The New York Public Library is excited to have reopened its largest circulating branch after being closed for major renovations.
Located across from the Library’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the former Mid-Manhattan Library—now called the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library—is NYPL’s largest and busiest circulating library, with more than 1.7 million visits a year and an annual circulation of 2 million items.
New Yorkers from across the city have long relied on the branch for books and materials along with free computer and Internet access, technology training, English language classes, and more, which is why it received a much-needed interior renovation so New Yorkers could get the library they need and deserve.
LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTS
The new and improved Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) features eight floors of offerings—including four floors of general collections and reading rooms, as well as the following brand new amenities:
Dedicated Children’s Center & Teen Center
- Teen Recording Studio & Media Lab
- Teen Study Rooms
- Youth Program Rooms
Thomas Yoseloff Business Center
- Personal Finance & Investing
- Small Business Research
Pasculano Learning Center
- Career Services
- English Language & Literacy
- Media & Technology Training
- Multimedia Studio
Rooftop Terrace
- Event Center & Café
Planning for the Mid-Manhattan renovation began in fall 2015 with the selection of the design team following more than a year of discussion and input led by librarians and informed by expert and public feedback. Preliminary designs were released in the fall of 2016. Construction started in late 2017, and work was completed in 2020. Visitors got their first initial glimpse of the building in July 2020, and following a gradual reopening, visitors gained full access to the building in June 2021.