http://www.nypl.org/news/index.cfmUpdates on New York Public Library news, programs and eventshttp://www.nypl.org/databases/images/onsite.gifhttp://www.nypl.org/news/index.cfmFeedSpring - http://feedspring.com/Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:41:41 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/tv-dvd/70271/new-york-public-librarys-flickr-streamTime Out New York / Issue 693 : Jan 8–14, 2009 I’m officially obsessed with… New York Public Library’s Flickr stream The Commons project is Flickr’s ongoing attempt to make publicly held photos more accessible—and to have the nerdstorm of the Internet rain down its knowledge on those pictures, with users adding comments and notes. So far, it’s a big success: The Library of Congress has posted nearly 5,000 photos, and more and more cultural heritage institutions have been joining in. Last month, the New York Public Library got in on the action, posting around 1,300 of its photos (flickr.com/photos/nypl/), and sweet zombie Jesus, it’s fantastic. The 16 sets of photos include images of early modern dance, Egypt, Japan in the late 19th century, cinema from 1912–14 and cyanotypes of British algae, among others, but my favorites are the pictures of New York. The shots from Ellis Island are fascinating but not sentimental. Berenice Abbott’s famous “Changing New York” series perpetually absorbs new meaning. And the library’s documentation of its own history, in a set called “NYPL: Work with Schools,” shows that even in 1910 there were kids as geeky as I am, climbing all over each other to get to more books. The images themselves are of course engrossing, but maybe more interesting is what projects like this say about the future democratization of access. I like knowing I’m not just looking at old-timey photos: I’m also looking at a coming attraction for how people will be sharing information in the years to come. — Margaret Lyons http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/tv-dvd/70271/new-york-public-librarys-flickr-streamFri, 09 Jan 2009 14:41:33 GMThttp://www.silive.com/entertainment/recreation/index.ssf/2009/01/wrestling_vet_shares_his_ups_d.htmlby Jodi Lee Reifer Thursday January 08, 2009, 1:00 AM STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Turns out road rage didn't inspire the first Staten Island smackdown. Pro-wrestling was a major draw here in the late 1950s. Grapplers did double-duty at Port Richmond's Weissglass Stadium and Madison Square Garden. All the biggest names dropped bodies at the now-defunct venue: Antonino Rocca, Bruno Sammartino, the Graham Brothers, Haystacks Calhoun and Skull Murphy. By the '60s, Al Samson Vass had stepped into the ring with them as a wrestler for three years, and later as a referee all over New York state. The Great Kills resident's career spanned 31 years with the All-American Wrestling Federation, East Coast Pro Wrestling, Xtreme Professional Wrestling and World Wide Wrestling Federation (later the WWF, and now the WWE). With the Oscar buzz-worthy flick "The Wrestler" in theaters now, Vass and the New York Public Library are tag teaming to exhibit his collection of pro-wrestling posters from the '60s through the '90s at the St. George Library Center, 5 Central Ave., where "The Wrestling Posters of Al Vass" is up through Feb. 28. Vass speaks on "The Ups & Downs of Professional Wrestling" Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. AWE caught up with him for a quick chat before the main event. Q. How is pro-wrestling different today than it was when you got involved? A. When I was in it, there were no storylines. Now the wrestlers' antics are a lot of show-biz type, instead of showing skills and agility. Today, these referees, they have a head piece in their ear and they're told by the producer and the director what to do. When I was in Madison Square Garden, I made the calls. Q. What's the craziest thing you experienced in the ring? A. Bruno Sammartino and George "The Animal" Steele. I had to referee them in Madison Square Garden. They were in the steel cage. To be in with them, it felt like I was being chased by a pitbull. You're in there with two strong guys who are both over 265 pounds. I'm 150 pounds and they're chasing the referees. Sometimes they don't like the decisions I'm making. Q. I realize you haven't seen "The Wrestler" yet. Are you worried about how it reps wrestling? A. From what I understand, it's pretty close to life as to what these guys go through because they do have a tough life. They get paid not too well. They have no benefits. The guys, years ago, they were traveling by car. They would have to wrestle five nights a week just to make a living. And if you got hurt, you had to pay yourself because they had no benefits. Q. Is it any better today? A. Professional wrestlers today have a contract. But even now, [some of] these guys, they work as independent contractors. The injuries are really tough. There are no labor laws for these guys. Q. Your talk is called "The Ups & Downs of Professional Wrestling." You've discussed the downs. What are the ups? A. It's a great feeling to walk into the arena and have people cheer you. Or maybe if you're a bad guy, for people to boo you. The good guy, in the wrestling dressing room, they call him the "baby face." And the bad guy, they call him the "heel." Sometimes the baby face wins and sometimes the heel wins. But first of all, you've got to be a good shape. I was a body builder when I wrestled. It's good for your physical health and also you have a lot of enjoyment when you entertain