Brooklyn Public Library

You can now check out artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library

Department of Transformation: Letters for the Future. All photos by Gregg Richards

November 6, 2025

You can now check out artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers can now borrow artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library as part of a new program and exhibition. Curated together with the Department of Transformation, "Letters for the Future" celebrates the library as one of the few remaining “intellectual, creative, and civic commons still freely available" with work from over 40 artists. As part of the exhibition, on view through January 25, library cardholders can check out artwork, including paintings, sculptures, zines, and more, for a three-week period.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC public libraries stand against censorship during Banned Books Week

Credit: Terry Ballard on Flickr

October 2, 2025

NYC public libraries stand against censorship during Banned Books Week

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's public libraries are recognizing Banned Books Week this year with a stacked lineup of programs and events. Running from October 5 through 11, the week-long observance arrives amid a continued rise in book censorship. According to the American Library Association (ALA), 2,452 unique titles were challenged in 2024—almost nine times the annual average of 273 titles from 2001 to 2020.
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Events & Things To Do

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

Photo by QuasyBoy via WikiCommons

September 25, 2025

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Brooklyn public library will be redeveloped into a new modern branch with affordable housing above it. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday plans to replace the 70-year-old New Utrecht Library in Bensonhurst with a new state-of-the-art branch alongside housing units, part of the city's "Living Libraries" program, which pairs new libraries with housing. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will issue a request for proposals for the redevelopment, which will also include the city-owned parking lot next to the library.
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11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

Credit: Clay Banks on Unsplash

August 4, 2025

11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

By Aaron Ginsburg

Eleven more New York City public libraries will be open seven days a week, thanks to funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. Made possible by a $2 million investment to expand weekend service, the new Sunday hours begin September 7, bringing the total number of branches open on Sundays to more than 30. The $2 million is part of a broader $15 million increase for the New York Public Library (NYPL), Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) systems secured in the FY 2026 budget.
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Policy

Brooklyn Public Library to release special New York Liberty library cards

Credit: New York Liberty

May 29, 2025

Brooklyn Public Library to release special New York Liberty library cards

By Aaron Ginsburg

Reigning WNBA champions the New York Liberty are teaming up with the Brooklyn Public Library for a new special edition library card. Starting on Monday, June 2, all BPL branches will begin issuing 100,000 limited-edition cards featuring the 2024 champs and the team’s beloved mascot, Ellie the Elephant. The partnership will continue through the summer as the Liberty and BPL team up through Brooklyn Basketball to support the library’s summer reading program.
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Events & Things To Do

‘Night in the Library’ returns to Brooklyn Public Library for after-hours fun

All photos courtesy of Gregg Richards

March 3, 2025

‘Night in the Library’ returns to Brooklyn Public Library for after-hours fun

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brooklyn Public Library's beloved "Night in the Library" event is returning to its Central branch, offering thought-provoking programming stretching far beyond its usual hours of operation. Running from Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. the next day, "Sky Above Brooklyn - The Philosophy of the Sublime" will feature after-hours discussions, performances, and screenings, all aimed at reminding us that the reality we experience is just a small part of a much larger picture. The programs will encourage new ways of thinking about navigating the world with renewed attention, sensitivity, and curiosity.
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Events & Things To Do

Huge cultural hub with galleries, performance spaces, new library opens in Fort Greene

All photos by Gregg Richards, courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library

February 5, 2025

Huge cultural hub with galleries, performance spaces, new library opens in Fort Greene

By Aaron Ginsburg

Some of Brooklyn's most influential arts and cultural institutions have a new home in the heart of Fort Greene. L10 Arts and Cultural Center officially opened last week, bringing a 65,000-square-foot facility with gallery and performance spaces for the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA), cinemas for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 Arts, and a new Brooklyn Public Library branch to 10 Lafayette Street. The center sits within the mixed-use tower 300 Ashland Place, which opened in 2017.
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Here are the library books New Yorkers borrowed the most in 2024

Photo credit: Peter Frasco/ The New York Public Library

December 18, 2024

Here are the library books New Yorkers borrowed the most in 2024

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's three public library systems revealed the annual most borrowed books of 2024. Across all three of the systems—the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library—the most checked-out title was "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, followed by "Happy Place" by Emily Henry and "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yaros.
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Events & Things To Do

New Brooklyn Public Library exhibit features rare photographs of James Baldwin flourishing in Turkey

Baldwin sitting in a Triumph Herald on the Bosphorus Ferry © Sedat Pakay

December 13, 2024

New Brooklyn Public Library exhibit features rare photographs of James Baldwin flourishing in Turkey

