Public Libraries in New York, New York
New York — United States
Public Libraries in New York, New York
The landmark research libraries of the New York Public Library in Manhattan — plus free cards and NOVELny digital access for all New Yorkers.
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Libraries
New York Public Library Branches
The New York Public Library serves Manhattan (as well as the Bronx and Staten Island) through dozens of neighborhood branches and research centers. Explore individual locations below for real opening hours, addresses and services:
Libraries in New York
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
📍 515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037
📞 917-275-6975 · 🕑 Mon–Sat 10–6, Sun closed
New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
📍 Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018
📞 917-275-6975 · 🕑 Mon 10–6, Tue–Wed 10–8, Thu–Sat 10–6, Sun closed
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
📍 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
📞 917-275-6975 · 🕑 Mon 10:30–8, Tue–Wed 10:30–6, Thu 10:30–8, Fri–Sat 10:30–6, Sun closed
The Story of the Library in New York
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 through the consolidation of two private reference libraries — the Astor Library and the Lenox Library — together with a trust established by former New York governor Samuel J. Tilden. Its landmark main building, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, opened in 1911 as a Beaux-Arts masterpiece on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, home to the famous Rose Main Reading Room and guarded by the marble lions "Patience" and "Fortitude" on its front steps.
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem grew out of the personal collection of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto Rican-born scholar whose books, manuscripts, and artifacts documenting the African diaspora were acquired by the library in 1926. Today it is one of the world's leading research centers devoted to the history and culture of people of African descent.
About Public Libraries in New York
New York City (Manhattan) is served by the New York Public Library (NYPL), which operates roughly 90 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island (Brooklyn and Queens run their own separate systems). A free NYPL library card is available to anyone who lives, works, studies, or pays property taxes in New York State, and it unlocks physical collections, e-books and audiobooks, research databases, and free programs system-wide. The libraries listed on this page are NYPL's landmark research and specialized libraries in Manhattan; the neighborhood circulating branches are located throughout the borough.
NOVELny, run by the New York State Library, gives every New Yorker free 24/7 access to hundreds of research databases, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and reference resources. All you need is a New York public library card, New York driver license, or non-driver ID.
📚 What You Can Access
- 📚 Millions of print books and research collections
- 📱 E-books and audiobooks via the NYPL app and Libby
- 🎬 Streaming films and music with your NYPL card
- 🔎 NOVELny statewide research databases (free)
- 🖨️ Printing, scanning, and public computers
- 📶 Free Wi-Fi and quiet study spaces
- 🎟️ Free exhibitions, talks, and programs
🏛️ Quick Facts
| Public libraries | 3 NYPL research/specialized libraries in Manhattan |
| System | New York Public Library (NYPL) |
| Main building | Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Ave & 42nd St |
| Phone | 917-275-6975 |
| NYPL founded | 1895 |
| Library card | Free for anyone who lives, works, studies, or pays taxes in NY State |
| State resource | NOVELny |
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Frequently Asked Questions