people.http://www.silive.com/entertainment/recreation/index.ssf/2009/01/wrestling_vet_shares_his_ups_d.htmlFri, 09 Jan 2009 14:37:04 GMThttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/ask-about-the-new-york-public-library/#more-5231December 8, 2008, 6:32 am Ask About the New York Public Library By The New York Times Paul LeClerc. (Photo: Richard Corman)This week, Paul LeClerc, the head of the New York Public Library, will be answering selected readers’ questions about the library, its services and its future in an era of changing information needs. Submit questions online; the first set of answers will appear in a new blog post on Wednesday. Dr. LeClerc is president and chief executive of the New York Public Library, which is broadly recognized as one of the pre-eminent ones in the world. He oversees a system of 87 branch libraries in Manhattan and the Bronx and on Staten Island (Queens and Brooklyn have separate library systems) and four major research libraries with collections numbering about 55 million items. The library estimates that it is used by 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually and 26 million additional users worldwide who make use of its collections and services through its Web site. Dr. LeClerc was raised in Queens, where he attended parochial schools. He graduated from Holy Cross High School in Flushing in 1963 and spent the next year studying at the Sorbonne. He completed a Ph.D. in French literature with distinction at Columbia University, writing a dissertation on Voltaire. Dr. LeClerc had a distinguished academic career, teaching at Union College from 1966 to 1979; in the administration of the City University of New York, where he served successively as university dean for academic affairs and acting vice chancellor for academic affairs; and as provost and vice president for academic affairs of Baruch College. In 1988, he was appointed president of Hunter College. He became president of the library in December 1993. Under his guidance and with the support of its board, the library has by all accounts increased its standing as a leader in the field of information collection and distribution. These include: forming alliances with major libraries internationally; digitizing collections and creating a robust online site that serves readers from 200 countries; acquiring prestigious new research collections and gaining new public financing for branch library collections; systematically renovating the library’s historic buildings; creating a new Center for Scholars and Writers; and developing plans for a transformation of the library system that will prepare it for its next generation of service. Dr. LeClerc is the author or co-editor of five scholarly volumes on writers of the French Enlightenment, and his contributions to French culture earned him membership in the French Legion of Honor (Chevalier) in 1996. He has honorary doctorates from the University of Paris III-La Nouvelle Sorbonne and Oxford, among others. Dr. LeClerc is currently a trustee of the library, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, and the J. Paul Getty Trust. President Bill Clinton appointed him to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a director of the American Academy in Rome and the American Philosophical Society. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/ask-about-the-new-york-public-library/#more-5231Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:57:18 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/nyregion/03library.html?_r=1&emBy GLENN COLLINS The New York Times Published: December 2, 2008 A day after the official declaration of a national recession, visitors journeyed to the New York Public Library from Atlanta, Palm Beach, Fla., White Plains and Queens to see a $126,000 coffee-table book that is actually the size of a coffee table. “We have to catch a plane to Florida in half an hour, but we wanted to see the most beautiful book in the world,” said Betty Katarain Rosado, an interior designer from Palm Beach who stood in the cold for 20 minutes waiting for the library to open with her husband, Gilbert, an engineer. They had time for just a glimpse of The Book at its first public viewing in the United States. O.K.: it’s more than a coffee-table book. The rare, 61-pound book, made recently by hand, was toiled over by scholars, artists and artisans. Called “Michelangelo: La Dotta Mano” (“Michelangelo: The Learned Hand”), the book, an Italian language celebration of his work, cost 100,000 euros (about $126,864) to make in Italy and was donated on Monday to the library, where it will be on view through Monday. The Rosados oohed and aahed and snapped each other’s photographs with the book when they finally saw it displayed behind Lucite on the western side of the Bill Blass Catalog Room on the third floor. “You’d need your life savings to buy it,” Mr. Rosado said, before racing to La Guardia Airport. Not to be too decadent about it, the cover of the 264-page book — which took months to print and construct employing Renaissance skills — is adorned with a bas-relief depiction of Michelangelo’s “Madonna of the Steps,” sculptured on a piece of white marble from one of the Polvaccio quarries in Carrara, Italy, that supplied stone for the master’s statues. Its positively sybaritic binding is swathed in red velvet from the same Italian workshop that supplied stage curtains to the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala in Milan. And the book’s photographs and plates of drawings and images of the Sistine Chapel are printed