NYC libraries to give out 15,000 free books this weekend

July 28, 2023

The book giveaway from 2022. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

New York City public libraries are giving away 15,000 books to families this weekend. The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library are gifting the books as part of the annual summer reading and learning programs, which motivate kids and teens to maintain their reading and critical thinking skills while on summer break. The free books will be available on a first-come first-served basis at select library branches on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.

This will be the fifth summer that the New York Life Foundation has helped support the city’s library’s Summer Reading and Learning Programs. The Foundation estimates that summer break causes students to lose up to two months of instruction per year, leading them to fall behind in learning. Students from low-income families are usually affected disproportionately.

“At The New York Public Library, we are dedicated to ensuring every New Yorker has access to the transformative power of books. It is a unique privilege to support children and teens on their reading journey, providing them with wonderful stories that inspire and educate them,” Anthony W. Marx, President of NYPL, said.

“We are grateful to the New York Life Foundation for partnering with New York City’s libraries to give away thousands of books for young readers to take home, which will encourage them to read more and to visit their local library, where our dedicated staff can offer even more recommendations and new worlds to explore.”

Books will be offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese at select locations. The books will be available at the following library branches:

Brooklyn Public Library
Friday, July 28, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Kensington Library, 4207 18th Avenue
  • Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Avenue
  • Saratoga Library at Saratoga Park, 112 Howard Avenue
  • Park Slope Library, 431 6th Avenue

Saturday, July 29, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

  • East Flatbush Library, 9612 Church Avenue
  • McKinley Park Library, 6802 Fort Hamilton Library

New York Public Library
Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Manhattan

  • 53rd Street Library, 18 Wwest 53rd Street
  • Columbus Library, 742 10th Avenue
  • Epiphany Library, 228 East 23rd Street
  • Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, 455 5th Avenue

Staten Island

  • Todt Hill-Westerleigh Library, 2550 Victory Blvd

Bronx

  • Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road
  • Sedgwick Library, 1701 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
  • Wakefield Library, 4100 Lowerre Place

Queens Public Library
Friday, July 28, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Arverne Library, 312 Beach 54th Street
  • Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
  • Corona Library, 38-23 104 Street
  • Flushing Library, 41-17 Main Street

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