NYPL Expands Mid-Manhattan Hours, Open 8 to 11
Seven libraries in system now open at 8 a.m.
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 09/14/2009
- Most hours since 1970s
- One-day café
- Criticism of Donnell lingers
In January, the New York Public Library (NYPL) gave up plans to sell the aging Mid-Manhattan Library, one of the central libraries of its branch system. Now it has made Mid-Manhattan the linchpin of its effort to expand hours in ten buildings. Starting today, Mid-Manhattan is open 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
In its kickoff event, NYPL converted street-level space at Mid-Manhattan into a “Cover to Cover Café,” with free coffee and Timbits from Tim Hortons, the Canadian donut chain that has recently expanded into New York City.
Will Mid-Manhattan offer full services throughout its open hours? As of now, there's a smaller staff after 8 p.m., said NYPL spokesman Herb Scher, but schedules will vary according to local needs. "We will be monitoring and analyzing usage to determine whether we need additional staff at those times," he said.
Hours grow
NYPL branches will be open an average of 52.5 hours per week, the most since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the library said. There are now seven branches that open at 8 a.m.
The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the flagship research library across from Mid-Manhattan at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, open seven days, will open at 10 a.m. on six and will remain open until 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“In the current economic climate we have seen that access to libraries is essential,” said NYPL President Paul LeClerc. “I am very grateful to Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and the City Council for preserving funding for library hours, and our staff deserves credit for their willingness to experiment with new ideas and approaches to serving our users.”
More service, some criticism
The other libraries with expanded hours are the Baychester and Morris Park libraries in the Bronx; Jefferson Market, Chatham Square, 58th Street, Morningside Heights, and 96th Street libraries in Manhattan; and the Todt Hill library in Staten Island.
Not everyone’s happy. A commenter on the New York Times’s CityRoom blog reminded readers of the impact of the much-criticized closure of the Donnell Library in Midtown.