on luxurious paper of pure cotton produced in Italy. The creation of the book is “a provocation in the age of the Internet,” said Marilena Ferrari, president of FMR, a fine-art publishing house in Italy. “It is important to reaffirm that books are not disappearing.” She also heads the company’s charitable foundation, which donated the book to the library. Though not the most expensive book ever made — some high-end books have been adorned with precious metals or gemstones — it is “special for its rarity,” said Paul LeClerc, president of the library. So far, only 33 copies of a planned limited edition of 99 have been made; Ms. Ferrari said 20 had been sold. Dr. LeClerc added: “It is one of the single greatest books made in the last 100 years. There is nothing else at this level.” Joan Block, a retired credit-collection manager who traveled from Queens to see the book, gave it a thumbs up, but added, “I guess the price is pretty high in a recession.” She studied it some more. “But for Michelangelo, maybe that’s not a lot.” Can the cost of the book be justified? “Such a beautiful book has relevance in a time of economic hardship,” said Ms. Ferrari, a businesswoman who is not related to the automobile family. “In no way can I change the world, but I can send a message of beauty — because, fundamentally, this is a message of hope. Mankind can create beauty, and that must be remembered.” The donation is the first in the United States; copies were given to the Prado Museum in Madrid and the City Council of Bologna earlier this year. Next week, the book will reside in the library’s rare book division, “where it will join the first copy of the Gutenberg Bible brought to the Americas,” said Michael Inman, the library’s curator of rare books. But not all the visitors were ecstatic. “I’m a little disappointed,” said Muriel Dolinsky, who described herself as a housewife from White Plains, who had traveled with her neighbor, Sandy Meyers, a geriatric social worker, to see the book. “I’d hoped we could see it opened up,” Ms. Dolinsky said. Sealed in its plastic case, though, she could observe the book’s dimensions — 28 inches tall, 18 inches wide and 3 inches thick — up close, Ms. Ferrari said, to the multiples within the sequence of the so-called Golden Ratio, which long represented the universal law of harmony in classical architecture, sculpture and painting. Indeed, to Dr. LeClerc, the work has “symbolic significance, because it reminds us in a dramatic way of the importance of the book in shaping Western culture. It is how enlightenment was disseminated until the advent of the Internet.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/nyregion/03library.html?_r=1&emWed, 03 Dec 2008 13:59:28 GMThttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/morrisania-library-celebrates-centennial/New York Times By Sewell Chan At a daylong celebration today, the New York Public Library is observing the centennial of its Morrisania branch in the South Bronx, which opened in 1908 with financing from Andrew Carnegie. The library, at 610 East 169th Street, sits on what was once farmland owned by Jonas Bronck, for whom the borough is named. The library is now one of 87 in the New York Public Library system, which encompasses the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. (Queens and Brooklyn have separate systems.) The library received a two-year renovation, completed in 1997, and has served as a symbol of the rebirth of the South Bronx that started in the 1990s, after decades of decay had made the neighborhood the prime example of urban neglect. The Morris High School Campus Band performed when the library reopened in 1997, and it did so again today, along with children from La Peninsula Head Start, a local child-care business. In 1901, Carnegie, the industrialist and steel magnate, gave $5.2 million to the New York Public Library, which was established in 1895 by the consolidation of Astor and Lenox libraries and the Tilden trust. The Morrisania Library, which was designed by the architects Babb, Cook & Willard, is the third in the Bronx to reach the 100-year mark; the Mott Haven branch was the first, and the Tremont branch was the second. The branch has a marble and heavy oak interior, huge arched windows and a grand “imperial” staircase. Numerous elected officials were scheduled to attend the birthday celebration, including Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr., State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, Councilwoman Helen Diane Foster and leaders from Community Board 3. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/morrisania-library-celebrates-centennial/Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:22:09 GMThttp://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/technology/89609/n-y--public-library-shows-rare-treasures-in-online-videos/Default.aspxA new online initiative is aimed at reminding viewers about some of the hidden gems in the archives at the New York Public Library. NY1’s Technology reporter Adam Balkin filed the following report. The New York Public Library is now expanding to Facebook, YouTube and iTunes, by launching a new online video series highlighting rare documents that can only be seen in person. Such documents include handwritten letters by Katherine Hepburn and menus from long-gone restaurants. “What we've amassed over the course of more than 100 years is one of the single greatest repositories of all kinds of materials about the human experience and there are more than 50 million items in these collections,” said