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating the centennial of civil rights activist and writer James Baldwin’s birth with a special exhibition of never-before-seen photographs. Called "Turkey Saved My Life - Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961-1971," the installation features photographs by Turkish photographer Sedat Pakay that shed light on a fertile period in Baldwin’s life when he traveled to the country to distance himself from the racism and homophobia present in America. The exhibition is on view in the lobby of the Central Library through February 28, 2025.
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Events & Things To Do

New Lots Library redesign will recognize site’s legacy as an African Burial Ground

Renderings courtesy of MASS Design & Marble Fairbanks Architects

December 9, 2024

New Lots Library redesign will recognize site’s legacy as an African Burial Ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

A transformational library redesign in East New York will honor the site's legacy as an African Burial Ground. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) on Saturday revealed plans for the redesigned New Lots Library by MASS Design and Marble Fairbanks, designed to better serve local residents and recognize the formerly unacknowledged African Burial Ground while celebrating African American culture. The library is slated to close for construction in fall 2025.
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Architecture And Design

Popular Articles

NYC public libraries mark Banned Books Week with first-ever national day of action

Photo © 6sqft

September 20, 2024

NYC public libraries mark Banned Books Week with first-ever national day of action

By Aaron Ginsburg

This year New York City's public libraries will mark Banned Books Week with events, activities, and programming to push back against the alarming rise in nationwide censorship. In 2023, the American Library Association (ALA) recorded the highest number of challenged book titles, marking a 92 percent increase from 2022. Along with Banned Books Week from September 22 through 28, the city's libraries are teaming up with ALA for the first-ever "Freedom to Read Day of Action" on October 19.
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Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn Public Library begins next phase of Central branch renovation led by Toshiko Mori

All images courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library

September 5, 2024

Brooklyn Public Library begins next phase of Central branch renovation led by Toshiko Mori

By Devin Gannon

Brooklyn Public Library on Thursday kicked off the next phase of the major renovation of its main branch. Led by renowned architect Toshiko Mori, the project at the Central Library includes an updated adult learning center, a new teen center, a restored collections area, and a renovated children's center. The first phase of the renovation, which wrapped up in 2021, added more light-filled, publicly accessible spaces, and a modernized career center.
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Architecture And Design

Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Manhattan will reopen on Sunday, July 14. Photo © John Bartelstone courtesy of the NYPL

July 9, 2024

Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

By Devin Gannon

For the first time since late last year, Sunday service will return to some New York City public library branches this weekend. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council last month agreed to a budget for fiscal year 2025 that restores $58.3 million in funding for the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library. The libraries will reinstate Sunday service at branches that previously offered it on a rolling basis starting July 14.
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NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch. Photo via WikiCommons

June 28, 2024

NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council reached a tentative deal to restore $58 million in proposed cuts to New York City public libraries just days before the budget is due. The mayor and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Thursday announced in a joint statement that $58.3 million in funding will be reinstated for the city's three public library systems in the fiscal year 2025 budget, due June 30, as well as a separate $53 million for the city's cultural institutions. The funding agreement allows libraries to resume Sunday service, which ended at all branches last fall following announced budget cuts.
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Policy

Adams’ $112B budget restores some funding, but keeps cuts to NYC libraries

Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch. Photo by Gregg Richards.

April 25, 2024

Adams’ $112B budget restores some funding, but keeps cuts to NYC libraries

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday released his $111.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2025, which rolls back previously planned cuts to cultural institutions, early childhood education, and the police, thanks to higher-than-projected tax revenue. However, funding has not been restored for New York City's public libraries, which currently face $58.3 million in cuts. Library officials say the lack of funds would force libraries to operate just five days a week, down from the current standard of six days.
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Policy

Most NYC libraries would only open five days a week under mayor’s budget cuts, officials say

A rally of library supporters at City Hall on March 12. Photo courtesy of NYPL

March 13, 2024

Most NYC libraries would only open five days a week under mayor’s budget cuts, officials say

By Aaron Ginsburg

Most New York City public libraries would only be able to open five days a week if the latest budget proposed by Mayor Eric Adams is approved, library officials warned this week. The presidents of the city’s three public library systems testified at a City Council budget hearing on Tuesday on the detrimental effects the proposed $58.3 million in budget cuts could have on library service. If the mayor's budget for the next fiscal year is approved, most city libraries will cut hours to just five days a week, marking the first time in nearly a decade that libraries will not be open six days at every branch.
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Policy

