Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind provides an intimate view of the author through her personal notebooks and diaries, family photographs, and unpublished letters

The New York Public Library Examines Virginia Woolf’s Life and Creative Process in New Exhibition

NYPL and Marvel celebrate the power of reading and libraries with card featuring classic comic book images of Spider-Man in his 60th anniversary year
	The Library marks the first anniversary of eliminating fines and the launch of an expanded initiative for teens

The New York Public Library and Marvel to Issue Special Edition Spider-Man Library Card October 11

The permanent exhibition will feature 130 new historic items from the Library’s archives with increased access for students and multilingual guides

The exhibition has received over 350,000 visits since opening last fall

The New York Public Library celebrates first anniversary of The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures 

Jennifer Fermino Named Vice President for Communications and Marketing at The New York Public Library

Trustee Raymond J. McGuire named Vice Chair and Chair of the Board’s Executive Committee

Abby S. Milstein Named Chair of the Board of Trustees of The New York Public Library

Open September 23 through February 19; Fortune and Folly in 1720 examines the world’s first major stock market collapse and its portrayal in art

The New York Public Library Explores the First International Stock Market Crash in New Exhibition

Librarians from across the system selected over 250 titles from thousands of books

ASSETS: Photos and b-roll <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19Aq-q4j5w6RCvo-uj2TbWLk61R9U-w-a?usp=share_link">here</a> (credit Jonathan Blanc/NYPL)

The New York Public Library Unveils the Best Books of 2022 for Kids, Teens, and Adults

From September 15 to October 31, the Library will offer unlimited copies of Toni Morrison’s novels Beloved and The Bluest Eye, giveaways of frequently challenged books, and public programming to support open access to knowledge, information, and diverse perspectives.

NYPL Celebrates Beloved Storyteller and Library Lion Toni Morrison In Observation of Banned Books Week

Partnership Features Major Expansion of Teen Centers at Brooklyn, New York, and Queens Libraries, Enhanced Library Services, Programs for Teens Funding Will Help Provide Access to State-of-the-Art Technology, Academic Enrichment, Social and Emotional Support Services NYC Kicking in $15 Million, $4.5 Million More from Google.org, Best Buy Foundation, Joly Family Foundation

MAYOR ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY’S LIBRARIES PARTNER WITH GOOGLE.ORG, BEST BUY, JOLY FAMILY FOUNDATION TO PROVIDE NEARLY $20 MILLION​​ IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY PANDEMIC

Combined Collection represents some of the most significant American stage photography of the past 40 years

The Extensive Collection of Theatre Photography by Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg Now Publicly Available at the Library for the Performing Arts

November 22, 2022—The New York Public Library announced today its <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/best-books-2022" rel="nofollow">Best Books of 2022</a>, a curated list of more than 250 recommended titles published this year for children, teens, and adults. 
For nearly a century NYPL’s expert librarians have been providing New Yorkers with their year-end recommendations, celebrating books that inspire a love of reading. This year’s list was selected by eight individual committees, which reviewed nearly three thousand books for various ages and genres, including comics, horror, romance, mystery, and poetry.     
The books have been sorted into four categories:
<ul><li>Best Books for Kids (100 titles)</li>
<li>Mejores libros para pequeños / Best Books for Kids in Spanish (35 titles)</li>
<li>Best Books for Teens (50 titles)</li>
<li>Best Books for Adults (75 titles)</li>
</ul>The recommended titles can be found at <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/best-books-2022" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/bestbooks</a> and are available to check out at <a href="https://www.nypl.org/locations" rel="nofollow">branches across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island</a>—with no <a href="https://www.nypl.org/fines" rel="nofollow">late fees</a>!—or, in many cases, through the Library’s free e-reader app, <a href="http://www.nypl.org/simplye" rel="nofollow">SimplyE</a>. Recommendations can also be found year-round by visiting your local branch, contacting <a href="https://www.nypl.org/ask-nypl/about" rel="nofollow">AskNYPL</a>, tuning in to NYPL’s podcast, <a href="https://www.nypl.org/voices/audio-video/podcast/listen-the-librarian-is-in" rel="nofollow">The Librarian Is In</a>, or online at <a href="https://www.nypl.org/books-music-movies/recommendations" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/recommends</a>.
“One of the biggest strengths of The New York Public Library is the passion, knowledge, and diversity of our librarians and staff. Dozens of our most avid book lovers are enlisted each year to assess and select books that reflect the community and patrons we serve, to entice the most reluctant of readers, and excite the most fervent of bookworms,” said Emily Pullen, manager of Reader Services and Engagement. “Whether the motivation is to find the perfect gift for a loved one, read while traveling during the holiday season, or tackle your New Year’s resolution to read more, the Library’s Best Books list has something for everyone.”
The top 10 books for each category are listed below (in alphabetical order):  
Top 10 Books for Children
<ul><li>Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe</li>
<li>Beauty Woke by NoNieqa Ramos, illustrated by Paola Escobar</li>
<li>Blue: A History of the Color As Deep As the Sea and As Wide As the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, illustrated by Daniel Minter</li>
<li>Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee</li>
<li>Nothing Special by Desiree Cooper, illustrated by Bec Sloane</li>
<li>Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki</li>
<li>Sir Ladybug by Corey R. Tabor</li>
<li>Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas</li>
<li>Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book (English and Chinese Edition) by Ying-Hwa Hu</li>
<li>Wednesday and Woof #1: Catastrophe by Sherri Winston, illustrated by Gladys Jose  </li>
</ul>Mejores libros para pequeños/Best Books for Kids in Spanish
<ul><li>A veces, yo soy todo lo que necesito by Juliana Perdomo</li>
<li>¡A viajar, semillas! by Lorena Ruiz</li>
<li>La casita de Esperanza by Terry Catasús Jennings, illustrated by Raúl Colón</li>
<li>La falda morada de Leo by Irma Borges, illustrated by Francesco Fagnani</li>
<li>Las gallinas de Sonia by Phoebe Wahl, translated by Laura Piperno and Gema Zamorano </li>
<li>9 kilómetros by Claudio Aguilera, illustrated by Gabriela Lyon</li>
<li>Sábado by Jorge Garza</li>
<li>Tengo hambre by Menena Cottin</li>
<li>Una noche sin dormir by Micaela Chirif, illustrated by Joaquín Camp</li>
<li>Yo no fui by Ana Palmero, illustrated by Alejandra Acosta   </li>
</ul>Top 10 Books for Teens
<ul><li>All My Rage: A Novel by Sabaa Tahir</li>
<li>Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White</li>
<li>I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys</li>
<li>I Rise by Marie Arnold</li>
<li>Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao</li>
<li>Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer, illustrated by Jules Zuckerberg</li>
<li>So This Is Ever After by F. T. Lukens</li>
<li>The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes</li>
<li>The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson</li>
<li>Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden, illustrated by Jacquelin de Leon</li>
</ul>Top 10 Books for Adults
<ul><li>The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang</li>
<li>The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere–A Memoir by James Spooner</li>
<li>A Lady For a Duke by Alexis Hall</li>
<li>Nettle &amp; Bone by T. Kingfisher</li>
<li>Path of Totality: Poems by Niina Pollari</li>
<li>Shutter: A Novel by Ramona Emerson</li>
<li>Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora</li>
<li>The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee </li>
<li>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird &amp; Tom Waltz</li>
<li>Vladimir: A Novel by Julia May Jonas</li>
</ul>About The New York Public Library 
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="https://www.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>.

