 1911.

About 20 yards from the Bronx Library Center is the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage. Nestled quietly in a corner of the Poe Park, this small wooden farmhouse built in 1812 shows no sign of the great legacy of its occupant. It was here that Edgar Allan Poe spent the last 3 years of his life. Poe penned some of his famous poems in this cottage ( "Annabel Lee,” “The Bells” and “Eureka”). And it was in this cottage he experienced his greatest heartbreak - when Virginia died in 1847. Preserved by the Bronx Historical Society, the bed she died in can still be viewed by visitors as well as the armchair Poe sat in.

Looking for just the right music to get you into the holiday mood? This holiday season the Bronx Library Center will be featuring holiday music as part of its regular Saturday afternoon cultural performances. The following free performances are scheduled in the 150-seat auditorium located on the Concourse Level of this fabulous library.

Saturday, December 19 @ 2:30 p.m.

Members of the Bronx Symphony Orchestra will perform “Music Inspired by Christmas”
George Frederick Handel: Overture and Pastorale from Messiah
Arcangelo Corelli: Christmas Concerto Grosso op. 6 no.8
Four Traditional Christmas Carols (arr. by Bruce 

Alvaro Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of SharpBrains and co-author (with Elkhonon Goldberg) of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews to Keep your Brain Sharp will be discussing the growing field of research in this area at two NYPL locations this coming week: Wednesday, September 23, 10 A.M. at Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road; and, Friday, September 25, 1:30 P.M. at the

In July 2007, The New York Public Library was able to expand hours of service to at least six days per week at all of its locations, adding over 260 extra hours of service per week to its 91 library locations – hours that had not been available since budget cuts made after September 11, 2001. Funding from the 2007 New York City budget permitted the popular Bronx Library Center to be open from 9am to 9pm everyday, seven days a week. These hours are critical to users, especially now. As Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library, said recently:

New Yorkers are facing a time of crisis, and we see people dealing with the ill effects of the economy in our 

If you're like me, perhaps you started seeing a new word recently—Wifi-- and puzzled over it, then started seeing Wii, and thought somebody must be misspelling something, and what were all these annoying intruders into the lexicon, anyway??? Well, the former is pronounced like hi-fi, is usually hyphenated, and is a type of wireless Internet service. The latter is pronounced like "Wheeeee!," and I'm sure that interjection has escaped from the mouths of many who tried the Nintendo Wii videogaming products in public libraries or elsewhere. The Wii is a video game console that can be used with a wide variety of software products including Wii Sports, with which one can play