Mayor Bloomberg, Chancellor Walcott, Public Libraries and Citi Announce Expansion of MyLibraryNYC Initiative to Connect Schools Citywide to Millions of Books and Other Learning Materials

September 29, 2012— Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, New York Public Library President Tony Marx, Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, Queens Library President and CEO Thomas W. Galante and Citi Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit today announced the expansion of MyLibraryNYC, an initiative that connects New York City public schools with the millions of books and other learning materials available through the public libraries. MyLibraryNYC supplements the materials available in public school libraries and will provide access to the more than 17 million books and other items that are a part of the New York, Brooklyn and Queens Public Library catalogs to up to 250,000 students in 400 public schools this year and 1.1 million students by 2015. The program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi. The Mayor, Chancellor, public library leaders and Mr. Pandit made the announcement at the 50th Street School Campus in Manhattan, which houses five high schools, and were joined by School Librarian Adelena Kavanagh and students.

“Libraries are an indispensable asset to our students and the expansion of MyLibraryNYC will encourage reading and promote learning both inside and outside the classroom,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This program is a great example of the public and private sectors coming together to invest in our children and city’s future. I want thank our three great public library systems and Citi for their help in providing our children with the resources they need to thrive.”

“Since its launch last year, MyLibraryNYC has been celebrated by both teachers and students, and we are thrilled that even more schools in all five boroughs will have the opportunity to participate,” said Chancellor Walcott. “By expanding the volumes of our school libraries to include the collections of three of the largest public library systems in the country, we are increasing the opportunities for our students to meet the higher bar of the Common Core standards and graduate ready for college and careers.”

“The city’s public school students – the future of this great city – deserve every opportunity to succeed, and to do so need access to critical information and stores of knowledge necessary to further their educations,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “I am proud that the New York Public Library joined forces with the New York City Department of Education, Citi and our fellow library systems in Brooklyn and Queens to break down bureaucratic walls and do just that - offer students and teachers unprecedented access to key materials they so desperately need. The Library has long been a leading provider of free education in New York City, and I am thrilled that we are able to expand that role with this innovative program, which is sure to set an example for the rest of the country.”

“Brooklyn Public Library is committed to promoting early literacy, fostering a love of learning and inspiring students to express their creativity,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “With MyLibraryNYC, we will work with the New York Public Library, Queens Library and the New York City Department of Education to ensure that teachers and students have the support and materials they need. This first-of-its-kind partnership will open new worlds of information to young New Yorkers, sparking their imaginations and helping them achieve their educational goals.”

“Queens Library is an important part of the educational infrastructure,” said Thomas W. Galante, Queens Library President and CEO. “We are gratified to be able to enrich our City’s students’ lives by leveraging our extensive collections. We thank Citi for their support in this project.”

“Citi has a long history of supporting education in New York and the U.S., from promoting financial literacy to helping families save for college to financing the construction of schools. We know the success, not just of our company, but of the communities we serve, depends on how well we as a society educate the next generation,” said Citi CEO Vikram Pandit. “This innovative public-private partnership brings together the leading global bank, the nation’s largest educational system and one of the world’s largest public library systems, and leverages their resources to help New York City’s public school students learn and thrive. Citi is proud to play a role in making it happen.”

"The city’s three public library systems – New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Borough – are showing the way forward with this exciting, innovative program,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “Not only has MyLibraryNYC already achieved terrific results in increasing reading among our public school children – it’s doing so in an extremely cost-effective manner. I want to thank Chancellor Walcott for joining with the Library in forging this new model, and Vikram Pandit and Citi for their investment to help get it off the ground.”

“Today’s announcement of the citywide expansion of the MyLibraryNYC program is wonderful news for New York City school children,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “Through this wonderful program 250,000 school kids will have access to more than 17 million books. I commend Mayor Bloomberg, the New York Public Library, and the Brooklyn Public Library for enabling this expansion of this program and making it easier for kids to read and take out books from the library.”

"Expanding MyLibraryNYC to 400 schools further integrates our City’s three amazing library systems with our public schools, giving teachers and students more of the tools they need to succeed at no cost to the schools,” said New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane. “This efficient, innovative and collaborative use of resources will aid teachers’ course development and knock down students’ barriers to entry into the library system, encouraging reading in both print and digital platforms. I applaud Mayor Bloomberg, the Department of Education, the Queens, Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries, and Citi for making this program a reality.”

Through MyLibraryNYC, students and teachers will have access to an online catalog developed by BiblioCommons, where they can browse the collections of the three public libraries and arrange to borrow books and other materials. Each student in one of the 400 participating schools will receive a new library card, and teachers may order up to 100 books – or class sets – as part of lesson plans. Teachers may also use online social tools to collaborate with their peers, share ideas and post their own recommended book lists. The program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi, which provided for the development of the online searchable catalog and interactive tools.

The MyLibraryNYC pilot first launched last year in a partnership between 86 schools and the New York Public Library system, under the leadership of its President, Anthony Marx. Surveys conducted after the pilot showed that nearly 90 percent of participating teachers said the program better equipped them to teach, and that students in the pilot were three times more likely to check out a book from their public library than those in non-participating schools. This year’s expansion includes the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries, providing for services in each of the five boroughs. The program will grow to cover all public schools – and 1.1 million students – by the year 2015.

About Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. Brooklyn Public Library offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. Brooklyn Public Library’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 91 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

About Queens Library

Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library. Queens Library serves a population of 2.3 million in one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the U.S. and has among the highest circulations of any public library system in the world. For more information about programs, services, locations, events and news, visit the Queens Library web site at www.queenslibrary.org or phone 718-990-0700. Queens Library. Enrich your life®.

Citi has a long history of supporting education in New York City and the U.S. through a variety of community investments and mentoring initiatives. Citi has helped develop innovative programs to fund school construction and development, such as the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund, the first investment fund focused on building charter schools. And across the country, Citi Community Development and the Citi Foundation have fostered innovative ways to help families save for college, including the Partnership for College Completion, a collaboration with KIPP Charter schools and the United Negro College Fund, and the Kindergarten to College initiative, the first-ever program that aims to provide a savings account to every incoming kindergartner in the San Francisco public school system.