NOVEMBER 9, 2022—The New York Public Library’s Board voted unanimously that, effective today, Abby S. Milstein will succeed Evan R. Chesler as its next Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Milstein, an attorney and founding partner of the law firm Constantine Cannon, has been a member of the Library’s Board of Trustees for 25 years, most recently serving as both Vice Chair and Chair of the Executive Committee since 2014. Her appointment was confirmed at today’s Board of Trustees meeting, held at the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Q59l97dv7wPRkCYNF1jNd2pfb79UQnwj?usp=share_link" rel="nofollow">Assets Folder</a> | contains exhibitions images and caption/credit information   
NOVEMBER 17, 2022—Virginia Woolf is the focus of the latest free exhibition opening at The New York Public Library. <a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/virginia-woolf" rel="nofollow">Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind</a> will explore the life and creative genius of one of the most important figures in twentieth-century literature through her personal notebooks and diaries, family photographs, and unpublished letters. 
Free timed tickets are now available to reserve for the exhibition, which opens November 18, 2022, at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind is the first major exhibition of Woolf's writings at the Library in 30 years and is drawn entirely from NYPL's holdings, which represent one of the most important collections of her work in the world. Her intimate diary entries, spanning four decades, guide this exhibition, which uncovers how the influential author of Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse came to reject the conventional forms of her Victorian predecessors, experiment with shifting perspectives and stream-of-consciousness narration, and explore the innermost thoughts of her characters.
Highlights of the exhibition include:
<ul><li>Mementos from Woolf’s early years, including her 1897 diary and unpublished photos from her youth;</li>
<li>Early drafts of Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and the final draft of To the Lighthouse (1927), written in large notebooks that Woolf bound or re-covered herself (as she did for many of the drafts of her major novels);</li>
<li>Original dust jacket designs for Woolf’s books by her sister Vanessa Bell—their relationship offers an inside look at how Woolf’s creative process developed; </li>
<li>Intimate letters and diaries documenting her relationship with Vita Sackville-West, who was the inspiration for Orlando (1928); </li>
<li>Books that Virginia Woolf printed by hand for the Hogarth Press; and</li>
<li>Virginia Woolf’s last diary entry, dated 1941.</li>
</ul>The Library has one of the most significant collections of Virginia Woolf materials in the world. Housed in the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, accessible at the Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, materials held by the Library include Virginia Woolf’s diaries and notebooks; draft material for all of her works of fiction; nearly 3,000 pieces of incoming and outgoing correspondence; photographs; books; legal documents; and her walking stick. The collection, which spans the years 1888 to 1941, numbers nearly 3,700 individual items and began with the acquisition of Woolf’s manuscripts in 1958, directly from her husband, Leonard Woolf. The Library has continued to add to the Woolf collection, most recently through the support of Susan Tane and through the extraordinary gift of the William Beekman Collection of Virginia Woolf and Her Circle, which includes unpublished letters and photographs and unique copies of Woolf’s books and original dust jacket art.
Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), née Stephen, was an English novelist, essayist, biographer, and feminist. She was central to the Bloomsbury Group, a coterie of British artists, writers, and intellectuals active in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1917, Woolf founded, with her husband, Leonard, the Hogarth Press and published several foundational works of modernism, including T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land in 1923. She was a prolific writer, publishing eight novels, two collections of short stories, a biography, and several books of essays, in addition to other works. She wrote approximately 4,000 letters, and kept a diary for most of her life before dying by suicide in 1941. 
 
