Results tagged “library”

This morning the New York Public Library cut the ribbon on their brand new Battery Park City Library, which also happens to be the first green library in Manhattan. Their 88th branch, located at 175 North End Avenue, is about 10,000-square-feet and has a pricetag of $6.7 million. The branch is expected to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and inside you'll find: more ›

According to a years-old and little-known contract provision called “Extreme Temperature Procedures,” workers in the vaulting halls of New York Public Libraries can take paid leave when indoor temperatures get frosty. Union boys and girls can step out for a few hours, or if they choose to stay, they can accrue compensatory hours or paid leave to be taken later. But how does NYPL define the rather subjective concept of "extreme cold"? more ›

At Junior High School 126 in Brooklyn, middle schoolers who want to use their library are only getting two, maybe three, hours of partial access a day! The Daily News reports that they "have severely limited access to the cozy, mural-painted reading spot this year so the three charters sharing the Greenpoint building can use the space for planning, meetings and small classes." One student whose local public library is in a dangerous area, lamented, "We have no way of researching. There's this whole library full of new books bought for our school, and we can't even use it." more ›

So about that locked vault that holds controversial books at the Brooklyn Library... the Daily News published a piece by the New York Civil Rights Coalition's executive director, Michael Meyers, chastising the practice of locking up our nation's history—no matter how ugly it can be. The book at the centerpiece is Tintin au Congo, and Meyers says, "we don't need librarians protecting us or our children's wonderment and discovery from 'bad' images and messages in books. Where would such paternalism in the forms of censorship and banishment begin and end? We shouldn't try to hide unpleasant truths from our children. It is historical fact that white racialists colonized Africa, and that explorers and even missionaries thought of black Africans as primitive savages in need of civilizing." Indeed, this history happened and it's not an "Out, out damned spot" sort of scenario where a lock and key will make it disappear. more ›

Fact: The Brooklyn Library has a vaulted room which holds some of the more "controversial" books. CityRoom pointed out that you can't find a copy of, say, cartoonist Hergé's book "Tintin au Congo" on the shelves, because that book is held in this locked room. (The site published parts of the book, so probably that web page should go in there too.) One librarian told them, “It’s not for the public," and has been locked away for 2 years now after "a patron objected to the way Africans are depicted in the book. In particular, the patron took issue with illustrations that she felt had the Africans 'looking like monkeys.'’’ more ›

This is what you get for not keeping up with the digital age! A Brooklyn grandmother rented a VHS copy of Austin Powers at the Borough Park library branch for her grandkids to watch, and someone had spliced it with "long pornographic scenes" during the credits, The Post reports. Esther Klein put in a call to assemblyman Dov Hikind about the x-rated rental, and he's now demanding local libraries ban VHS. Here we were worried about the sand when the real danger to our children is the local library! Hikind declared, "This is unbelievable. The bottom line is that the local library can be unsafe for young children. It's pretty sick stuff." He added that children can psychologically suffer forever from this type of exposure. But what about grandma renting a PG-13 movie (for nudity and sex-related dialogue/humor) with a character named Alotta Fagina (pictured) in it for her 7-year-old grandkid? Maybe there should be some scaremongering about the real enemy: grandmas! Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Library is all, "we have the problem under control and will remove the tape." more ›

Noting that President Obama has said that a librarian helped him find his first job as a community organizer, New York Public Library President, Paul LeClerc, recently told The NY Times, “We’ve been in the job-search business for decades. This is a continuation.” The paper takes a look at the local libraries and how, as of late, more unemployed folks have been flocking to them en masse (and not just to breastfeed). Free resources, computer classes, Internet—it's all very appealing during the economic crisis. And while circulation is up, "libraries are facing steep cuts in the mayor’s proposed budget for next year, and have other economic woes." Hours are already being cut, but hopefully the Internet access will remain: One branch remarked that it's the most common service being sought, and not just by job seekers, but "more and more teenagers are showing up to sign on, saying their parents have canceled Internet service at home." This does not bode well for Facebook. more ›

