Contact Information
(press inquiries only)
The New York Public Library
Public Relations Office
188 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
phone: 212.592.7700
fax: 212.592.7729
FACT SHEET
The New York Public Library
Bronx Library Center: Services
In addition to providing expanded circulating and reference collections and cutting-edge information technology, the Bronx Library Center offers a remarkable array of educational, business, and other services for users of all ages and literacy levels, fulfilling all types of technological and informational needs. The five-story facility is a vital hub for its surrounding neighborhood and the entire borough, reaching the larger community through such specialized features as the Latino and Puerto Rican Cultural Center, free Internet access, and computer training classes.
Circulating and Research Collections
Readers and researchers may access the Library's more than 200,000 books, periodicals, videos, audiotapes, and DVDs, including the largest and most in-depth reference and Spanish-language collection publicly available to residents of the Bronx. Extensive legal resources, such as McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York and the New York City Charter and Code, encyclopedias, and volumes of literary criticism, are among the highlights of the reference collection. Diverse fiction and nonfiction holdings range from traditional popular titles to specialized categories such as urban-themed works, historical fiction, mysteries, and graphic novels. Periodicals include popular titles such as Time and Newsweek as well as scholarly journals like The New England Journal of Medicine, a complete archive of newspapers such as The New York Times, and extensive runs of local papers like The Riverdale Press, available in hard copy or on microfilm/fiche. Languages reflecting the ever-changing local community, such as Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese, are well represented, and a Lifelong Learning Collection offers resources on citizenship, adult education, and literacy.
Children and Young Adults
The Library provides a broad range of educational resources and services for and about children, from infants to teenagers. Child-sized tables and chairs and comfortable barrel-shaped seats made of foam are scattered throughout the second-floor children's collection to provide a welcoming environment for children and caregivers. An extensive collection of engaging board books, titles for early readers, VHS tapes, DVDs, CD-ROMs, and book-and-tape kits are available, and computers equipped with age-appropriate software are located throughout the floor. A new story hour room, with state-of-the-art AV equipment and height-appropriate exhibition displays, will be home to cultural and arts programming. Story hours, "picture-book hours," and crafts workshops will be offered for infants, toddlers, and youngsters. Activities such as film screenings; computer-training sessions in researching and word processing; and a theater workshop during which participants write and stage a play are also offered for children. Additional programs for parents and caregivers offer guidance on innovative ways to teach children creatively at home, such as complementing reading with arts and crafts, puppet play, and computer math.
Collections and services focusing on users 12 years and older are offered in a teen-friendly environment featuring comfortable, clustered seating areas accented by computer workstations. In addition to accessing books, periodicals, and other multimedia formats, teens may join the Teen Advisory Group, which helps to determine programs and collection materials offered to Young Adults. The Library also offers homework assistance, career development and college preparation workshops, and creative writing and poetry workshops.
Technology & Assistive Technology
The 127 computers located throughout the Bronx Library Center provide free access to English and Spanish databases and to the Internet. The Library Center offers free wireless access, printing capabilities, and laptops that may be borrowed and carried throughout the building. Near the main entrance, a dynamic media wall with three plasma screen monitors displays the Library's extensive programming and information to arriving users, while an LED display screen in the adjacent young adult area carries news about age-appropriate programming. In-depth programming in the two-classroom technology training centers combines computer literacy with library literacy, with workshops to help patrons use Library applications, navigate the Internet, write résumés, and complete work and school projects. Classes for seniors, immigrants, business owners, entrepreneurs, and job-seekers, along with comprehensive training for children from preschoolers to teenagers, help make technology accessible to all users, regardless of age or prior knowledge.
State-of-the-art assistive technologies are available for users with visual, hearing, speech, and other challenges. These include screen magnifiers to enlarge books and periodical type; an optical character reading system similar to the Kurzweil; a Braille writer; special playback equipment for talking books; and the JAWS and MAGIC networks which help visually-challenged users access the Internet and e-mail.
Career and Educational Information Service
Individual counseling in preparation for higher education and career opportunities is offered at the Library Center. Professional advisors provide assistance in crafting cover letters, résumés, and college and scholarship applications, as well as assessment of skills and interests for clients with little educational experience or for those holding advanced degrees. The Service makes referrals, suggests job-listing sites, and works with other counselors, community-based organizations, state employment agencies, the Department of Labor, and the Human Resources Administration to help clients realize their educational and professional goals.
Small Business Advisory Services
The Library offers small business owners and entrepreneurs - the local community's economic engine - a wealth of services and resources. The extensive reference collection of encyclopedias, periodicals, and other research materials has been designed with a special focus on small business information needs. Networked computers provide access to unlimited business information through the Library's online databases, the Web, and the Branch Libraries' electronic card catalog. Technology training and special workshops created specifically for small business owners, as well as collaborative programming with local economic development organizations, provides users with an unprecedented array of practical business knowledge.
Center for Reading and Writing (CRW)
The Center for Reading and Writing (CRW) at the Bronx Library Center offers small classes, tutoring, and computer-based instruction in reading and writing in English for adults. The largest literacy center of its kind in the Bronx, the Center can enroll as many as 200 students and is staffed by trained teachers with support from volunteer tutors. Computer workshops; books, newspapers, and periodicals written at basic reading levels; and audio and video tapes and other digital media provide support to adults enrolled in the CRW and the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs.
Cultural, Educational, and Informational Programs
The Bronx Library Center will present a wide range of free public programming on a regular basis. Theatrical productions, music and dance performances, staged readings, and storytelling will showcase the diverse cultures and talents of the local community and beyond. Workshops and seminars will assist users as they pursue and attain personal, educational, and professional goals.
This building was generously funded by The State of New York: George E. Pataki, Governor; Charles A. Gargano, Chairman, Empire State Development Corporation; the New York State Assembly and Assemblyman José Rivera; and The City of New York: Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor; Christine C. Quinn, City Council Speaker; Adolfo Carrión, Jr., Bronx Borough President; the Bronx City Council Delegation and City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera.
A major grant from Roger and Susan Hertog provided lead private support for the Bronx Library Center. Support for cultural programming was provided by a generous grant from Bank of America, with additional funding from the New York Community Trust.