“Virginia Woolf’s writings are central in the evolution and history of literary modernism, long one of the core collecting areas—and one of the most frequently accessed—of the Berg Collection at The New York Public Library,” said Declan Kiely, Director, Special Collections and Exhibitions. “Since acquiring Virginia Woolf’s manuscripts in 1958 from her husband, Leonard Woolf, the Library has remained true to what was most important to him: that the Virginia Woolf collection of papers be ‘kept together and made available to serious students.’ This material is available to all researchers regardless of institutional affiliation; all you need is a research project—and a library card.”
 
“Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind gives intellectual and physical space in the form of an exhibition gallery—a room of one’s own, in other words—to Virginia Woolf, her feminist writings, her incisive literary criticism, and her development of modernist narrative techniques,” says Carolyn Vega, curator of the exhibition and the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature. “She called herself a ‘dabbler in dreams;’ she was also ambitious, insightful, and deeply committed to her work. This exhibition explores her life, writings, and the lasting impact she made on the modernist landscape.”
 
Patrons can also visit the Library’s free permanent exhibition, the <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/treasures" rel="nofollow">Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures</a>, to see further Woolf-related items, including:
<ul><li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/written-word/item/4102" rel="nofollow">Virginia Woolf's walking stick</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/written-word/item/11228" rel="nofollow">Portraits of Virginia Woolf and her father, Leslie Stephen, from Violet Dickinson's photo album</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/written-word/item/11229" rel="nofollow">Diary entry by Woolf from November 1918</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/written-word/item/11230" rel="nofollow">Letter from Virginia Woolf to David Garnett (1922)</a></li>
</ul>Since opening last fall, the exhibition has received over 350,000 in-person visits and also features increased access for students through the Center for Educators and Schools. Multilingual audio guides and full exhibition content are available in Spanish and Chinese on the <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/bloomberg-connects" rel="nofollow">Bloomberg Connects app</a>.
Support for The New York Public Library’s Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos Exhibitions Fund, and Jonathan Altman.
Additional support for Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind is provided by the Judge and Mrs. Samuel D. Levy Memorial Publication Fund.
<h3>About The New York Public Library</h3>
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>.

Press contact: Alex Teplitzky, <a href="mailto:alexteplitzky@nypl.org" rel="nofollow">alexteplitzky@nypl.org</a>
September 6, 2022—The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce that the Billy Rose Theatre Division has made the archives of Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg publicly accessible.  The collected work by the prominent theater photographers was acquired in 2018. It represents one of the largest digital acquisitions of photography ever made by the Library
Marcus and Rosegg, close friends who shared a studio running parallel businesses for two decades, captured images of the majority of Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning productions in New York and across the country since 1980, and have shot hundreds of studio and location portraits of actors and other theater artists.
Marcus began her career photographing productions at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, as well as other theaters in the nation’s capital. After moving to New York in 1992, she began working on Broadway, and at leading institutional theaters in the city. Some of the original Broadway productions in her collection, and for which she is best known, include, Angels in America, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, RENT and Hamilton.
Rosegg started off as Martha Swope's assistant during the heyday of Swope's career. Michael Bennett, George Balanchine, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham were all alive and working—Swope photographed them all, and Rosegg became a part of this theater history. Throughout her time with Swope, Rosegg shot on her own such theater companies as New York City Opera, Vineyard Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre—from off-off Broadway to one-act festivals to touring and Broadway productions. Rosegg established her own practice in 1994.
The acquisition of these two archives continues the Billy Rose Theatre Division’s tradition of collecting theatre photography, maintaining its position as one of the largest collections of this material in the world. The division holds archives of theatre photography dating as early as Lucas White starting in the 1910s, Vandamm, Friedman-Abeles, Kenn Duncan, and Martha Swope.
In a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iskHCPhfM3TyCoYsOvVKPcj30BI-xB6wT7c1400XrqY/edit" rel="nofollow">public program on September 12</a> at Library for the Performing Arts, Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg will speak with Roma Torre about their 30 years of documenting theatre. 
An exhibition at the Library for the Performing Arts highlighting selections of the work is scheduled for 2024.
<h3>About Joan Marcus</h3>
Joan Marcus is one of the preeminent theatrical photographers working in the US today. Over the past 40 years she has photographed over 500 shows on and off Broadway and regionally. She began her career in Washington, DC, printing photographs for the photographer at the Kennedy Center where she realized that performing arts photography was her calling.  She honed her skills shooting shows at Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Wooly Mammoth as well as the Kennedy Center before moving to New York City. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marcus graduated from George Washington University. In 2014, she received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre.
<h3>About Carol Rosegg</h3>
Carol Rosegg grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas. After attending Tufts University, she moved to New York City in the late 1970s. Rosegg assisted Martha Swope in photographing Broadway shows, as well as dance companies, and press opportunities. Swope became Rosegg's mentor, teacher and friend and opened the door to her career. Since then she has photographed extensively in New York City and many regional companies. She has covered all types of theatre from children's theatre, including ArtsPower and Making Books Sing, to teaching institutions, like Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University, to many Off and Off-Off Broadway companies, such as, Vineyard, Irish Rep, Theatre Breaking Through Boundaries, and York Theatre Company.
<h3>About the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts</h3>
Located at Lincoln Center, the Library for the Performing Arts has one of the most extensive performing arts collections in the world. The Library is an archive of dance, theatre, music, and recorded sound, and our close to eight million archival items date back to the 11th Century and include Ludwig Beethoven’s hair, Clara Schuman’s nibbled pencils, a 15th-century dance treatise of dance master Guglielmo d’Ebreo da Pesaro, Anna Pavlova’s pointe shoes, the original set model for In the Heights, and the archives of many masters, including Bill T. Jones, Hal Prince, Jerome Robbins, Arturo Toscanini, and many more.