Nepotism doesn't mix with library book picks, apparently! According to the NY Times, Brooklyn Tech High School librarian Robert Grandt paid a $500 and admitted to violated the city ethics code after promoting a graphic novel his daughter helped illustrate. Grandt, an educator for 39 years, called a manga version of Shakespeare's Macbeth a "Best New Book" pick in his newsletter and "Best Book Ever Written" in a library display of copies he donated. He said to the Times, "I’m supposed to, as part of my job, display new books and encourage the kids to read new books. So here, I displayed my daughter’s book and encouraged the kids to read it and am told that I had done something illegal.” He has since removed the book from the shelves. Next up for Brooklyn Tech kids: College, where they will be required to buy their college professors' books for courses. more ›

The American Museum of Natural History has culled together their collection of historical photos online in an overwhelming library that documents their exhibits, dinosaur displays and dioramas from construction to completion. This is all part of their online exhibit, titled Picturing the Museum: Education and Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. They note that the "exhibitions within the Museum building grew from the simple rows of specimen cabinets to more sophisticated representations of the natural world, both living and extinct." [Pruned via Kottke] more ›

Those retro TV dinners with the pre-formulated portions aren’t just for Eisenhower-era loners anymore; the factory-made frozen meals have been cleverly revived for big city sophisticates dining at the Regency Hotel's 540 Park restaurant. The first Swanson TV Brand Frozen Dinner sold for 98 cents in 1953; at the Regency it’s been brought up to date for $30. more ›

Earlier this week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously agreed to allow the main branch of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to inscribe the name of a prominent donor, financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, multiple times on the library facade. The fabulously wealthy son of a grocer and co-founder of the Blackstone Group will have his name inscribed five times on the library’s façade as a shout-out for his $100 million unconditional gift to the NYPL. more ›

Slowpokes and procrastinators beware: Late fees from overdue library books in New York could be costing you points off your credit score. The New York Times has an article today that describes how the The New York Public Library and the Queens Public Library have been using a private company named Unique Management Services, which is a collections agency that library late fines are referred to when not paid by book borrowers. One rabbi in Far Rockaway found this out when he tried to apply for a mortgage! more ›

(fishbowl, vol. 3, by hbomb1947 at flickr) more ›

The Queens Library system apparently loves Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, because it's distributing fliers touting their praises. Quinn recently championed a Council bid to prevent members from using taxpayer funds to self-campaign, but one can't always control fans one has in the library system. From the NY Sun:

Sensitivity to the use of public funds to promote elected officials is high at City Hall, with the council approving a new set of rules last month barring members from using public funds to purchase self-promoting advertisements. The change occurred after a report from an advocacy group found council members spent $927,507 in public funding on advertisements during a five-and-a-half-year stretch between July 2001 and December 2006.

If you’re thinking about buying into the future Soho Mews condo but still unsure whether the “doorman, concierge and a curator” will be enough for you, the news in today’s Post might just be your tipping point. The under-construction condo, which is comprised of two buildings joined by a shared courtyard garden, has announced a partnership with Centovini, the Italian restaurant on West Houston, four blocks north from the condo on West Broadway, across from... more ›

ART: Last night the works of ex-Guided By Voices frontman Robbert Pollard were unveiled at an invite-only opening, and today it's a free-for-all. Come by and check out his debut art exhibit, which "will consist of more than 50 collages that date from 1990 through 2007. Using elements from 1950's -70's era magazines, pamphlets and obscure pictoral paperbacks as his primary tools, he portrays allegorical personas and hallucinogenic-type environments to create small, almost random synapses... more ›

After months and months of delays, the BAM Cultural District may be moving forward. The NY Times is reporting that city officials have chosen Harlem-based developer and Brooklyn resident Carlton Brown to create what the Times' Terry Pristin calls the "cultural district's centerpiece." This is the first Brooklyn project for Brown, who developed the Kalahari and 1400 on Fifth in Harlem and the Solaire, the city's first residential green building, in Battery Park City. The... more ›

An exhibit at the main branch of the New York Public Library is drawing outrage from Republicans because some of the work on display depicts former and current members of the Bush administration posing for fake mug shots. Each official in the visionary series, called “Line Up”, is seen holding a slate with a date of arrest corresponding to a date when the official said something about Iraq that was not “reality-based.” Matthew Walter,... more ›

