Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in books and NYPL.
The New York Public Library has selected 25 Books to Remember from 2007. Chosen by a group of librarians who are specialists in their genres, these outstanding works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry provide an informative or transformative reading experience, and are chosen for their literary excellence, uniqueness of concept, and command of subject matter. Among this year’s choices are the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead Books) by Junot Díaz and Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005 (Ecco) by Robert Hass.
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Published by rwatstein March 16th, 2008
in libraries and NYPL.
The purpose of the plan is to transform the Library so that it can better serve a growing public, one that is accessing information in rapidly changing and diverse ways. The Library’s five-year goal is to double the number of unique users who take advantage of its rich collections, wide-ranging programs, inspirational reading rooms, and online offerings. The plan, which calls for a total investment of approximately $1 billion, was adopted by the Library’s Board following a comprehensive 18-month study by Trustees and staff. Highlights of the plan include: Fifth Avenue Building Dramatically Renovated to Become Flagship Lending and Research Library, A Model for the Urban Library of the Future; Large Hub Libraries Established in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island as Anchors to Neighborhood Branches ;Expanded Digital Resources Increase Access to Library Collections
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Published by rwatstein March 16th, 2008
in libraries and NYPL.
The New York Public Library’s venerable lion-guarded building on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street is to be renamed for the Wall Street financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, who has agreed to jump-start a $1 billion expansion of the library system with a guaranteed $100 million of his own.
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Published by rwatstein January 5th, 2008
in libraries, library services and NYPL.
Most writers remember exactly how they met David Smith. “I first heard about him a few years ago from a friend, also a writer, who whispered his name as if it were some sort of Masonic secret passed on down the ages,” Alexander Rose recalled. Daniel Okrent heard about him from David Margolick. Jeremy Schaap learned of Mr. Smith from Joe Goldstein, the legendary sports publicist, who was helping Mr. Schaap with research and for whom Mr. Smith unearthed an elusive biography of the boxer James J. Braddock. Roy Blount Jr., who says he always tries to be inconspicuous at the New York Public Library because he worries that he “could be expelled for not being up to the books,” was browsing in the main reading room one day when “David approached me, and I thought: Uh-oh, here it comes. I’m unconsciously humming or
something. “But no, he was offering out of the blue to assist me in any way that he could.
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Published by rwatstein December 1st, 2007
in libraries and NYPL.
The New York Public Library (NYPL) has acquired the papers of Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., the late American historian and advisor to President John F. Kennedy. NYPL officials said the Arthur Schlesinger Papers consist of almost 300 linear feet of correspondence spanning nearly eight decades and will be housed in the Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division. The price has been kept confidential, a library spokeswoman said. Schlesinger died in February, 2007, from a heart attack.
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Published by rwatstein December 1st, 2007
in libraries, digital and NYPL.
Public Can Use Kaltura to Access the New York Public Library’s Database of Over 600,000 Historical Images
The New York Public Library and Kaltura, Inc., a pioneer in Collaborative Media, recently announced that the organizations have joined forces to further enhance online rich-media collaboration. The New York Public Library’s treasure trove of 600,000 digital images can now be incorporated easily into Kaltura’s group video projects. The library’s digital collection includes a wide range of rare and unique images drawn from its research collections. These range from Civil War photographs and illuminated Medieval manuscripts to historic views of New York City, Yiddish theatre placards and 19th Century restaurant menus. Users can search, preview and add these library images directly from the Kaltura web site (To try it, go to http://www.kaltura.com, click ’start a kaltura’).
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Published by rwatstein November 12th, 2007
in NYPL.
Official press release: New York City, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - The New York Public Library (the “Library”) today announced that it has signed an agreement to sell the land and building of the Donnell Library, located at 24 West 53rd Street, to Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. The Library will build a new, “state-of-the-art” Donnell Library in an 11-story hotel building that Orient-Express will construct on the site. The Library will receive $59 million in cash, in addition to the value of the library space, which it will own and occupy. Proceeds from the sale will also support significant capital needs at other branch libraries.
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Published by rwatstein November 12th, 2007
in libraries and NYPL.
Movie director Martin Scorsese and three others have been named Library Lions by the New York Public Library. Scorsese, a native New Yorker who won his first Oscar last year for The Departed, was honored November 5 along with historian John Hope Franklin, author Jhumpa Lahiri, and playwright Tom Stoppard.
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Published by rwatstein September 22nd, 2007
in Google and NYPL.
NYPL is working with Google to offer a portion of its collection online via Google Book Search. The items being digitized in this project are chosen based on the following criteria: they are in the public domain (published before 1923) and they are in good enough physical condition to withstand scanning. The items are being scanned in their entirety and will be available to the public for free.
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