N.Y. Public Library President Paul LeClerc. “This shows the sometimes interesting or quirky or fascinating things we have at the library.” Curators of the collections say part of this effort is to remind people there's more to a library than just books. Featured documents, like maps, often times give a more concrete visual than words alone of what life was like in the past. “We have everything from road maps from the 1920s to 2001, to antique atlases bound in vellum hand drawn on handmade paper beautiful materials,” said Alice Hudson, chief of the library’s map division. “So we go from the mundane to the very exotic.” Many of the resources covered have not been posted to the internet. “There's a myth out there that ultimately everything's going to be online. However, that's a myth,” says LeClerc. “Collections are so immense in this library and other great libraries that for a long, long period of time if you want to dig in deeply, you'll have to come to us.” To whet your appetite for such resources, see the new video series at www.nypl.org/news/treasures. The library says, in addition to continuing work with Google on a project to digitize books from libraries all over the globe, it will join many top-notch libraries in putting more collections, exhibits and even lectures online.http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/technology/89609/n-y--public-library-shows-rare-treasures-in-online-videos/Default.aspxMon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:48 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/arts/28wkids.html?_r=1By LAUREL GRAEBER Published: November 27, 2008 The New York Times CHILDREN’S CENTER, NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Patience and Fortitude, the serenely majestic lions who serve as sentinels at the New York Public Library, have recently acquired a host of animal neighbors. Residing inside the building, they include a fox with a luxurious tail, a brilliant blue bull, a cocoa-colored bear and an aardvark wearing glasses. On Saturday owls, hawks and falcons will join the mix. The menagerie is among the draws at the new Children’s Center, a literary oasis for ages 12 and under that will hold opening festivities on Friday and Saturday. This is the first time since 1970 that the main library has had circulating children’s books. While no new construction was done in this ground-floor space, which used to house the relocated Dorot Jewish Division, the area has shed its drab, institutional skin, acquiring a coat of many colors: murals of urban and exotic scenes by Susy Pilgrim Waters; beanbag cushions in Day-Glo tones; and a bright programming space presided over by a huge cutout Cat in the Hat. “We have the largest children’s collection in the library system,” said Elizabeth Bird, senior children’s librarian, noting that it includes CDs, DVDs, video games and even records. “A lot of people still want to hear an old Pete Seeger kids’ album that was never transferred” to CD, she said. At the other end of the technological spectrum, the center has eight computers and a Wii and a Sony PlayStation for monthly video-game nights. “It’s another way of getting kids into the library,” Ms. Bird explained, adding that when library branches held such events for teenagers, “circulation went up.” And the animals? They’re largely stuffed toys, but the birds will be real: the celebration includes, on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., raptors from the New Canaan Nature Center. On Friday the author and illustrator Chris Raschka will appear (11:30 a.m.), and the Talking Hands Theater and Vital Children’s Theater will perform (1:30 and 3:30 p.m.). Saturday offers Central Park Zoo Wildlife Theater (1:30 p.m.) and intriguing experiments in “The Mad Science Holiday Spectacular” (3:30 p.m.). And, of course, there’s always the year-round entertainment: about 25,000 books. (Room 84, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 212-621-0208, nypl.org; free.) LAUREL GRAEBER http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/arts/28wkids.html?_r=1Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:38:37 GMThttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2008-11-11-new-york-public-library-video_N.htmBy Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY The New York Public Library quietly rolled out a new video series last month. Titled "Treasures," it showcases 11 gems of the library's vast collection of more than 50 million items. And since then it has joined Facebook, broadening an online reach that already included YouTube and iTunes pages to gain more of an audience — which, for one of the world's largest public libraries, includes "everybody from preschool toddlers to the greatest writers in the world," says president Paul LeClerc. Curators and administrators whittled a list of hundreds of ideas to record videos of the most "visually grabbing," says director David Ferriero. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2008-11-11-new-york-public-library-video_N.htmWed, 12 Nov 2008 14:38:00 GMThttp://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/10/2008-11-10_throw_the_bums_out_board_of_elections_bo.html?page=1I got my job through ... ... the New York Public Library. That might well be the slogan of an ad campaign suited to an era when unemployment is rising and the U.S. is shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month. As a reminder that local libraries offer extensive job-search resources, here's how Barack Obama found his community organizing job in Chicago after he graduated from Columbia University. In 2005, he told American Libraries magazine: "People always mention libraries in terms of just being sources for reading material or research. But I probably would not be in Chicago were it not for the Manhattan public library, because I was looking for an organizing job and was having great trouble finding a job as a community organizer in New York. "The Mid-Manhattan Library had these books of lists of organizations, and the librarian helped me find these lists of organizations, and I wrote to every organization. One of them wound up being an organization in Chicago that I got a job with." The help is still there, and in even greater sophistication. Check it out. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/10/2008-11-10_throw_the_bums_out_board_of_elections_bo.html?page=1http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_NYPL_Library_Lions_Benefit_Honoring_Albee_Ephron_Bryan_and_Rushdie_20010101The New York Public Library honored playwright Edward Albee, children's author and illustrator Ashley Bryan, screenwriter and essayist Nora Ephron, and novelist Salman Rushdie at its annual Library Lions black-tie benefit on Monday, November 3, 2008, at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Master of Ceremonies for the evening's program was be Nobel Laureate and Library Trustee Toni Morrison. The evening also featured a disco dance party hosted by the Young Lions, a membership group of New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s who support the work of the Library. "The individuals we are honoring this year embody the highest level of accomplishment in their respective fields. Their achievements encompass a variety of rich forms of creative expression that the Library preserves and makes accessible in its collections," said Library President Paul LeClerc. "We are proud to recognize them as Library Lions for their groundbreaking artistry and for their noble commitment to a life of ideas, inventiveness, exploration, and thought." The event's co-chairs were Mr. and Mrs. Oscar de la Renta; H.R.H. Princess Firyal and Mr. Lionel I. Pincus; Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Fuld, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. John B. Hess; Mr. and Mrs. Felix Rohatyn; Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Schwarzman; and The Honorable Merryl H. Tisch and Mr. James S. Tisch. The Young Lions dance co-chairs are Mr. Nicholas T. Brown, Ms. Claire Danes, Ms. Amanda Hearst, Mr. Michael Hess, Mr. Hudson Morgan, and Ms. Andrea L. Olshan. "The Library Lions benefit is our most important fundraiser of the year," said Catherine C. Marron, Chairman of the Library. "With the help of a group of dedicated co-chairs we are able to highlight the accomplishments of the Library and generate crucial support for our collections and operations." For more information please visit www.nypl.orghttp://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_NYPL_Library_Lions_Benefit_Honoring_Albee_Ephron_Bryan_and_Rushdie_20010101Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:50:35 GMThttp://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2008/11/party-animals-take-over-the-library.htmlThe economy may be tanking, but New York City’s fall gala season is in full swing, as patrons of the arts continue to open up their pocketbooks to attend events at Gotham’s venerable institutions, such as the Met, the Whitney, and Lincoln Center. Last night, the Young Lions, the junior arm of the New York Public Library’s fund-raising efforts, held its yearly fête in conjunction with the Library Lions Gala, whose guests (Barbara Walters, Oscar de la Renta, and Ivanka Trump, among others) honored Edward Albee, Ashley Bryan, Nora Ephron, and Salman Rushdie. At the disco party, which took place inside the white-marble entranceway facing Fifth Avenue, it was hard to miss one particular big cat on the dance floor: Stephen Schwarzman. The Blackstone chief put aside stock-price woes for a moment and, amid pulsating strains of funk’s most memorable anthems, enjoyed some sweet moves with his wife, who was frosted in diamonds. It appeared as if a $100 million contribution can make even one of the grandest buildings in Manhattan feel like one’s personal castle. Schwarzman wasn’t the only one letting loose. Bohemian girl-about-town Arden Wohl flitted about in a retro schoolgirl frock, blowing out tea lights before making an early escorted exit. Fashion editor Stephanie LaCava showed off an avant-garde L.B.D. and super-high heels, while New York Times best-selling author (and one of the Young Lions’ own) Marisha Pessl made her way through the crowd. VF Daily was pleased to spot Dan Abrams, the former MSNBC host who was recently replaced on the roster by Rachel Maddow. But the night wasn’t just about resurrecting one’s inner groove. The Young Lions raises capital that helps contribute to the vitality of the library. With any luck, the event went a long way toward bringing in essential funds without disco-ing out the party animals who need to make it to the polls today.http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2008/11/party-animals-take-over-the-library.htmlWed, 05 Nov 2008 14:45:58 GMThttp://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/11/salman_rushdie_graphic_novelis.html"I'm a world expert on superhero comics," Salman Rushdie told us last night at the New York Public Library's Library Lions benefit, where he was among the honorees. "I think maybe only Michael Chabon knows more than me." The Satanic Verses author