About the Andrew Heiskell Library

40 West 20th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011-4211

Telephone: 212-206-5400; TDD: 212-206-5458;
24-hour voice mail: 212-206-5425; Fax: 212-206-5418;
Email: ahlbph@nypl.org

1995, the centennial year of The New York Public Library, also marked the 100th anniversary of the Andrew Heiskell Library. This brief history is from the brochure the library produced to commemorate the event.

When applying for a patent for his tinfoil phonograph in 1877, Thomas Edison listed "phonograph books, which will speak to blind people without effort on their part" as one of the ten potential uses for his invention. Phonograph and record technology was in need of considerable development, however, before talking books could become a viable medium.

The Citizen's Advisory Council of the Andrew Heiskell Library

The Citizen's Advisory Council meets periodically to discuss issues of importance to the library and its users. If you are a patron of the library, and its services and programs are important to you, you should consider attending future meetings.

All individuals registered for services from the Andrew Heiskell Library are eligible to be members of the Citizen's Advisory Council. In addition, the parents or guardians of children under the age of sixteen may be members.

All meetings are held at the library at 40 West 20th Street in Manhattan. If you are unable to travel to the library due to a disability, you may designate another person to represent you at meetings. All meetings are open to the public, so you may be accompanied by a parent, guardian, other relative, caregiver, or friend.

Registering for Service

Do you work in a nursing home, a school or other institution that services persons who can no longer read standard print, or have difficulty holding a book? Institutions can register individual patrons for talking book and/or braille service by using the Adult Application. You may also register to receive a deposit collection in your agency using the Application for Institutions, for use by eligible patrons. Deposit collections are typically 30 to 50 books loaned to an agency and rotated quarterly, so your patrons will always have a new batch of books to choose from. Links for pdfs of the applications are at the bottom of this page.

By Mail

Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011-4211

If you plan to visit, the library is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, on the south side of West 20th Street.
Map & Directions

Our onsite hours are: