Brighton Beach, Cortelyou, DeKalb, Flatlands, Gerritsen Beach, Jamaica Bay, New Utrecht, and Sunset Park Libraries
Discover Brooklyn this summer with Community Galleries! Explore special objects on loan from the city's finest cultural institutions, right at your local branch.
In Olden Days: Dogs in Objects We Don't See Anymore
Presented by the Museum of the Dog, New York City
Sunset Park Library: July 1–July 14
New Utrecht Library: July 16–July 28
DeKalb Library: July 30–August 11
Dogs have been our best friends forever, yet the things people make for them (and in their honor) have changed a lot over the years.
Take a peek at some very old objects like a cast-iron doorstop shaped like a dog that once guarded a family's front door, or a collar worn by a real pup over 100 years ago. What do you think it was like to be a dog back then?
Native Touch Exhibit: Reusability and Sustainability
Presented by the Brooklyn Museum
Brighton Beach Library: July 2–July 21
Cortelyou Library: July 23–August 12
For many Native American nations, nothing from a hunt was wasted. Every part of an animal, hide, horn, bone, (even teeth!) had a purpose. This reflects a deep respect for the natural world and a commitment to using resources wisely. The objects in this exhibit invite you to touch history and discover the ingenuity and care embedded in these practices.
Fantastic Frogs and Toads of Brooklyn
Presented by Prospect Park Zoo
Cortelyou Library: July 2–July 21
Brighton Beach Library: July 23–August 12
Frogs and toads are closer than you might think! Right here in Brooklyn, these small, amazing animals live in our parks, ponds, and wetlands and are quietly doing some important work. They eat insects that bite us, feed the birds and fish we love, and tell us when our water and air are clean. When frogs are healthy, we know our neighborhoods are too.
Alice’s World: Touching History Through Photography
Presented by Alice Austen House
DeKalb Library: July 1–July 14
Sunset Park Library: July 16–July 28
New Utrecht Library: July 30–August 11
Through interactive displays, touchable objects and ephemera, historic photographs, and hands-on activities, visitors will explore how Austen used photography to document everyday life in New York during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Long before photojournalism became a recognized profession, Austen photographed city streets, immigrant communities, working people, family life, and rapidly changing urban spaces with honesty, curiosity, and creativity.
The exhibition highlights Austen’s role as a woman working behind the camera at a time when few women had opportunities in the arts or journalism. Visitors will learn how she challenged Victorian expectations by pursuing photography, traveling independently, and documenting the world from her own perspective.
What's a Rainforest Good For?
Presented by Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Jamaica Bay Library: June 30–July 13
Gerritsen Beach Library: July 15–July 27
Flatlands Library: July 29–August 11
Explore connections we have with rainforest plants!
Traveling Through Time
Presented by the International Center of Photography
Gerritsen Beach Library: June 30–July 13
Flatlands Library: July 15–July 27
Jamaica Bay Library: July 29–August 11
Imagine different places and moments in time with photography.
Stay Cool!
Presented by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
New Utrecht Library: July 1–July 14
DeKalb Library: July 16–July 28
Sunset Park Library: July 30–August 11
Brooklyn is home to people from all over the world. Explore the visual identity and expression from various people and cultures in Brooklyn through the use of instruments used to stay cool in hot climates. Such classifications displayed will be: fans, sandals, containers, hats, and dolls. In facilitated programming, participants will create their own ways to stay cool and receive a list of public spaces in their neighborhood with regulated temperature in the summer.
Summer in the City
Featuring images from the Center for Brooklyn HIstory
Jamaica Bay Library: July 15–July 27
Gerritsen Beach Library: July 29–August 11
Photographs from the archives at the Center for Brooklyn History feature Brooklynites staying cool at the beach from 1877–1956. See how has beachgoing in Brooklyn has changed over 150 years!
In partnership with:
