Government & Community Affairs December Newsletter

 

NYPL Government & Community Affairs
Facebook   Twitter   Google+   Tumblr   Instagram
Donate
December 2014

This newsletter is a monthly electronic communication from the Library’s Office of Government and Community Affairs to government and community stakeholders of the Library. Each month, we aim to provide relevant updates on budget actions, capital projects, community engagement, programming, events and related Library news. Our office is your resource for information and assistance – please contact us with any questions or needs.


SPOTLIGHT ON A PROGRAM

Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Library Chiefs Announce Expansion of Library Hotspot Program

On December 2nd, Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City’s three library systems, and Google announced a $1 million donation from Google for an innovative library program lending Wi-Fi devices to New Yorkers to use at home. The Library Hotspot program gives families, many lacking broadband access, the opportunity to borrow free Wi-Fi devices from their local libraries. The program was successfully piloted by The New York Public Library over the summer, when families at four branches in the Bronx and Staten Island were able to borrow devices for months at a time.

Google’s $1 million donation, along with a $500,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Robin Hood Foundation, will allow the program to expand this fall to all three library systems, including Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library. The goal is to offer about 10,000 families Wi-Fi devices powered by Sprint, helping to close the digital divide in New York City.

LEARN MORE >
WATCH A VIDEO >

City’s First Readers Launch

City's First Readers Launch

NYPL President Tony Marx with Council Members Reynoso, Levin and Van Bramer

On November 12th, NYPL President Tony Marx, joined his counterparts from Queens Library and Brooklyn Public Library, as well as representatives from Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, Jumpstart for Young Children, Literacy, Inc., Video Interaction Project and Parent-Child Home Program for the official launch of “City’s First Readers”, a New York City Council initiative. Sponsored by Council Members Reynoso and Levin, this $1.5 million initiative will support a coalition of eight organizations who are working with young children, helping them to become strong and accomplished readers.

FIND OUT MORE >

Congresswoman Clarke at Schomburg Center

Congresswoman Clarke at the Schomburg Center

U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke Photo: Terrence Jennings

On October 29th, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke attended and spoke at the tenth annual Caribbean International Network (CIN) Lecture Series. The CIN Lecture series in one of the premier Caribbean events in New York, attracting a cross-section of diplomats, media, business and religious leaders and other noteworthy members of the Caribbean community. This year the series celebrated its 10th year with a presentation by Jamaica’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Peter David Phillips, on “Jamaica’s Path to Posterity.”

WATCH THE LECTURE >

SPOTLIGHT ON A BRANCH

“Port Richmond Is” Officially Opens

Port Richmond Is Officially Opens

From L to R: NYPL President Tony Marx, Staten Island Library Network Manager Yolanda Gleason, Director of Education Rose Kerr from the Office of the Borough President, and Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke

On December 1st, NYPL President Tony Marx joined Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke to officially open “Port Richmond Is,” a free exhibition of 62 photographs taken by elementary school students enrolled in the summer Out of School Time (OST) Enrichment Zone program at the Port Richmond Library on Staten Island. During the event, the Deputy Borough President also announced a much-needed $300,000 capital allocation for infrastructure improvements at the branch.

WATCH A VIDEO >

Mariners Harbor Library Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary

December 15th through the 20th, Mariners Harbor Library will be celebrating their one year anniversary of being open to the public with daily events, including games, a movie screening, stories, performances and more. Please come and join the celebration!

FIND OUT MORE >

SIBL’s Second Annual NYC Small Business Technology Expo

SIBL's Second Annual NYC Small Business Technology Expo

On a rainy November 6th, SIBL hosted the Second Annual NYC Small Business Technology Expo. This free event is part of a citywide initiative supported by the New York City Department of Small Business Services, Citi Community Development, and the NYC Small Business Technology Coalition (a public-private partnership between the NYC Department of Small Business Services, Citi Community Development, and select community development organizations across New York City). The goal is to help NYC small businesses located in low-to-moderate income communities implement technology that will help them grow.

The event was kicked off with speeches by: Kelvin Collins, Assistant Commissioner, NYC Business Solutions Program Management; Eileen Auld, Citi’s Community Development Director for the New York Tri State Market; Euan Robertson, First Deputy Commissioner at Small Business Services; and Kristin McDonough, Director of The New York Public Library Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL).

The NYC Small Business Technology Expo presents a great opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs to network with innovative and cutting edge technology companies. This year’s participants, all of whom set up desks in SIBL’s Healy Hall, included: NYC Business Solutions, Square, Constant Contact, Kiva Zip, AWeber, Yelp, .nyc, Townsquare, Signpost, LiquidTalent, and Business Mentor NY.


CAPITAL PROJECT UPDATES

Roosevelt Island Library – ‘Community Conversation’

Roosevelt Island Library – 'Community Conversation'

From L to R: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Roosevelt Island Library Manager Nicole Nelson, Council Member Ben Kallos, Seward Park Library Network Manager Dawn Chance, NYPL Vice President for Government and Community Affairs George Mihaltses

On October 29, New York Public Library staff met with a group of community stakeholders in the Charleston neighborhood of Staten Island to discuss plans for a new library that will be part of the Charleston Development. Hosted in coordination with Council Member Vincent Ignizio and Borough President James Oddo, this meeting was the first in a series of community conversations that will inform the program and design of this new branch. Stay tuned for more updates and information about future opportunities to share your ideas!

