Libraries are for everyone—and so are our buildings. To meet the growing and ever-changing need for the Library's services, we must continuously invest in our 92 locations, from research centers to neighborhood branches, to ensure they are modern, accessible, and welcoming spaces for all.

 

“Now more than ever, our branch is a core community hub thanks to these improvements.”
— Corey Rodriguez, Library Manager, Woodstock Library, Bronx

Our neighborhood libraries serve as essential community centers and engines of opportunity for an ever-growing array of users. Yet, many of our buildings are more than 100 years old, or have suffered from decades of insufficient public investment, which means that capital improvements must be a top priority.

To that end, the Library is in the midst of an unprecedented capital investment in our branches thanks to both private support and the historic increase in City funding for the city’s three library systems in FY16. At NYPL, this reinvestment will bring full renovations in the coming years at five historic “Carnegie” branches—Melrose and Hunts Point in the Bronx, Fort Washington and 125th Street in Manhattan, and Port Richmond in Staten Island.

Other major new renovations include Woodstock Library in the Bronx, which reopened this spring after a multiyear restoration. Improvements to the more than 100-year-old library—one of the first Carnegies—included expanded programming space, a larger children’s area, and a new teen space, along with technology and accessibility upgrades.

New Chapter at the Schomburg Center

This fall, NYPL proudly announced the completion of a $22 million renovation at the Schomburg Center in Harlem. With an updated facade, auditorium, and shop, plus a new gallery space and updated reading rooms, the Schomburg is now better equipped than ever to serve as a vital research and community center for future generations.

 

This holiday season, The New York Public Library has a big goal: We're raising $530,670 to ensure that all neighborhood branches can offer the free materials, educational programs, and classes that people depend on. We need your help to raise these essential funds—will you donate today? Every dollar helps. Thank you for supporting our libraries and the people they serve.