Media Contact: Leah Drayton/ <a href="mailto:leahdrayton@nypl.org" rel="nofollow">leahdrayton@nypl.org</a>
Visual assets are <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z2NVlijaSk5Yb1HQj942v53rF5EogrBk?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow">linked here</a>. All photos must be credited to Jonathan Blanc/NYPL
September 14, 2022 -  The New York Public Library continues to take a stand against the increasingly-common issue of restricting access to books that challenge worldviews and provide diverse perspectives at public and school libraries. 
In observation of <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/banned-books" rel="nofollow">Banned Books Week 2022</a> (Sept 18-24), the Library will celebrate the legacy of renowned author and NYPL trustee Toni Morrison (1931-2019) by providing unlimited digital access to her award-winning novels Beloved and The Bluest Eye without holds from September 15 to October 31. 
“At the core of the Library is our dedication to providing open access to knowledge for all without barriers,” said Anthony W. Marx, President of The New York Public Library. “Book banning closes the doors to new experiences, diverse and rich worldviews, and the ability to discover and challenge ideas. By making these works accessible, we are honoring Toni Morrison’s legacy in allowing people to see themselves, history, and our world in challenging, complex and uncensored ways.” 
This initiative, which marks Banned Books Week at the Library, will also include reading recommendations that challenge readers to explore new perspectives and complex themes and public programming dedicated to Toni Morrison’s illustrious storytelling and furthering her advocacy against censorship. The initiative includes:
<ul><li>Unlimited SimplyE access to Beloved and The Bluest Eye from Sept 15th - October 31 on NYPL’s e-reader app, SimplyE.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Giveaways of Beloved, Bluest Eye, and other commonly challenged and banned books beginning September 19 including challenged classics, picture books, children &amp; young adult books, and adult books.</li>
<li>Public Programming, highlights include:
<ul><li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2022/09/21/restricted-access?nref=56896" rel="nofollow">9/21 LIVE from NYPL in partnership with PEN America:</a> Looking at the history of book bannings from Anthony Comstock to Toni Morrison and beyond. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2022/09/21/new-book-censored-image-presentation-and-discussion-how-book-bans-impact" rel="nofollow">9/21 This Book Is Banned - How book bans impact you, our society, and democracy:</a> Photographer Kimberly Butler presents images from her collection entitled "Censored" while in conversation with professional librarians on how book bans impact society. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2022/09/22/toni-morrison-tribute?nref=56896" rel="nofollow">9/22 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in partnership with LIVE from NYPL:</a> Celebrating Beloved with readings, music, and conversation. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Banned Books Reading List - Lists for various age groups curated by expert librarians featuring both classically challenged titles and books that are being challenged currently.</li>
<li>Book discussions, storytimes, and programs for all ages hosted at branches.</li>
</ul>See the full list of events, programming, and reading recommendations <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/banned-books" rel="nofollow">here.</a>
According to the American Library Association, there have been significant increases in efforts to censor library collections with an all-time high within the past few years. A lifelong advocate of libraries and against censorship, Morrison has frequently addressed the surges of outcry banning books that champion marginalized voices or contain complicated subject matter. 
“The thought [of book banning] that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists' questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, canceled films – that thought is a nightmare. As though a whole universe is being described in invisible ink,” wrote Morrison in Burn This Book, a collection of essays on censorship. 
Set in the American Reconstruction era and Great Depression respectively, Beloved and The Bluest Eye are regarded as masterful literature exploring the Black experience and history through fantastical narrative. Both books have been subject to attempts nationwide to keep them off school and library shelves due to Morrison’s unflinching exposition of racism, violence, abuse, and sexuality. 
Banned Books Week aligns with long-standing efforts across NYPL and at libraries across the country to speak out against censorship and stand up for open access to ideas, information, and challenging worldviews. Earlier this year, the Library successfully launched <a href="https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/04/13/books-for-all-nypl-supports-right-read-banned-books" rel="nofollow">Books for All</a> and <a href="https://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/may-22-2022/new-york-citys-public-libraries-make-statement-against-censorship#:~:text=The%20Banned%20Books%20Challenge%20is%20an%20effort%20to%20do%20just,to%20fight%20ignorance%20and%20hate" rel="nofollow">the Banned Books Challenge</a> to call attention to the issue and, secondarily, generate checkouts and reading. 
Despite frequent calls to ban her books in schools and libraries, Morrison, who wrote 11 novels, has received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Nobel Prize in Literature, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. While spending five decades teaching, editing, supporting up-and-coming writers, and publishing plays, novels, children’s titles, essays, and a libretto, Morrison was named a Library Lion in 1982, joined the NYPL board in 1985, and was named a Life Trustee for the Library in 2006.
<h3>About The New York Public Library</h3>
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>.

