Brooklyn Public Library

IT IS THE MISSION OF THE LIBRARY TO ENSURE THE PRESERVATION AND TRANSMISSION OF (SEE SCHEDULE O) SOCIETY'S KNOWLEDGE, HISTORY AND CULTURE, AND TO PROVIDE THE PEOPLE OF BROOKLYN WITH FREE AND OPEN ACCESS TO INFORMATION FOR EDUCATION, RECREATION AND REFERENCE.

NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES:NEARLY ALL OF BROOKLYN'S 2.6 MILLION RESIDENTS LIVE WITHIN A MILE OF A LIBRARY BRANCH. THROUGHOUT FY 2022, BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY WORKED DILIGENTLY AND CREATIVELY TO RESTORE LIBRARY SERVICES TO ITS COMMUNITIES. BPL HAS EXPANDED AND MAINTAINED SERVICES AS CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOWED WHILE MAINTAINING THE ROBUST VIRTUAL RESOURCES OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE REINSTATEMENT OF IN-PERSON VISITS TO OUR BRANCHES. OUR BRANCH LOBBIES EXPERIENCED ROUGHLY 3,066,000 PATRON VISITS IN FY 2022, UP 277.6% FROM FY 2021LARGELY DUE TO THE MODIFIED COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AND RETURN OF INDOOR PROGRAMMING.IN FY 22, BPL OPENED THE FOLLOWING NEW BRANCHES: ADAMS STREET LIBRARY, THE FIRST NEW ADDITION TO THE SYSTEM SINCE 1983, AND BROOKLYN HEIGHTS LIBRARY. AT OVER 26,000 SQUARE FEET, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS LIBRARY IS NOW THE SECOND-LARGEST LIBRARY IN THE SYSTEM AFTER THE CENTRAL LIBRARY. KEY FEATURES OF THE LIBRARY INCLUDE A CHILDREN'S AREA, A TEEN LIBRARY, A MULTIPURPOSE ROOM WITH A CAPACITY OF 225, PUBLIC MEETING ROOMS, AND PLENTY OF BRIGHT, AIRY SPACES TO BROWSE, READ, WRITE, CREATE, WATCH, AND THINK. IN FY 2022, THE POP-UP VACCINE EVENTS FOR KIDS TOOK PLACE AT BROWNSVILLE, CONEY ISLAND, FLATBUSH, NEW LOTS, AND CENTRAL (ALL AGES). THESE POP-UPS FOSTERED STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