Mayor Bloomberg may deny any desire to run for president in 2008, but his non-NYC homework seems to suggest otherwise. According to the Huffington Post, he has regular foreign policy briefing session "on a wide variety of topics...from non-proliferation to the defense budget, with a specific focus on the war in Iraq." Who has been briefing him? Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and an adviser during the Clinton administration Nancy Soderberg: "One source... more ›

Recently we sent Katie Dickinson to an advanced screening of “The Kite Runner” hosted by the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Club. The screening was followed by a Q&A; session featuring director Marc Forster, screenwriter David Benioff and author Khaled Hosseini. Here's what she reported back: Spanning two continents and three decades, the novel "The Kite Runner" tells the story of Amir, an immigrant from Afghanistan, and how a childhood friendship with his servant,... more ›

NY Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff reviews Jean Nouvel's future 75-story tower at 53 West 53rd Street, describing it as "the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation." He compares Nouvel's latest to the Woolworth, Chrysler and Seagram buildings. Filling a 17,000 square-foot vacant lot next to MoMA, the structure will be the future site of a developer Hines' 100-room hotel and 120 "highest-end" (Hines' words) luxury apartments. MoMA, which sold the lot... more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn't totally eschewed the Republican party. According to the NY Sun, the Democrat-turned- Republican-turned- independent will be "entertaining" Nancy Reagan "as well as hosting a fund-raiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library." Like the former First Lady, Bloomberg has progressive views on health and science issues (like stem cells). And Bloomberg has been known to host many fund-raisers for various people and causes. But some suspect that Bloomberg might be looking for... more ›

The Columbia University students' hunger strike to protest Columbia's non-inclusive attitudes about redevelopment and curriculum continues with one less striker. Just after midnight on Sunday, a post went on up on the Columbia Hunger Strike website saying, "This evening, one hunger striker was admitted to St. Luke's hospital. She will not continue the strike for personal medical reasons." The student, Aretha Choi, who attends Barnard, later wrote:...my disappointment increases as I remember the bitter... more ›

Books, or at least book shelves, must be on this couple's wedding registry: The Post has a cute story about a couple whose engagement took place at the Strand Bookstore. Joshua Reich and Shianling King "always told friends they met at the Strand," but they actually met online - their first date was supposed to be at the Museum of Modern Art, but the lines were so long that they went to the Strand instead.... more ›

Jack Kerouac. “Face of the Buddha.” Pencil on paper, 1956(?). NYPL, Berg Collection. Jack Kerouac. “Stella by Jack.” Pencil on paper, 1966(?). NYPL, Berg Collection. To help commemorate the 50th Anniversary of On the Road, the NYPL has put together a great exhibit titled Beatific Soul: Jack Kerouac on the Road. The exhibit explores the work and life of the Beat writer and showcases "the three extant typescript drafts of the novel, including the... more ›

READING: We originally thought this was going down yesterday, but you still have a chance to see it! Not in a million years would we have thought we'd be listing a reading by former Guns n' Roses guitarist, Slash. But it turns out old rockers love to dish on their sordid lives, and this mysterious musician is no different. Tonight he'll read from his book, called Slash, which apparently "redefines sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll." more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

Robert Chambers, whose privileged Upper East upbringing earned the tabloid nickname "The Preppy Killer" when he killed a woman in 1986, was charged with 14 counts of selling and possessing drugs. Since two of the counts are for first-degree sale, which the Daily News reports carries 15-30 years, Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "I would expect he would spend the rest of his life in jail." more ›

On Monday afternoon, a 51-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times on the head and shoulder with an 8-inch kitchen knife at the 169th Street F train platform in Jamaica, Queens. Paula Jean Baptiste's attacker, Matthew Cordacho, was trying to steal her purse but fled the scene after Baptiste put up a fight. However, he was followed by a witness who called 911 and ended up being arrested a few blocks away. more ›

You'd think that if you were one of the city's most notorious murderers, you'd try to keep a low profile. But apparently Robert Chambers, the infamous Preppy Killer, thinks a low profile means selling drugs from an East 57th Street Manhattan apartment. more ›