CUNY Academic Commons

“A library is a place for people to come together, to learn about their world and explore new ideas, things I’ve tried to do my entire life.”

– Harry Belafonte

Activist and Artist Harry Belafonte passed away on April 25 at the age of 96. Celebrated during his lifetime as an artist, he was also a fervent activist who fought for social jus…[Read more]

The New York Public Library honors the life of the icon Harry Belafonte, who passed away on April 25 at the age of 96. In his lifetime, Belafonte was an accomplished activist and entertainer, who used his success to fight for equal rights and social justice.

In 2016, Belafonte was named a Library Lion, an annual award that honors distinguished…[Read more]

The New York Public Library is celebrating the diversity of language during the World Literature Festival (April 17–30, 2023). The Festival will host events in many different languages including French, Italian, Korean, and Mandarin.

According to the Language Map project, NYC is the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Roughly 10% o…[Read more]

The New York Public Library is facing a $52.7 million budget cut. This announcement came on April 4, 2023, when Mayor Eric Adams proposed another round of cuts to all city agencies, including public libraries. 

The library relies on city funding to provide free resources and services to the NYC community. The library is asking it’s patrons to…[Read more]

Are you avoiding the Library because you’re worried about an overdue book? Good news! The New York Public Library has gotten rid of late fines. Tony Marx, NYPL President,  explains that “research shows that fines are not effective in ensuring book returns—New Yorkers are quite reliable and responsible, clearly respecting our collections and the ne…[Read more]

The NYPL has several upcoming events to support NYC’s drag community. Coming up next week on April 17, Dragstar alum Sasha Velour will give a reading from her upcoming book The Big Reveal.

Another scheduled Series is Drag Story Hour, where drag artists are scheduled to read for children.

In light of recent legislation to target drag performers a…[Read more]

Download the NYPL App for free on all IOS and Android devices. The app gives you access to many of the same benefits as a physical library card—including access to ebooks and online resources. You can also get the same benefits from participating foundations that honor library card Holders

https://www.nypl.org/nypl-app