CENTRAL LIBRARY:CENTRAL LIBRARY IS THE LARGEST PUBLIC LIBRARY IN BROOKLYN. AT 352,000 SQUARE FEET, THE BUILDING ACCOUNTS FOR ONE-THIRD OF BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY'S (BPL) TOTAL PHYSICAL PLANT. WITH PANDEMIC LIMITATIONS ON PUBLIC USE OF THE BUILDING, BPL OPERATED A GRAB-AND-GO LIBRARY SERVICE WHILE COMPLETING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE RENOVATION IN CENTRAL LIBRARY'S OVER 80-YEAR HISTORY.IN FY 2022, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY LAUNCHED A VINYL COLLECTION OFFERING WITH ABOUT 400 RECORDS WHICH HAVE CIRCULATED OVER 1200 TIMES SINCE AUGUST 2022 AND HOSTED "HOW TO DJ," "MUSIC PRODUCTION" CLASSES FOR ALL AGES, ALONG WITH A SERIES WE CONTINUE TODAY CALLED "LUNCH BEATS" WHERE STAFF DJ IN THE GRAND LOBBY DURING THE LUNCH HOUR.HOME TO THE SHELBY WHITE AND LEON LEVY INFORMATION COMMONS, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY CONTINUES TO OFFER A PUBLIC TECHNOLOGY CENTER AND WORKSPACE WITH RESERVABLE RECORDING STUDIOS AND MEETING ROOMS, DESIGN SOFTWARE, AND A DIGITAL TRAINING LAB FOR COMMUNITY CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS.IN FY 2022, CENTRAL CIRCULATED 9,322,741 ITEMS - AN 86.3% INCREASE FROM FY 2021.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS:BPL OFFERS PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AND AGES. IN ADDITION TO THE BRANCH PROGRAMS DESCRIBED ABOVE, BPL HOSTS TEEN TECH TIME AND HOMEWORK HELP SESSIONS, CITIZENSHIP AND HSE TEST PREPARATION, CAREER AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES, FREE CULTURAL EVENTS, AND MUCH MORE. A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF OUR SPECIAL PROGRAMS: BOOKS UNBANNED: BPL OFFERS A FREE E-CARD TO TEENS NATIONWIDE, PROVIDING ACCESS TO OUR COLLECTION OF E-BOOKS, AUDIOBOOKS, AND DATABASES. YOUNG ADULTS LIVING IN CITIES AND TOWNS OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK WERE INVITED TO SEND US AN ESSAY, VIDEO, STORY, OR OTHER FORMS OF CREATIVE EXPRESSION THAT SPOKE TO WHAT IMPACT BANNING BOOKS HAS ON THEM OR WHY THEY SUPPORT THE FREEDOM TO READ IN LIBRARIES. THESE COMMUNICATIONS SERVED AS THEIR "APPLICATION" FOR A FREE BPL OUT-OF-STATE E-CARD. WE HAVE CREATED ALMOST 4,000 NEW CARDS THROUGH OUR INITIATIVE TO COUNTER BOOK BANS AND LIMITS ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM FOR TEENS NATIONWIDE. BOOK-MATCHPROVIDES PATRONS WITH READING LISTS SPECIALLY CURATED BY BPL LIBRARIANS. BKLYN INCUBATOR SUPPORTS AND FUNDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW INITIATIVES BY LIBRARIANS AND STAFF, WITH TRAINING AND MENTORING ON PROGRAM DESIGN, PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT. BROOKLYN CULTURAL ADVENTURES PROGRAMAWARD-WINNING SUMMER DAY CAMP FOR CHILDREN 7-12; CULTURAL IMMERSION AT BPL, BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, BROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, PROSPECT PARK, AND PROSPECT PARK ZOO. BARD AT BPL PROVIDES A FULLY ACCREDITED, FULL SCHOLARSHIP TRADITIONAL LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION TO NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DETERRED, DISCOURAGED, OR EXCLUDED FROM HIGHER EDUCATION. UNIVERSITY OPEN AIRA SERIES OF OUTDOOR COURSES IN PROSPECT PARK TAUGHT BY PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS TRAINED OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. WHO MAY FACE OBSTACLES TEACHING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS. TODAY'S TEEN'S, TOMORROW'S TECHIESTEACHES DIGITAL SKILLS TO STUDENTS 14 TO 18 AND PREPARES THEM TO SERVE ON BPL'S VOLUNTEER TEAM, WHERE THEY HELP PATRONS MAKE USE OF THE LIBRARY'S MANY FREE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES.THIS FISCAL YEAR, BPL LAUNCHED A YEAR-LONG CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE, THE 28TH AMENDMENT PROJECT, TO DISCUSS, DEBATE, AND PROPOSE THE NEXT AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION THROUGH A SERIES OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION AND THE NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION.THE OUTREACH SERVICES DEPARTMENT SERVES BROOKLYNITES WITH UNIQUE AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED NEEDS, INCLUDING VETERANS, IMMIGRANTS, THE HOMEBOUND, AND PEOPLE TRANSITIONING INTO AND OUT OF THE CITY'S CORRECTIONAL AND SHELTER SYSTEMS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW YORK CITY HEALTH & HOSPITALS TEST & TRACE CORPS, OUTREACH SERVICES DISTRIBUTED THOUSANDS OF MASKS AND REACHED OUT TO BROOKLYNITES WITH INFORMATION ABOUT ESSENTIAL RESOURCES SUCH AS FREE TESTING AND VACCINATION SITES AND EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF.OUR YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO OFFER INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AROUND STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH). THROUGH OUR LIBRARY LAB PROGRAM SERIES, A DYNAMIC LEARNING ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN (AGES 6 TO 10) AND THEIR FAMILIES, OVER 4,600 PATRONS RECEIVED TIPS ON USING LIBRARY RESOURCES TO SPARK CURIOSITY FOR STEM THROUGH HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS AND HOW TO CONTINUE PROJECTS AT HOME.IN FY 2022, THE CENTER FOR BROOKLYN HISTORY (CBH) EXPANDED ITS PROGRAMMING, ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AS THE BUILDING REOPENED, BY APPOINTMENT, FOR THOSE SEEKING TO ACCESS OUR COLLECTIONS AND SERVICES. IN JANUARY OF FY 2022, THE OTHMER LIBRARY WHICH HOUSES WORLD-RENOWNED COLLECTIONS THAT DOCUMENT THE HISTORY OF BROOKLYN FROM THE 17TH CENTURY TO PRESENT DAY REOPENED BY APPOINTMENT. THE DEMAND FOR ACCESS TO CBH ARCHIVES HAS BEEN STRONG AND STEADY, AND THE COLLECTIONS TEAM IS SERVING RESEARCHERS DAILY. IN ADDITION, CBH HAS BEGUN TEACHING IN SCHOOLS ONCE AGAIN, WITH SOME COVID PROTOCOLS LIFTED, AND THE EDUCATORS ARE NOW REACHING HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS WEEKLY THROUGH ON-SITE AND REMOTE LEARNING THROUGH A SIGNATURE EDUCATION PROGRAM, BROOKLYN CONNECTIONS. THE TEAM ALSO HOSTED ITS FIRST NEW YORK CITY HISTORY DAY, HAVING TAKEN ON THIS LOCAL COMPETITION THAT IS PART OF A YEAR-LONG NATIONAL PROGRAM.