DECEMBER 5, 2022—The New York Public Library is pleased to announce that Jennifer Fermino, a long-time communications professional and former journalist, will be its new Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Fermino is a former reporter with both the New York Post and the Daily News, where she served as the City Hall Bureau Chief under Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio. She was also the Communications Director for the New York City Council and a Senior Advisor for External Affairs to former Speaker Corey Johnson. Most recently, Fermino was the Managing Director of Communications at Moonshot Strategies, a New York City-based political consulting, communications and government relations firm. 
“Whether it's championing free-speech, providing free access to knowledge, or the many services and programs that improve the everyday lives of New Yorkers, The New York Public Library is an institution that inspires people all over the world—including me. It is an honor to be part of the team that makes this amazing mission possible,” said Fermino. 
“Jennifer knows New York City inside and out, through her work as a reporter, with the City Council and in politics. In addition to being an accomplished communications professional, Jennifer is also a life-long lover of public libraries and books. All of this makes her uniquely positioned to be the Library’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the team,” said Anthony W. Marx, President of The New York Public Library. 
“This really is a dream job for me. In 2001, I moved to New York City as a waitress with dreams of a career in publishing. The staff at what was then the Mid-Manhattan Library helped me draft my first resume. Now that I’m actually working at the Library, I hope I can help other people just as I was helped,” Fermino said.  
<h3>About The New York Public Library</h3>
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>.

<h4>MEDIA CONTACTS</h4>
Sara Beth Joren | <a href="mailto:sarabethjoren@nypl.org" rel="nofollow">sarabethjoren@nypl.org</a>
Alex Teplitzky | <a href="mailto:alexteplitzky@nypl.org" rel="nofollow">alexteplitzky@nypl.org</a>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CHKZaU11FUCN4MZxU0toct1GSwU8h9tx?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow">Assets Folder</a> | contains exhibitions images and caption/credit information                          
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 — The stock market crash of 1720—the world’s first major international financial collapse—is the focus of a new exhibition at The New York Public Library. Opening Friday, September 23, at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, <a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/fortune-and-folly" rel="nofollow">Fortune and Folly in 1720</a> highlights a trove of objects that both sensationalize and satirize a disaster whose repercussions still resonate today.
In 1720, citizens flocked to the banking streets of Paris, London, and Amsterdam to speculate in New World trading companies, and by the close of that year, an unprecedented bull market culminated in an international financial crash. Orchestrated by the governments of France and England, and fueled by illusions of colonial wealth, these investment bonanzas—known as the South Sea and Mississippi Bubbles—have become synonymous with the temptations of get-rich-quick schemes and the dangers of herd behavior. They also ushered in the mass circulation of banknotes, and with it, an avalanche of prints parodying the worthlessness of a paper economy.
The works in the exhibition, all drawn from the Library’s collections, include caricatures from a Dutch volume known as “The Great Mirror of Folly” (Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid) that were published as the crisis was unfolding. Loaded with jokes, often of a scatological nature, The Great Mirror of Folly lifts the curtain on a farcical political theater starring caddish bankers, villainous seductresses, and duped investors. Offering tragicomic depictions of these and other characters, the prints hold up a mirror to our own age, with our increasingly complex monetary instruments and cycles of boom and bust. They also reflect on the intersections between art and money, reminding us that both are products of human imaginings. 
Fortune and Folly in 1720is curated by Madeleine Viljoen, the Library’s curator of the Print and Spencer Collections, along with art history professors Meredith Martin (New York University) and Nina Dubin (University of Illinois Chicago). The exhibition also features: 
<ul><li>prints by prominent artists Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Dürer, Jacques Callot, and William Hogarth.</li>
<li>embellished maps and other “New World” propaganda; </li>
<li>letters from famous speculators including Sir Isaac Newton; </li>
<li>related objects, among them a magic lantern and a French Revolutionary fan. </li>
</ul>The exhibition concludes by exploring depictions of later market meltdowns, including the British artist Grayson Perry’s satire of the 2008 bubble. As Viljoen observes, “What better place to explore this story than New York City, a global capital of finance and art?” 
Fortune and Folly in 1720 has been made possible by the continuing generosity of Miriam and Ira D. Wallach. Support for The New York Public Library’s Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos Exhibitions Fund, and Jonathan Altman. Additional support for the exhibition was provided by the IFPDA.
<h3>About The New York Public Library</h3>
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming, and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>.

