Stephen A. Schwarzman Building > History > A Bibliography

Principal Works on The New York Public Library

Dain, Phyllis. The New York Public Library: A History of its Founding and Early Years (New York: The New York Public Library, 1972) A scholarly introduction to the beginnings and early development of the Library. *R- *HND (N.Y.P.L.) 99- 5530 or *R- *HND (N.Y.P.L.) 88- 6940 or *HND (N.Y.P.L.) 72-337; other call numbers listed in CATNYP. See also the same author's The New York Public Library: A Universe of Knowledge (New York: New York Public Library in association with Scala Publishers, London, 2000) *HND (N.Y.P.L.) 01-5821; check CATNYP for other call numbers.

New York Public Library. History of the New York Public Library: Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations by Harry Miller Lydenberg (New York: The New York Public Library, 1923). This offers a comprehensive examination of the origins and foundation of the Library, providing detailed discussion not only of the Astor and Lenox libraries, but also of the various "free" or "circulating" libraries which were the nuclei of the branch system of The New York Public Library. Both this work and that by Dain contain much salient information on the construction, opening, and organization of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. *R- *HND 91- 9019. Other editions are listed in CATNYP.

New York Public Library. Research Libraries. Dictionary Catalog of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library, 1911-1971. (New York: New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations; [Boston]: distributed by G.K. Hall, 1979) The introduction to these 800 printed volumes (found only in volume one) discusses the nature and arrangement of the catalog as well as its history, the latter focusing on its origins and antecedents in the Astor Library. Available in the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room and the Rose Main Reading Room.

Reed, Henry Hope. The New York Public Library: Its Architecture and Decoration (New York: Norton, 1986) This lavishly illustrated book, published to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, is the principal work on its architecture, art, and decoration. Request at the Information Desk in the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room.

New York Public Library. Bulletin. This periodical, issued from 1897 through 1977, is an invaluable source for material on the history and collections of the Library. *R- *HND 85-1495 and *HND (N.Y. Public Library. Bulletin); also available on *ZAN-7332 from 1897 through 1970. An Index to the Bulletin is available at the Information Desk in Room 315. The Bulletin's successor is Biblion: The Bulletin of The New York Public Library, published semi-annually since 1992; it, too, includes articles on the history, collections, and personalities of the Library. Especially recommended is its issue of Spring 1995, which contains the following significant articles on the Library: Dain, Phyllis, "'A Coral Island'; A Century of Collection Development in The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library," pp. 5-75; Platt, Warren C., "A Hundred Years of Historical and Biographical Writing About The New York Public Library: A Centennial Bibliography," pp. 148-175; and "A Century of Leadership at The New York Public Library: A List of Principal Officers, 1895-1995," pp. 176-178. The call number for Biblion is *R - *HND (N.Y.P.L.) 96-1199, with the latest issues available in Room 108; check CATNYP for other call numbers.

New York Public Library. Report. Beginning in 1896, the Library issued an annual report, thereby providing a contemporary record of its aims, achievements, and aspirations. *HND