New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is a branch library of one of the largest public libraries in America. Located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, the library of performing arts is housed in the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center. The library is regarded for having the most extensive collection of research materials on various art forms. It also features a combination of the non-circulating and circulating reference materials of different forms of performing arts.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has its roots extending to 1888. The beginning of the New York Public Library was attributed from the merger of Lenox Library, Astor Library and Tilden Trust. Prior to the merger, the Lenox Library formed a music division which resulted from the acquisition of the music collection of Joseph Drexel.
Various collections of music materials, dance materials and items related to theatres were consolidated in a facility at the Lincoln Center complex.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has various collections totaling to nine million items. The library has a wide array of materials related to performing arts that include books, videotapes, historic recordings, manuscripts, sheet music, press clipping, posters and other media, circulating and non-circulating materials.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts serves as a lending and research library. It contains valuable information sources for students and professionals in the field of performing arts. The library can be freely accessed to interested individuals. It attracts a number of visitors a year statistically at 425,000 per year.
The archives of the New York Public Library of Performing Arts can be viewed by visitors free of charge. Its archives of press releases and library information are also posted on its website on the Internet.
Among the premier libraries in New York and of the world, the New York Public Library is a combination of public library system and research library system. It is considered to be one of the largest libraries in both systems.
The New York Public Library has various branch libraries. Its branch libraries are located in Staten Island, Manhattan and Bronx where they number in 11, 35 and 34, respectively. Thus, the largest public library system in New York has 82 branch libraries.
The branch libraries include The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, The Donnell Library Center and Mid-Manhattan Library. The circulating libraries such as the Science, Industry and Business Library and the Library for the Performing Arts are also the part of the largest public library in the Big Apple.
