BROOKLYN—We started the year at the Center for Brooklyn History on a cold January night with our first ever BPL Salon, curated by award-winning writer and artist Molly Crabapple. The evening featured music, conversation, dancing and other delights you might not expect at the Library, including an opera singer, a tarot card reader and a Hip-Hop dance performance. The Salon is a model for the programs and services we offer all year long: free to the public, creative and thoughtful, and open to everyone.
Here are the Library’s top 10 moments.
We Fought for the Freedom to Read.
Brooklyn Public Library—with help from book shops, libraries, publishers and friends across the country—initiated the first ever nationwide action against censorship. On October 19, we hosted a rally on the steps of Central Library’s Plaza, joining more than 300 partners across the country to take action against the dramatic increase in book bans in the U.S. BPL also continues to provide books to young people who are affected by censorship through our Books Unbanned program. Nearly 10,000 teens from every state in the nation have applied for the free e-card, checking out almost 300,000 books. And our podcast, Borrowed and Banned—chronicling the lives of writers, students, educators and librarians on the frontlines of the censorship battle—was nominated for a Peabody Award.
We Celebrated the Return of Sunday Service.
This year, a record-breaking 30,000 Brooklynites took action, enlisting their city leaders to help restore critical Library funding. Thanks to their passionate advocacy, the Library was able to reopen our branches for Sunday service at a celebration in July after the City Council and the Mayor agreed on a budget that restored crucial library operating funds. The funding also allowed us to continue universal six-day service, which New Yorkers have enjoyed for nearly a decade. Now, no matter your age, beliefs, background—or schedule—we are glad to welcome you here.
We Browsed the Branches.
In February, we asked New Yorkers to participate in a friendly competition by visiting all of our 62 locations. One of the first patrons to finish did the entire journey over three days on his bicycle, covering approximately 100 miles. Another visited all 62 branches by bus. An artist made an illustration of each branch she visited. One patron, down on his luck after a long, disappointing job interview process borrowed his friend’s car, saying it was “one of the most fun adventures/journeys I have ever been on in my entire life… It got me out of my head and completely changed my mood and outlook for the better.” [ME1] More than 150 people have completed the challenge, with hundreds more visiting new branches this year.
We Connected Patrons to 100,000 Free Cultural Experiences.
New Yorkers made over 100,000 reservations on Culture Pass this year. The program, launched in partnership with New York Public Library and Queens Public Library, started with just 30 venues in 2018. Culture Pass provides library card holders free access to museums, historical sites, and performance venues at 100 sites across all five boroughs. This year, Culture Pass partnered with Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app featuring expert-curated content and guides to over 700 museums around the world—including dozens of Culture Pass partner organizations.
We Celebrated 10 Years of BookMatch.
Since launching our free reading recommendation service a decade ago, BPL librarians have created more than 11,000 book recommendation lists containing nearly 70,000 unique titles. Popular patron requests have included novels set in New York City; memoirs and histories of Brooklyn; thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy audiobooks; and dense intricate novels or nonfiction. But each request is different. One reader asked for graphic novels that went beyond the superhero, no tights or flights. Readers have asked for books about long bicycle trips, Greek gods, fairy tales and the road not taken. And readers of all ages take part. One request came from a parent who said, “my five-month-old daughter is beginning to show a lot of interest in board books.” Another said “I am writing on behalf of my mom who is 101 years old. So large print for sure.” Want to get your own personalized, customized list? Click here.
We Amplified Diverse Voices.
This year, we invited the public to create a contemporary anthem that echoed our collective hopes and struggles and reflected the experiences and dreams of a new generation. Presented in partnership with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and in collaboration with New York and Queens Public Libraries, the series included an immersive song-writing workshop series for the top 100 participants. Three writers advanced to collaborate with composers to craft their final compositions, which were performed live at Lincoln Center this summer. The opening lyrics of the winning song, titled “Let Them Fly,” by Jessy Tomsko, might well have been written for the library: “In this land of freedom, let us all be free to dream, to learn, to do.”
The Library also launched exhibitions highlighting diverse literary voices. In The 1619 Project: A Visual Experience, the Library presented original works from Nikole Hannah-Jones’s new art book based on her groundbreaking New York Times Magazine initiative, centering themes of resistance and freedom from 10 Black artists. Similar themes emerge in Turkey Saved My Life: Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971, a BPL exhibition featuring rare photos of James Baldwin in Istanbul by Sedat Pakay.
We Hammered Away.
This spring, the Greenpoint Library Tool Library opened for the first time, empowering patrons to borrow tools to work on home projects, repair their possessions, and learn new tool skills. In making tools accessible to the community, we are encouraging environmental responsibility and sustainability with a can-do DIY twist. The collection includes over 130 tools, with drills being the most popular checkout so far. Our tools join a growing list of nontraditional items available for loan, including telescopes, musical instruments, vinyl records, and over 1,000 board games.
We Joined the (Book) Club.
In September, the Library partnered with the Ballerina Book Club hosted by WNET and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Isabella Boylston. Boylston stopped by Central Library to learn more about banned books, and librarians compiled a list of fall-themed books for her club. Book clubs are flourishing across the system. In Park Slope, librarians started a book club with the theme adulting is hard as a way of engaging young adults after the pandemic. It has been going strong for two years. Dyker Heights Library’s book club has been running for 12 years and regularly welcomes 20 or more people to join in the discussion. There’s a sci-fi book club in Clinton Hill, an LGBTQ+ book club in Brooklyn Heights, and many anime clubs for teens. Book clubs are a great way to explore new titles, and, just as importantly, to foster community and connection.
We Reached Out to Our Neighbors.
Our Older Adult Services unit turned 50 years old this year, continuing a long tradition of serving patrons over 55 years of age with specially designed programs. This year alone, we offered a debate series, technology assistance, art classes, health and safety workshops and much more. And across the library, the rest of our award-winning Outreach team was busy connecting with the public, including the borough’s most vulnerable populations. BPL expanded English and vocational classes, while also adding valuable navigation services to connect the City’s growing population of immigrants and asylum seekers to services needed for life in Brooklyn. The Community Health Initiative offered dozens of classes and seminars on physical and mental health, safety and fitness, while Brooklyn Supports, a monthly resource fair, helped vulnerable adults find counseling, housing, food, health insurance, and employment assistance. Meanwhile, the Justice Initiative’s Welcome Home dinners provided a supportive place for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers to share a free meal, community and resources.
We Found Our Way to Sesame Street.
Two Sunset Park librarians and six young library patrons participated in Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale, a television special that aired on HBO and featured two teams competing for top honors in a contest about, what else, cookies! Elmo, Big Bird and a few other friends stopped by to cheer the teams on, while viewers learned about the importance of libraries in every community. Best of all, everyone was a winner as Sesame Street generously provided books and supplies to Sunset Park Library.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.