ASSETS: <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Xv3x3Y12H2c8TObTalKxPBd8LSkun5K9?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow">Photos of new items available here</a>; <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1511Ppz0Y-2Ys52SJiiUkKsKyGp5xHCg4?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow">Photos and video of previous installation here</a>; 
October 19, 2022—The New York Public Library is commemorating the first anniversary of its permanent exhibition, <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/treasures" rel="nofollow">The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures</a>, with a rotation of 130 new historic items. Since opening last fall, the exhibition has received over 350,000 in-person visits, and will now also feature increased access for students and the addition of new multilingual audio guides and print materials. Timed, free tickets to the exhibition—held in Gottesman Hall, the restored and renovated exhibition space on the main floor of the 42nd Street library, <a href="https://www.showclix.com/event/nypltreasures/tag/treasuresweb" rel="nofollow">are available to reserve online</a>.
Now on display to the public, the items joining the Library’s iconic Treasures include:
<ul><li>A signed, first edition copy of Passing by Nella Larsen; published in 1929.</li>
<li>An 1802 portrait of General Toussaint Louverture (ca. 1743–1803), leader of the Haitian Revolution; in an age before photography when produced images often played on racist stereotypes, this portrait is notable for its depiction of L’Ouverture as a dignified and powerful statesman.</li>
<li>Early prints from Katsushika Hokusai, artist of The Great Wave; including Contest of Genroku Poems on Seashells and A Set of Horses: A Talisman. </li>
<li>A selection of manuscript pages from The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot; including revisions made by his wife, Vivian Eliot, and Ezra Pound, friend and a fellow poet. Alongside the manuscript is a letter from Virginia Woolf written to her friend David Garnett, which recounts hearing Eliot read his poem to a group in 1922.</li>
<li>A miniature, early 19th-century Qur’an, produced in Turkey and shaped like a leaf with serrated edges, an allusion to the sacred Tuba tree.</li>
</ul>The exhibition will also mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses written by James Joyce. The exhibition’s Written Word section will incorporate archival materials from James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, and other notable writers of the time, such as: 
<ul><li>Two first editions of Ulysses—including one inscribed from Joyce to friend and fellow novelist, James Stephens—first published on February 2, 1922, to coincide with James Joyce’s 40th birthday; only 1,000 copies were printed. </li>
<li>A 1923 letter from Eliot to Virginia Woolf thanking her for publishing The Waste Land and apologizing for the typos he overlooked in the proofs of the book. </li>
<li>A 1928 photograph of James Joyce by Berenice Abbott taken in Paris.</li>
</ul>The Library is introducing a new audio guide available in Mandarin narrated by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao through a partnership with Bloomberg Connect. Visitors to the exhibition can also access additional audio tours in several languages on their smartphones: an English version narrated by playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith, a Spanish version hosted by journalist Daniel Alarcón, and an accessible version with audio descriptions. 
The Library has also begun scheduling tours with schools and educators, providing students with the opportunity to engage and interact with history. Serving as an introduction to The New York Public Library's research collections, students will learn some of the Library's history, as well as how collections are acquired, accessed and preserved. Through the Polonsky Exhibition, students will understand the breadth of the Library's collections from its research centers and the significant access to information that libraries provide. 
For 2nd through 12th grade classes, an educator will facilitate field trips in the Polonsky Exhibition of the Library's Treasures. Trips are available Monday through Thursday, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Additionally, a field trip to the Polonsky Exhibition can be planned in coordination with a visit to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. To get started planning a field trip, patrons may fill out this <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSJkPDJmj1Tcoo1a2qYV5jygKdbtQ41gvvfZJYm6Ow3D3efA/viewform" rel="nofollow">form</a>, and can email any questions to <a href="mailto:educators@nypl.org">educators@nypl.org</a>. 
The exhibition has been made possible with a generous $12 million gift from philanthropist Dr. Leonard Polonsky CBE. Dr. Polonsky has a long history of supporting The New York Public Library, giving two gifts totaling $1 million to digitize 127,000 pages of historic early American manuscript material, including the Thomas Addis Emmet Collection of American historical manuscripts and selected American literary manuscripts from Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others. That material can be accessed at <a href="http://archives.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">archives.nypl.org</a> and <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/" rel="nofollow">digitalcollections.nypl.org</a>.
“I am delighted that the Exhibition has attracted so many visitors to The New York Public Library in its first year, and applaud the steps taken by the Library to make these inspiring treasures even more accessible, particularly to young people,” said Dr. Leonard Polonsky CBE.
Spanning over 4,000 years of history, the exhibition draws exclusively from the Library’s research collections, which contain over 45 million objects including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, maps, ephemera, audio and moving image, and more, collected over the institution’s 126 years and accessible at the Library’s research centers: the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Library for the Performing Arts, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. 
Additional highlights of the exhibition—curated by a team of research library staff led by Declan Kiely, the Library’s Director of Special Collections and Exhibitions—include:
<ul><li>Manuscript page of Maya Angelou’s poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings</li>
<li>Charles Dickens’s writing desk, chair, and paper knife (the handle of which is made from the paw of his beloved, deceased cat Bob), and his personal copy of David Copperfield with his handwritten notes for public readings</li>
<li>The Hunt-Lenox Globe—one of the earliest surviving terrestrial globes, one of only two known Renaissance-era maps or globes to bear the motto Hic Sunt Dracones (“Here be dragons”), and one of the earliest cartographic depictions of the Americas</li>
<li>The stuffed animals that belonged to the real-life Christopher Robin and inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories</li>
</ul>About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