owns oil paintings of Spider-Man and Wolverine, signed by Stan Lee. Also, he collected comic books as a kid, but, sadly, his father threw them away. "They’d be worth so much money now if he hadn’t done that. You know, 1950s and sixties Dell Comics, and Marvel; it would be worth a fortune,” he said. And while he hasn’t yet written a superhero into one of his novels, Rushdie's actually considering writing a comic book. "Just recently I’ve been approached by a couple of publishers of what are now called graphic novels to say, would I like to do one. And, I mean, I haven’t said yes. But I am quite interested." He added that Doris Lessing told him she’d had a great time writing a graphic novel and recommended it highly. Rushdie wouldn’t say which publisher had made the offer, or which artist might do the drawings. "We haven’t got that far yet. Literally, I just got the letter a couple of weeks ago," he said. "So we’ll see."http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/11/salman_rushdie_graphic_novelis.htmlWed, 05 Nov 2008 14:49:06 GMThttp://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/2008-library-lions-roar-at-nyc-public-library/The New York Public Library’s Young Lions Disco Party took place last night at Library Lions and was a total blowout success with over 650 tickets sold. The dancing, dessert, and drinks began at 9:00, and the Literary Lion made quite a hit on the dance floor well into the early morning. Around 11pm, the music switched from the Bee Gees and other disco favorites to a club centric play list whereby guests started to get down. The copious amount of drinks, dancing, and beautiful attendees made it quite the night in the Big Apple. The Young Lions Dance Chairmen include Nicholas T. Brown, Claire Danes, Amanda Hearst, Michael Hess, Hudson Morgan, and Andrea L. Olshan.http://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/2008-library-lions-roar-at-nyc-public-library/Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:51:36 GMThttp://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/books/68270/the-cheapest-bookstoreIt’s called the library, geniuses. Here’s how it will save you money—and more. By Michael Miller, Time Out New York While we would never recommend that you stop buying books, the economic downturn will surely cause some readers to think twice before shelling out $25 or more every time they want to pick up a new hardcover. Especially when you can get them for free at the literary gold mine known as the New York Public Library. With more than 52 million items (books, DVDs, CDs) available in Manhattan (41 branches), the Bronx (35) and Staten Island (12), the NYPL makes your local bookstore look like a veritable grain of sand on the beach. They have great author events (NYPL Live, soon to welcome Joan Didion), nerdy exhibitions (a new one is devoted to the artists colony Yaddo), places to sit, computers and, for laptop luggers, powerful Wi-Fi. Any city resident can sign up for a card at nypl.org. According to David Ferriero, the Andrew W. Mellon director of the NYPL, more people are starting to use the library; here are some reasons why.http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/books/68270/the-cheapest-bookstorehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=sloginNew York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff has given his ringing endorsement: “There is no project today that is more important to the civic identity of New York—or to reasserting a populist ideal that has been dormant for too long.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=sloginTue, 28 Oct 2008 15:47:19 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23libr.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=sloginThe New York Times writes: "Norman Foster, the eminent British architect who has made something of a specialty out of inserting contemporary designs into historic buildings, has been selected for a major renovation of the New York Public Library’s landmark 1911 main building, on Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets."http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/arts/design/23libr.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=the%20new%20york%20public%20Library&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=sloginTue, 28 Oct 2008 15:38:59 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=175The New York Public Library explores the far-ranging influence of Yaddo, and opens a window onto some of the most significant events in twentieth-century life as experienced by its artists, in this richly detailed multimedia exhibition. The free exhibition is on view from October 24, 2008 to February 15, 2009 in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall (First Floor) of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Sociologist and cultural critic Micki McGee, Fordham University, has served as the Spencer Trask & Co. Curator for Yaddo: Making American Culture. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=175Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:51:34 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=176A New York Public Library exhibition explores the rich history, legacy and influences behind Art Deco, a style which visually captured the fascinating decades of the 1920s and 1930s and signaled the birth of our contemporary concept of modernism. Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve will be on view at The New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street from September 12, 2008 to January 11, 2009. Admission is free. