The popular Mid-Manhattan Library closes Tuesday, August 1st, for a three-year, $151 million gut renovation that will include multi-story wall of bookshelves and a public roof terrace. Nearby NYPL branches are extending hours and programming to make the loss easier.
And it is a loss. The Mid-Manhattan Library is one of the busiest in the country, serving some 1.7 million visits a year and circulating about two million books, CDs and other items a year. And it’s a popular destination for FREE classes and programs including a regular Meet the Author series, computer classes and weekend film screenings.
The Mid-Manhattan branch, 455 Fifth Ave. at 40th Street, across Fifth from the main library guarded by the two famous lions, was designed originally for a department store, and opened as a library in the 1970s. So it’s due for a modernization.
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The new the Mid-Manhattan Library will be state-of-the-art building, with a full-floor business library, a floor dedicated to children and teens, hundreds of additional seats, and the only free public roof terrace in Midtown.
While it’s closed, staff and services will be moved to nearby branches, including a space on the ground floor of the main Stephen A. Schwarzman Building across Fifth Avenue, where Mid-Manhattan’s circulating collections, computers, programming spaces and quiet study tables will be available. You can also return your books and other items here.
But you’ll have to wait until August 29th, when the interim space opens. The NYPL needs those 28 days to move Mid-Manhattan’s books and furniture across the street.
The temporary space will be accessible via the entrance on 42nd Street- not via the main entrance on Fifth Avenue – and called “Mid-Manhattan Library at 42nd Street”.
Between August 1st and August 29th, you can return Mid-Manhattan items at any nearby branch, including Grand Central Library, the Science, Industry and Business Library, the Children’s Center and the 53rd Street Library.
Hours for the temporary Mid-Manhattan Library at 42nd Street will be:
- 8 AM to 8 PM. Monday and Thursday;
- 8 AM to 9 PM Tuesday and Wednesday;
- 8 AM to 6 PM Friday;
- 10 AM to 6 PM Saturday;
- 10 AM to 5 PM Sunday.
Other branches including the Grand Central Library, the Science, Industry and Business Library, the Children’s Center, the 53rd Street Library and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building will have extended hours and additional programming to fill the needs currently served at the Mid-Manhattan branch. For more information, visit the NYPL’s website.
Here are the extended hours, programs and services for nearby NYPL branches:
Grand Central Library | 135 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017
- New hours are Monday–Thursday: 10 AM–9 PM; Friday: 10 AM–6 PM; and Saturday: 10 AM–5 PM
- Additional 8 hours per week
- Additional services include IDNYC and SingleStop
Science, Industry and Business Library | 188 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
- New hours are Monday–Friday: 10 AM–8 PM; and Saturday: 10 AM–6 PM
- Additional 4 hours per week
- Additional services include TechConnect and citizenship classes
Children’s Center at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building | 42nd Street entrance
- New hours are Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10 AM–6 PM; Tuesday, Wednesday: 10 AM–8 PM; and Sunday: 10 AM–5 PM (Sunday hours begin again in September)
- Additional 3 hours per week
53rd Street Library | 18 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
- Hours are Monday, Wednesday: 11 AM–7 PM; Tuesday, Thursday: 11 AM–6 PM; and Friday, Saturday: 10 AM–5 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building | Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
- Hours are Monday, Thursday–Saturday: 10 AM–6 PM; Tuesday, Wednesday: 10 AM–8 PM; and Sunday: 1–5 PM (Sunday hours begin again in September)
- Additional services include the Picture Collection, which will remain at Schwarzman after Mid-Manhattan reopens, and TechConnect classes
- This location is for research, quiet study, and programming only; except for the Children’s Center, patrons cannot pick up holds or check out books here
photo rendering courtesy NYPL
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.