Media Contact: Amy Geduldig | <a href="mailto:AmyGeduldig@nypl.org" rel="nofollow">AmyGeduldig@nypl.org</a>
Visual images available <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qc6-cCc0Nhvj9Ag_TnoZROEU0Xey4Kro?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow">here</a>
October 4, 2022—Spider-Senses will be tingling across New York City as The New York Public Library (NYPL) and Marvel Entertainment join forces to release a <a href="http://nypl.org/beyondamazing" rel="nofollow">special, limited-edition Spider-Man library card</a> on October 11 to inspire new and existing patrons to explore a multitude of free books, resources, and programs at the Library, including Marvel graphic novels. This dynamic collaboration—which debuts just in time for New York Comic Con—marks the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man’s first comic book appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 and emphasizes the importance of reading, knowledge, and libraries to Peter Parker’s crime-fighting comic book adventures. Images of Spider-Man—alongside Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, two other iconic web-slingers—will be featured on the card, as well as on upcoming banners outside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and the windows of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), exciting patrons of all ages to tap into the unique power of reading, comics, and libraries to discover their inner super hero. Details about the card and related activities are available online: <a href="http://nypl.org/beyondamazing" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/beyondamazing</a>.
The Spider-Man card follows in the footsteps of previous library cards issued for the beloved children’s book The Snowy Day and the Library’s “Knowledge Is Power” card; aiming to help New Yorkers discover their full potential by tapping into the power of everything NYPL has to offer—millions of books to help readers scale new heights, a web of information via free computers and internet access, and a super-team of library staff—all available at your friendly neighborhood library.
The release of the Spider-Man card also marks the one-year anniversary of the Library’s decision to <a href="https://www.nypl.org/fines" rel="nofollow">eliminate fines</a> as a way to remove barriers to accessing the Library for all New Yorkers. This historic move was even a plot point in Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man #900, released on July 27. In a special story written by Daniel Kibblesmith, drawn by David Lopez, and colored by Nathan Fairbairn, Peter Parker returns a large stack of overdue books to the Library after learning of the elimination of late fines. Readers can check out Amazing Spider-Man #900 in a special bonus release on <a href="https://read.marvel.com/#/labelbook/61155" rel="nofollow">Marvel Unlimited</a>, Marvel’s premier digital comics subscription service. 
The launch of the special-edition card also marks the start of the Library’s Open House week, which begins October 11. The card will be available to new and current patrons free on a first-come, first-serve basis at all NYPL branches, located throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Libraries will be hosting a variety of programs and events throughout the week, as well as featuring book displays and reading recommendations from a special reading list curated by NYPL staff
“Reading is a superpower—one that provides everyone with the ability to learn, to be inspired, and understand the world more fully,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “At The New York Public Library we remain dedicated to providing books and resources that help New Yorkers reach new heights and working with Marvel on this exciting, limited-edition Spider-Man card reinforces the exceptional accomplishments people can achieve when they have access to information. It also states unequivocally that we think our patrons are ‘beyond amazing.’" 
“Marvel’s history has always been rooted in telling stories on the page. And to many people, those stories taught them the joy and power of reading, whether it was their first comic book or graphic novel at a young age or the first time they shared their passion for Marvel comics with their friends and families,” said Marvel Vice President of Licensed Publishing Sven Larsen. “With so many of our most iconic moments and characters established in New York City, we’re thrilled to work with The New York Public Library to invite even more people to dive into Marvel and find their own favorites across Spider-Man’s legacy.”
NYPL’s Teens 360º Initiative
Graphic novels, comics, and manga titles are among the most popular materials checked out by teen users at the Library, the release of the Spider-Man card is a key component of The launch of The New York Public Library’s new initiative, Teens 360º codifies the Library’s abiding commitment to enhancing and expanding services and spaces for young adults, which in the years to come will include: greatly expanding the number of dedicated teen centers in The New York Public Library service area, developing programs focused on digital literacy and technology skills, and providing holistic support for teens—who have faced unprecedented challenges and changes over the last several years, especially during the pandemic—from school support, to college and career readiness, to mental health resources. This work is part of the Library’s overall commitment to New Yorkers and education programs, led by the Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Director of The New York Public Library, and its mission to support education outside of the classroom, and ensure knowledge and opportunities are accessible to all. 
NYPL’s Professional Day for Librarians and Educators at NYCC
In support of educators seeking resources to use comics in their classrooms, the Library will be hosting a Professional Day on October 6 for Librarians and Educators at New York Comic Con presented by its <a href="https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/center-for-educators" rel="nofollow">Center for Educators &amp; Schools</a>. The day will consist of fifteen hour-long sessions offered between 10:30 AM and 5 PM. Attendees will hear directly from other educators how they use comics in the classroom, ranging in subjects from civics to physics. The majority of the sessions offer CTLE (continuing education) credits and New York State teachers can earn up to 3 credit hours for attending. More information about the day can be found <a href="https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/10/04/comic-con-2022" rel="nofollow">here</a>.
<h3>About The New York Public Library</h3>
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org" rel="nofollow">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at <a href="http://nypl.org/support" rel="nofollow">nypl.org/support</a>. 
<h3>About Marvel Entertainment</h3>
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. For more information visit<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fnam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp*3A*2F*2Fmarvel.com*2F%26data%3D05*7C01*7CHStrichman*40marvel.com*7C43a2d8239fe842d9ae3508da95fab728*7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6*7C1*7C0*7C637987201285662059*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C%26sdata%3DbN00dncnA*2FBz7AG04y0D3tj5EHI1w5rO4tTTUNX2RrI*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!L8OqtCUeyB8!barnzci1DR_1uwLpPcZgsHNjPjqBZvWe08eF7e7Q7D5-RnI6nZBtxKNDNOOMo0Afj0WSkYaJCctnOhlEWhxdwQ%24&amp;data=05%7C01%7CHStrichman%40marvel.com%7Cdf4db66ade6a4d73047a08da965308ef%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C637987580619873287%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=mS0aNjxAUjVmxUv4E6JJcLznAvvuxLyXmIwxnbkE204%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="nofollow"> marvel.com</a>. © 2022 MARVEL