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=176Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:10:40 GMThttp://nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=162The New York Public Library’s ASK NYPL reference service is introducing two enhancements that will improve and expand the service. The Library recently launched 917-ASK-NYPL, a new easier to remember telephone number for Library information and for asking reference questions. In addition, for the first time the ASK NYPL service is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Library users can ask reference questions in Spanish and English and seek help at anytime through online chat via the Library’s website at www.nypl.org. http://nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=162Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:39:28 GMThttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/arts/design/12doug.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=sloginThe New York Times reviews Aaron Douglas: African American Modernest, a new exhibition that just opened at The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Aaron Douglas (1899–1979) was considered the foremost visual artist of the Harlem Renaissance. In paintings, murals, and book illustrations, he incorporated elements from music, dance, literature, and politics to produce powerful artistic forms that had a lasting impact on American art history and the nation’s cultural heritage. Working from a politicized concept of personal identity, he combined angular Cubist rhythms and seductive Art Deco dynamism with traditional African and African American imagery to develop a radically new visual vocabulary that evoked both current realities and hopes for a better future. Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist, curated by the Spencer Museum of Art/The University of Kansas, is the first nationally touring retrospective to celebrate his art and legacy. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/arts/design/12doug.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=sloginMon, 15 Sep 2008 15:15:34 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=109Tony Kushner and Edmund White Help Launch New Support Group for The New York Public Library's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Collections LGBT @ NYPL Announces over $500,000 in Major Corporate Gifts from Time Warner, MAC AIDS Fund, and Estee Lauder and Private Donations at April 3 Kickoff (New York, NY) April 4, 2008 – A new donor support group, LGBT @ NYPL, will help to expand, build, and make accessible The New York Public Library’s extensive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) collections, one of the few such efforts by a non-LGBT organization. At an inaugural reception last night at the Library, LGBT @ NYPL’s Co-Chairmen Hermes Mallea and Carey Maloney announced it has raised more than $500,000 in corporate and private donations to strengthen LGBT collections across the The New York Public Library’s four research libraries and 87 branches. Mallea and Maloney were joined by Library Chairman Catherine C. Marron and President Paul LeClerc as well as Honorary Chairmen Tony Kushner and Edmund White. (Honorary Chairman Rita Mae Brown was unable to attend.) http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=109Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:41:10 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=107The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers announces the selection of its tenth class of Fellows: fifteen exceptional creative writers, independent scholars, and academics, coming to the Library from as near as Brooklyn and as far away as Warsaw. The Fellows, whose appointments were announced today by Library President Dr. Paul LeClerc and Jean Strouse, the Sue Ann and John Weinberg Director of the Center, will use the research collections and online resources of The New York Public Library’s landmark Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to pursue a variety of book projects. They will be in residence at the Center from September 2008 through May 2009. http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=107Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:09:14 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/2007/FacadeRestor.cfmThe New York Public Library Will Restore its Fifth Avenue Building's Historic Facade. Project to be Completed in Time for Building's 2011 Centennial. http://www.nypl.org/press/2007/FacadeRestor.cfmMon, 07 Apr 2008 14:33:22 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=100Five Young Literary Talents Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library’s 2008 Young Lions Fiction Award. Winning writer, aged 35 or younger, to be awarded $10,000 prize at April 28, 2008 ceremony hosted by Actor Ethan Hawke. The finalists for The New York Public Library’s 2008 Young Lion Fictions Award are: Ron Currie, Jr., God Is Dead Ellen Litman, The Last Chicken in America Peter Nathaniel Malae, Teach the Free Man Dinaw Mengestu, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears Emily Mitchell, The Last Summer of the World http://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=100Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:31:57 GMThttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=86A Re-envisioned Library System to Meet the Needs of a Growing, Changing New Yorkhttp://www.nypl.org/press/releases/?article_id=86Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:46:42 GMT