Tag Archives: library

A Library Dreams Are Made Of… Right Here in BPC

NYPL's first LEED certified library in BPC
Battery Park City welcomes it's first NYPL

It used to be that a person who was both Battery Park City resident and a New York Library Patron meant to be an person without a country — or a home library. For years, NYPL card holders who lived in BPC would have to travel between the New Amsterdam location, Hudson Park Branch or even the Midtown Branch location on 42nd street. (We kind of get used to that living down here don’t we?)

All of that craziness officially ended today with the opening of Battery Park’s very own New York Public Library. The opening of the NYPL’s 88th location also marked it’s greenest endeavor yet, living up to the neighborhoods mantra of being the “greenest neighborhood in the country” the library is the first green LEED certified branch in all of Manhattan.

The library boasts 10,000 square feet of 24,000 items, including public use computers, reading areas and of course stacks of books. The library cost $6.7 million dollars and was partially subsidized by Goldman Sachs, our new rich benevolent corporate neighbor. The money went into ensuring that the library could provide low-energy heating, air conditioning and lighting — even using recyclable materials for furnishings and carpeting.

As budget cuts have been affecting the use of most public resources — our brand new library is also at the mercy of cuts. Although the library is currently open for use 6 days a week — it will soon reducing services to 3-4 days a week, cutting back on purchases to increase the collection as well as staff layoffs.

Either way for NYPL fans, 3-4 days of use of this beautiful facility is still better than not seeing this day come at all.

Share your sentiments or kudos for our new library in our comments! 🙂