“I am deeply honored to serve in a leadership role of an institution whose impact across New York City and its neighborhoods has been and will increasingly be profound and critically necessary,” said McGuire. “I am excited about my partnership with our Chair, Abby Milstein who has the breadth and depth of experience and judgment to lead the Library forward.”
McGuire has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to cultural and education institutions, presently serving on a number of boards including the American Museum of Natural History, the Hotchkiss School, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In addition, McGuire currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hess Corporation, Vornado Realty Trust and KKR &amp; Co., Inc. He is a graduate of Harvard, where he also received his A.B., M.B.A. and J.D. Mr. McGuire was recently presented with the W.E.B Du Bois Medal by the Hutchins Center for African &amp; African American Research, the highest honor given by Harvard in the field of African and African American studies. 
At the meeting, the Board also voted to create a prestigious new category of Trustees, the Board of Advisors, who provide essential counsel, advocacy, and support for the Library. The inaugural class will be chaired by Trustee Stephen A. Schwarzman. 
Milstein succeeds Chesler, who will now serve as Chair Emeritus and has been a member of the Library’s Board of Trustees since 2009, becoming Chair in 2014. Under Chesler’s leadership the Library navigated a period of profound change, including a worldwide pandemic and the ongoing recovery. Chesler also steered the Library through the creation of its Midtown Campus, a nexus of learning anchored by the reimagined Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) and the transformation of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. During his tenure, the Library vastly increased the breadth and reach of the physical and digital materials available through the Research Libraries, including doubling the number of research volumes available to patrons through the ReCAP partnership with Columbia, Princeton, and Harvard; expanding access to digital collections and launching a scan-and-deliver service during the pandemic; acquiring archives belonging to luminaries such as Tom Wolfe, Martha Graham, James Baldwin, and many others; as well as opening the Library’s first-ever permanent exhibition, the Polonsky Exhibition of the New York Public Library’s Treasures. 
Also over this time, the Library’s branches underwent a remarkable transformation: strengthening and growing educational offerings for all ages, most recently, expanding spaces and services to teens with the City’s support; eliminating late fines in 2021; building the Library’s own e-reading app, SimplyE; and, over the past 8 years investing more than $1 billion in capital improvements system wide, including the construction of new branches as well as extensive renovations of several historic locations. Furthering his commitment to children and teens, Chesler, with his wife Barbara, have made an investment to support the development and success of young patrons at Allerton Library, his childhood branch. 
“It has been a singular honor to have chaired the board of the New York Public Library for the past eight years, the Library is one of the brightest stars in the constellation of extraordinary cultural institutions that we are so fortunate to have in New York,” said Chesler. “I am confident that Abby Milstein will be a wonderful board chair and that Ray McGuire will be an invaluable partner as they, along with Tony Marx and his leadership team, take this great institution to yet greater heights in service to the people of New York.” 
“The Library has experienced a remarkable period of transition—offering  enhanced access and support for New Yorkers—and Abby, Evan, and Ray have provided extraordinary guidance and leadership throughout this time of change,” said Anthony W. Marx, President of The New York Public Library. “I am deeply grateful to Evan for his incredible service to the Library and our City. For the past eight years, he has been an insightful and collaborative partner and it has been an honor to work with him. I look forward to continuing that legacy and spirit of partnership with Abby and Ray, and I am excited by the wonderful work we have and will accomplish together.” 
 
About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at <a href="http://www.nypl.org">www.nypl.org</a>. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

A longtime supporter and advocate of the Library, Milstein has held key positions on numerous Board committees, setting the direction of the system,  and has provided leadership of benefit events, such as NYPL’s annual Library Lions Gala and the Library’s Literary Luncheon, which she chaired or co-chaired for 15 years. With her husband Howard, her generous and longtime philanthropic support led to the creation of the <a href="https://www.nypl.org/press/new-york-public-library-break-ground-expansion-underground-storage-research-materials-iconic" rel="nofollow">Milstein Research Stacks</a>, providing optimal storage, security, and access for the Library’s extraordinary research collections. She continues to steward the Milstein legacy at the Library through the Irma and Paul Milstein Division and the children's room at 96th Street Library, which were named by Howard's parents.
“The New York Public Library has a magnificent mission: inspiring lifelong learning, advancing knowledge, and strengthening our communities,” said Milstein. “We freely share our treasures and we proactively encourage engagement.  I am greatly honored to have this opportunity to work with dedicated fellow trustees and staff to fulfill this mission for the benefit of all.”
Milstein sits on the Board of the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation and for 13 years was a Commissioner on the New York City Public Design Commission. She was Co-Chair of the New York State Regents Commission on Library Services and has served as a member of the Cornell University Library Council. She is also an inaugural member of the Cambridge University Library Advisory Committee. Formerly, she was an Assistant Commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and Director of Legal Writing and Moot Court at Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School, where she was an adjunct professor. She was Chair of the Board of the New York Legal Assistance Group for 18 years, served as a Trustee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc, and has been Secretary and Chair of the Bar Association’s Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. She also chaired the Governor’s Judicial Selection Committee for the 1st Judicial Department of New York. Milstein was an inaugural member of the Poverty Justice Advisory Board, as well as a trustee at the National Humanities Center and a member of the Cornell University Arts and Sciences Advisory Council.
A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University (Radcliffe), where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School—Milstein has served for many years on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School and was a member of the Law School Visiting Committee and the Visiting Committee for the University Libraries. 
The Board of Trustees also named trustee Raymond J. McGuire as Vice Chair and Chair of the Board’s Executive Committee. A member of the Library’s Board of Trustees since 2006, Mr. McGuire left his role as Vice Chairman of Citigroup and Chairman of Citi’s Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory business to pursue public service in 2020 as a candidate for the mayoralty of New York City. During his tenure at the Library he has provided key board leadership and core support through its Annual Fund and yearly benefit events and has served on many Board committees, including his most recent role as Co-Chair of the Nominating Committee from 2014 - 2021.

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