These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2023

Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

December 19, 2023

These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2023

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's three public library systems on Tuesday revealed their most checked-out titles of 2023. At the New York Public Library, the most borrowed book of the year was "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus. In Queens, the top checkout was "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yaros, and in Brooklyn, "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy.
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City Living

NYC public libraries end Sunday service due to budget cuts

Photo credit: NYPL/Jonathan Blanc

November 17, 2023

NYC public libraries end Sunday service due to budget cuts

By Devin Gannon

Public libraries across New York City will soon be closed on Sunday in response to budget cuts announced by Mayor Eric Adams this week. Under the updated fiscal year 2024 budget released Thursday, every city agency will see a 5 percent budget reduction, including the police, sanitation, and education departments, as well as the public library system. New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public libraries said seven-day service will be eliminated, including ending Sunday service at most branches that offer it.
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Policy

NYC’s first 100% affordable housing development with new public library opens in Sunset Park

All photos courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library

November 16, 2023

NYC’s first 100% affordable housing development with new public library opens in Sunset Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brooklyn Public Library and Fifth Avenue Committee on Wednesday opened the Sunset Park Library and Apartments, a first-of-its-kind development with 100 percent affordable housing above a new state-of-the-art public library branch. The eight-story mixed-use building at 372 51st Street brings new affordable housing homes to Sunset Park for the first time in two decades. Officials say the project could establish a new model for co-located affordable housing developments in the city.
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Affordable Housing

How NYC public libraries are fighting censorship

Photo of the plaza at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library courtesy of Gregg Richards

October 2, 2023

How NYC public libraries are fighting censorship

By Devin Gannon

Book bans continue to increase nationwide, with public libraries now a major target of challenges. According to the American Library Association (ALA), there were 695 attempts to censor library materials with challenges to 1,915 unique titles during the first eight months of 2023, an increase of 20 percent from the same period last year. Challenges to books in public libraries accounted for 49 percent of all challenges, compared to just 16 percent last year. In response, New York City libraries are launching anti-censorship campaigns directed at young people across the five boroughs and beyond, coinciding with Banned Books Week, which runs from October 1 through October 7.
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Events & Things To Do

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

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

July 28, 2023

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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Events & Things To Do

Brower Park Library reopens within the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Photos courtesy of Gregg Richards

July 24, 2023

Brower Park Library reopens within the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brooklyn Public Library's Brower Park branch has joined forces with another Crown Heights institution: the Brooklyn Children's Museum. After facing a hefty price tag of $5.6 million to make necessary improvements at its existing building, the library instead moved to the ground floor of the museum, according to Patch, with the branch officially open as of last week. Located at 155 Brooklyn Avenue, the library includes a main reading room, a community room, a colorful children's space for both reading and play, as well as an outdoor reading terrace.
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Uncategorized

Brooklyn Public Library opens surprise installation honoring Jay-Z

Photo © 6sqft

July 14, 2023

Brooklyn Public Library opens surprise installation honoring Jay-Z

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brooklyn Public Library on Friday opened a new installation celebrating the life and legacy of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, from his beginnings in Bed-Stuy's Marcy Projects to worldwide fame. Located at the library's Central Branch next to Prospect Park, the exhibition, titled "The Book of HOV," features art, images, ephemera, and memorabilia from the rapper's archives that pay tribute to his incredible life and career and highlight the ways he helped redefine hip-hop, music, and culture on a global scale. The experience is free and open to the public for a limited time starting July 14.
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Events & Things To Do

East Flatbush’s new library is light-filled and inviting

Images courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library

June 9, 2023

East Flatbush’s new library is light-filled and inviting

By Aaron Ginsburg

A renovation of the East Flatbush Library has transformed it into a light-filled and modern space that will inspire visitors of all ages. After undergoing a complete renovation by architecture firm LevenBetts, the East Flatbush Library reopened to visitors this week. Located at 9612 Church Street, the revitalized library has achieved LEED silver status and features an innovative facade, windows, and skylights which fill the previously dimly-lit facility with abundant natural light.
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Architecture And Design

NYC public libraries say $36.2M budget cut will impact service, free programs

Image courtesy of the New York Public Library

March 21, 2023

NYC public libraries say $36.2M budget cut will impact service, free programs

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's three public library systems are protesting Mayor Eric Adams' planned $36.2 million budget cuts in the FY24 budget. Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson, Queens Public Library President Dennis M. Walcott, and New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx testified in front of the City Council on Monday, warning the proposed budget cut could lead to reduced hours of service and fewer free programs, classes, and other opportunities thousands of New Yorkers depend on.
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Policy

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