Loss of Telecommunications to NYPL Branches on Staten Island and Some Lower Manhattan Branches

Library Working to Restore Limited Service as Soon as Possible

New York, September 14, 2001 -- Due to a loss of service from Verizon's central office, located at 140 West Street directly  across the street from the World Trade Center, all 12 New York Public Library Branches on Staten Island and six in Lower Manhattan currently have telephone connections but no network service.  This means that there is no Internet, e-mail or electronic book circulation capability (LEO) in these branches at the moment. The affected Lower Manhattan Branches are Jefferson Market at 425 Sixth Avenue; Hudson Park at 66 Leroy Street; Epiphany at 228 East 23rd Street; Muhlenberg at 209 West 23rd Street; Ottendorfer at 135 Second Avenue; and Tompkins Square at 331 East 10th Street. In addition all branches south of 14th Street are still closed. Those branches between Canal Street and 14th Street should be open on Monday, September 17.  Books and other items may still be checked out from affected libraries through a manual system.

High speed computer services for Staten Island and Lower Manhattan branches route through Verizon's central office, which was seriously damaged by the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 and is also flooded.  The Library's Information Technology staff are diligently exploring alternative routes to restore limited service to these branches within the next few weeks.  Electronic book circulation services to the St. George Library Center at 5 Central Avenue; New Dorp Regional Branch at 309 New Dorp Lane; and Todt Hill-Westerleigh Regional Branch at 2550 Victory Boulevard, on Staten Island, could be restored as early as today.  However, in light of the current devastation in the downtown area, restoration of full Internet service to all these branches may be some time off.

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For more information, contact Caroline Oyama, 212-704-8600.
 

coyama: pro