New York Public Library Research

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day!

The New York Public Library holds rich collections documenting labor movements and organizations in New York City, the United States, and beyond. Check out our research guide to find collections related to labor unions and trade unionism: https://on.nypl.org/4ijDwcj

🖼️ Labor Day, ca. 1950. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Art and Artifacts Division. ID: 59014705.

09/04/2026

Long before Mark Zuckerberg created a social network called Facebook, this face book was created to help NYPL's director remember the names of employees.

The book includes photos and names of research library staff between 1930 and 1945, including librarians, administrators, and facilities staff, grouped by the room they worked in.

09/03/2026

As NYPL marks 250 years of the United States with our exhibition 'Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond,' which includes 'Art as Declaration,' staff from the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection present 'Literature as Declaration': a selection of materials that surveys how American writers have celebrated, chronicled, and challenged the promises of the country's founding documents—and how literature has been and continues to be used to promote civic engagement.

These works reveal how writers have played an essential role in the ongoing conversation about what it means to be American, what America is, and what it could be. Explore philosophy, poetry, novels, and nonfiction by Walt Whitman, Amiri Baraka, Annie Proulx, Paul Auster, and more.

Read more in the blog post: https://on.nypl.org/4ycEM5n

09/03/2026

Earlier this year, Elizabeth Cronin, the Robert B. Menschel Curator of Photography, visited the Longyearbyen Public Library in Svalbard and presented a copy of NYPL’s book 'The Awe of the Arctic: A Visual History' to head librarian Lars Holt.

The book, which was named an Honorable Mention by the 2026 William Mills Prize for Non-Fiction Polar Books, accompanied our 2024 exhibition that surveyed how the Arctic has been visually imagined and depicted over the past 500 years.

Find the book in our shop: https://on.nypl.org/4gFiqCn

09/01/2026

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

It's the perfect time to get—or renew—your card and access all of the resources at NYPL's research centers. Find millions of items in our collections, search online databases, consult archives, and more.

Sign up today: https://on.nypl.org/4cnnxWF

08/31/2026

Learn how to do research on folklore at NYPL!

Our new guide is designed as an introduction to the wide array of folklore and folklore-related resources at The New York Public Library, especially reference works, and resources focused on storytelling. Discover where to start, how folktales are classified, and how to access materials in our collections.

Explore: https://on.nypl.org/4wYXmgC

08/29/2026

Hot off the press! 🗞️

Did you know that you can read the latest news right here at our 42nd Street library? Every morning before the building opens, the daily newspapers are delivered to our DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room, where staff inventory and organize them. Patrons can use their library card to read the paper for up to an hour.

Learn more about accessing daily newspapers: https://on.nypl.org/4wOvviV

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

250 years ago today, American and British troops met at the Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, the largest battle of the entire Revolutionary War.

The world’s most professionalized military quickly defeated a much smaller American army made up of hastily assembled, barely trained recruits armed with mismatched weapons and makeshift uniforms. General George Washington narrowly avoided capture, escaping across the East River to lower Manhattan with his remaining troops in the dead of night.

Hear presidential historian Alexis Coe discuss this battle in the audio guide for our exhibition 'Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond,' narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright, on Bloomberg Connects: https://bit.ly/4qAFxTj

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐶

A French poodle named Fin de Siècle? A collie named Benjamin Harrison? 1890s dog owners weren't messing around when it came to their canines' monikers.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals kept this register of original dog licenses (numbers 1 to 10,000), issued April 16 to May 31, 1894, with renewals for these licenses made between 1895 and 1904.

Think you can top these Gilded Age pet owners? Drop the name of your furry friend in the comments below!

Explore this item in our archives: https://on.nypl.org/4y3tWP1

🐕 Manuscripts and Archives Division