New Research Space Debuts At NY Public Library Main Branch

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — New research facilities at the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building opened this week as part of the library's $317 million master plan to renovate its main branch.

The Center for Research in the Humanities is made up of nine rooms dedicated to quiet study for scholars, authors and students, library officials said. Scholars using the facility will have access to the library's research collections, temporary displays and collections-related programs. The 8,000-square-foot facility is located on the second floor of the Schwarzman Building, which sits in Bryant Park on Fifth Avenue.

"The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is many things, but first and foremost a research library, dedicated to learning and the pursuit of understanding, knowledge, and scholarship," said NYPL President Anthony W. Marx. "To restore these rooms to their original purpose—research and work with our collections—while ensuring that we are preserving the significant architectural elements is something the whole Library is extremely proud of."

One highlight of the new facility is the James Lenox and John Jacob Astor Room, which will be used as a lecture and programming room. In addition to hosting lectures, the room contains 1,800 books and three paintings gifted to the library by philanthropist Brooke Russell Astor. The room joins Astor Hall, the building's main entrance, as the second space in the main branch named after the family.

The New York Public Library plans to use the new facility to host programs that will teach research strategies and methods to members of the public, hold open houses for the library's collections and help researchers with practical skills such as copyrighting.

The Center for Research in the Humanities is part of the New York Public Library's $317 million master plan to renovate the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Library officials announced the plan in 2017 and work began in 2018. The new research space was previously used primarily for staff and storage.