One of the best articles I’ve found is this interview with actor Sharon Washington. What about growing up in a library? Check out Life Behind the Stacks: The Secret Apartments of New York Libraries to read more about life at both the New York Society Library and the NYPL’s Schwarzman Building – which is the apartment where my current read takes place. What was it like to grow up in a library apartment? Here’s a peek Inside One of the NYPL’s Secret Abandoned Apartments (specifically the Hunts Point Library), with 16 photos of the space. So cool to walk through that abandoned space! (Originally there were 30 library apartments.) The following is basically a video tour of that Atlas Obscura article. Per this Atlas Obscura article (and tour of the Fort Washington branch apartment) published in 2016, there are only 13 apartments left. Most of them have been converted or renovated into useable library space. These apartments haven’t been lived in for decades. How awesome are Patience and Fortitude, the NYC Library Lions? Did you know they have bookends of the pair?) What did these apartments look like? Was it just the main branch that had a family living there? (No, they all did!) What were these apartments like? What would it be like to grow up there? (Also in my search I’ve been sidetracked. So today, instead of reading (or getting any legit to-do’s checked off my list), I find myself down an internet rabbit hole. Image credit: New York Public Libraries (NYPL), 1911. Take any book you want off the shelves and find a cozy nook to read. Imagine, being able to explore the library when it’s empty. There’s a secret apartment in the library for the superintendent and his family. Not only does it take place in the NYPL, but a family LIVES in the NYPL. This book takes place in the main branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL). I almost squealed with delight when I heard the book dedication: “For librarians everywhere.” You guys. I liked the cover, so I put it on (a Libby) hold, which came up this week. It popped up on a list, or email, or online article, or something a few weeks ago to spark my memory that I wanted to read it. I may have read the book summary when I added it to my TBR, but in all honesty if I did, I can’t remember it. Interestingly, there was a specific reason for the new restrictions.I started a new audio book yesterday, The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. I chatted with the library aides stationed at the entrance to the reading room and asked why the rule had changed. I’d heard about the new Rose Room restrictions so I decided to test it out for myself on a recent visit. You can take non-flash photos from the back of the room during the tour. If you aren’t planning to study, you can still enter the room on a free library tour, but even then you must stay behind the rope and cannot wander around the room. Bring your text books and sit quietly (you must bring study materials and show them to the attendant). Now, the Rose reading room is only open to the public for research or quiet study. Note: It may still be possible to photograph the Rose Reading room at the Library’s free monthly after hours cocktail event “The Library After Hours” (most of the photos above were taken then, when no one was in the room to study), however, I have not been recently so I cannot confirm this is still the case. It is not possible to take photos like these today. If you came right when the library first opened, as I did, you could even sneak in a few photos around the room before it filled up. Only a few years ago, you could enter the Rose reading room at any time, and as long as you were quiet and unobtrusive, no one would question you or bother you. Why the NYPL has Limited Access to the Iconic Rose Reading Room
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |