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The Central Libraries > Mid-Manhattan Library > FAQs 
FAQsAbout UsEstablished in 1970, the Mid-Manhattan Library houses the largest circulating and reference collections in the Branch Libraries of The New York Public Library (see Mid-Manhattan Timeline). Shelved in open stacks on five floors, the subject collections cover: art, education, consumer health, history, job information, language, law, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, and more. These collections are geared to meet the needs of college undergraduates, graduate students, and serious adult users. They include books, magazines, newspapers, and non-print materials such as CDs, DVDs and software. For pleasure reading and personal use, the library has an extensive selection of popular reading, new books, movies, music, and a major collection of older and classic fiction. The Mid-Manhattan Library serves as a bridge between the neighborhood branch libraries and the in-depth, non-circulating collections of the New York Public Library's Research Libraries. The Mid-Manhattan library is divided into nine collections:
Statistics & Annual ReportStatistics about library collections, budget, and users are found in the NYPL Annual Report, the Fact and Figures summaries, the Mission Statement, and the NYPL FAQs page. Mid-Manhattan FAQs
Where do I find a particular call number? A call number may be on almost any floor of Mid-Manhattan, depending on which collection it belongs to. When looking something up in LEO, please note which floor it is on or which collection it belongs to. You may need to click on the book title or to scroll down the page to find this information. Also please consult the Mid-Manhattan floor plan to help you browse the right collection. Are there jobs for students at Mid-Manhattan? Full-time students may apply for part-time paging work at the Mid-Manhattan administration office any time during opening hours. For other jobs, please see the Library's Employment Opportunities information. How do I suggest a book for the library to buy? Please use this form to suggest a book. What's the difference between Mid-Manhattan and the library with the lions? The Mid-Manhattan Library and the Humanities and Social Sciences Library are right across the street from each other. The Mid-Manhattan Library is the largest lending library in the NYPL system. We serve high school and college students, and have leisure material for adults, including books, videos, DVDs and CDs. To find out what's at Mid-Manhattan, use the LEO catalog. The library with the lions is the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. It is one of the four Research Libraries. None of its materials may be borrowed. All its books and archival works must be consulted on-site. It serves primarily scholars or those looking for older or specialized materials that are no longer in print. To find out what's at the Humanities Library, use the CATNYP catalog. If you are a vendor or distributor and are unsure where to send library materials, please confirm by telephone before sending materials in the mail. Can I suggest a speaker or public program I would like to see at the library? We are seeking public programs intended for a general audience lasting between 45 minutes and one hour. In return we offer the speaker the opportunity to publicize his or her work. Public programs take place at 6:30 in the evening on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays or at 2:30 in the afternoon on Saturdays. In order to maximize our publicity efforts we strive to book them at least three months ahead of the date of the program. If you would like to give or suggest a lecture, play reading, or workshop please contact Deborah Hirsch, via e-mail dhirsch@nypl.org or by telephone at 212-340-0874. Please indicate the topic you would like to address and provide your background on the topic. A resume or c.v. is helpful as it allows us to assess appropriateness for our audience. How can I have my art work considered for the Art Wall on 3rd program? If you are an artist who would like to exhibit in the Art Wall on 3rd program, please contact the Art Collection, 212-340-0871. Please be advised that the Art Wall on 3rd program is usually booked up well in advance. Can I bring a class to visit Mid-Manhattan? Please see the information on the Mid-Manhattan Library Services page. How do I volunteer at Mid-Manhattan? Please see the information on the Volunteer at Mid-Manhattan Library page. Can I rent a meeting room at Mid-Manhattan? Mid-Manhattan Library's conference room may be rented by not-for-profit and profit-making organizations, especially to those hosting activities related to the Library's mission and the Mid-Manhattan Library collections. Fees: $100 per hour per room, minimum 2 hours + $15 per hour for security, minimum 4 hours + $100 if A/V is required An e-mail or written request is required including the name of the organization, contact person, nature of the organization (profit or non-profit), tentative date(s), number of attendees, and purpose of the event at least three weeks in advance. For further information, call 212-340-0989. How do I resolve a problem with my library card, overdue or lost materials? For overdue or lost materials, lost cards or PIN number problems call 212-340-0841. The questions and answers below clarify information about Mid-Manhattan’s future. What are the plans of The New York Public Library that involve The Mid-Manhattan Library? As part of the future transformation of its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street the Library will create a new state-of the-art circulating library with large reading rooms overlooking Bryant Park. Acclaimed architect Lord Norman Foster has been selected to design the multi-year project, which will ultimately involve relocating the collections currently at Mid-Manhattan to the new reading rooms in the 42nd Street building. What changes are we planning to make at this time? Until we construct the new central library, we are planning numerous enhancements that will improve the user experience at the Mid-Manhattan Library. These include a substantial expansion in hours of operations, improving access to the collections, providing additional seating and refreshing browsing areas. They also include, creating additional reading and seating areas, and creating better traffic patterns on the first floor. Books currently housed on Mid-Manhattan’s fifth floor will be merged with materials on the second through fourth floors to create a single, unified Dewey Decimal sequence. This will make it easier for users to locate materials, and it is likely that we will discontinue using the fifth floor. Will Mid-Manhattan’s collections be moving to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building? Mid-Manhattan’s collections will ultimately be located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. This will take place after the transformation plan described above. Why are there empty shelves in some sections of the Library? As we work on reconfiguring services there will from time to time be areas with empty shelves. In April, our Job Information collection moved to the new Job Search Central at the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL). We have removed outdated materials in some areas in order to have a current collection, and since many of our reference books are duplicated across the street in the holdings of the Schwarzman Building, we are making many of these items available for borrowing and moving them to the circulating shelves. Purchases of new materials throughout NYPL were reduced as part of our effort to meet anticipated City budget cuts, however as we move into the new fiscal year and with City budget restorations we will be substantially replenishing our collections. What changes are planned for Mid-Manhattan’s magazines and newspapers? A new browsing area for magazines and newspapers will be available on our second floor in late summer. Since periodicals at the Library have become increasingly available and more frequently used in electronic form, the fourth floor periodicals window will be closed in the coming months. Is Mid-Manhattan Library up for sale? As part of the plan to renovate the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Mid-Manhattan Library was put on the market last year. Due to the economic climate there is no current buyer. |