The Library is grateful to City Council Member Vincent Ignizio, Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the NYC Economic Development Corporation for their support of this project.

The Schomburg Center – Phase II Major Renovation

The Library is currently in phase II of a $15 million major renovation project at the Schomburg Center. At the Schomburg Building, the project will include a two-story addition with a first floor gift shop and a second floor conference room, renovation to the second floor Reading Room, Rare Book Storage and adjacent offices, exterior improvements, façade work, and exterior LED screens and interior LCD screens. We will also be completing mechanical upgrades in the Langston Hughes Building, and interior upgrades in the Landmark Building. We anticipate construction to begin in early 2015.

The Library is grateful to Council Member Inez Dickens, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York State Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, and New York State Senator Bill Perkins for their support of this project.


NYPL NOW!

Discover Free Classes, Programs, and Exhibitions

Pick up a copy of the latest issue of NYPL Now! today at any Library location, or read it online.

SELECTED PROGRAMS

What New Yorkers Should Know About the Affordable Care Act: Opportunities for Health Care Coverage
Friday, December 5, 2014, 6 – 8 p.m.
Bronx Library Center

Talks at the Schomburg: Slavery, Universities, Inner Cities
Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Eating Organically on a Budget
Saturday, December 13, 2014, 1 p.m.
Stapleton Library

Disabilities Studies Book Group
Friday, December 19, 2014, 3:45 p.m.
Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library

Find events at your neighborhood library

NYPL Now!

Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography
EXHIBITION

Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography

December 12, 2014 through September 4, 2015
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

Thanks to the development of new technology and social media, more photographs are created, viewed, and shared today than ever before. This exhibition features images spanning 1839 to the present, and explores the ways in which photography has been shared and made public.

PLAN YOUR VISIT >

EVENTS

The Empire State Building: From Al Smith to King Kong

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Thursday, December 11, 2014, 1:15 p.m.

The skyscraper is America’s gift to world architecture. The most iconic skyscraper is the Empire State Building which rose at the time of the Great Depression. What drove it was an extraordinary combination of politics, money, design, and chutzpah. Powerful men and brilliant architects worked together to create this masterpiece of urban life which became symbolic of American achievement.

Dr. Seth Gopin, a writer in residence in the Wertheim Study, is known to several generations of Rutgers University students for his dynamic lectures on the history of art.

LEARN MORE >

EXHIBITION

Broadway Revealed

November 8, 2014 through January 31, 2015
Library for the Performing Arts

With its elaborate stages and celebrity casts, New York’s Broadway theater district is one of the most popular destinations in the United States, drawing more than 11 million visitors annually from around the world. When we hear the word “Broadway,” we remember the stars, the costumes, the sets, and the stories. But who are the people behind these magical performances?

PLAN YOUR VISIT >
Broadway Revealed

Question Bridge: Black Males
EXHIBITION

Question Bridge: Black Males

Now through January 3, 2015
Schomburg Center

Question Bridge is an innovative exhibition that exposes the incredible diversity of thought, character, and identity within the black American male demographic, breaking the traditional view of a monolithic identity.

PLAN YOUR VISIT >

EXHIBITION

Going Home, Coming Home: Remembering

Schomburg Center, American Negro Theatre
Now through Saturday, January 3, 2015

Going Home, Coming Home: Remembering is a memorial dedication that honors seven African and African American legends, whose lives have impacted humankind throughout the world. They all have influenced, inspired and supported our humanity globally, but especially and particularly in Harlem.

PLAN YOUR VISIT >

NYPL IN THE NEWS

New Westchester Square Library

On November 23rd, The New York Times published a story on the Library’s plans for a new home for the Westchester Square branch, highlighting community support for this new space and its connection to the Huntington Free Library and Reading Room. The Library looks forward to moving forward with this project, currently in design, and to engaging the community in our program planning process.

READ THE ARTICLE >

George Mihaltses
Vice President for Government and Community Affairs
(212) 930-0051 georgemihaltses@nypl.org 

Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
Associate Director for Government and Community Affairs
(212) 930-0554 stephaniemartinezruckman@nypl.org 

Allison Maginot
Manager for Government and Community Affairs
(212) 642-0106 allisonmaginot@nypl.org 

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

The mission of The New York Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities.


SPONSORS

Support for The New York Public Library’s Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos Exhibitions Fund, and Jonathan Altman.

Major support for Public Eye provided by Robert B. Menschel — Vital Projects Fund. Additional support from the Carl Jacobs Foundation; the Bertha and Isaac Liberman Foundation, Inc., in memory of Ruth and Seymour Klein; an anonymous donor; and the continuing generosity of Miriam and Ira D. Wallach.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.

Broadway Revealed: Photographs by Stephen Joseph Behind the Theater Curtain was organized by Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA. The exhibition’s presentation in New York was funded in part by the Jerome Robbins Foundation. Additional support for the exhibition and catalogue came through a Kickstarter campaign.

Public Eye photo: Esther Bubley. Greyhound Bus Terminal, July ’47, 245 W. 50th Street, New York, N.Y. NYPL, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. © and reproduced courtesy Standard Oil (New Jersey) Collection, Archives and Special Collections, University of Louisville.

Programs are subject to change or cancellation. For up-to-date information, visit www.nypl.org/events.

Update Your Profile | Manage Your Subscription | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

The New York Public Library | Stephen A. Schwarzman Building | Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street | New York, NY 10018

Print Friendly, PDF & Email