The Newark Public Library | |
---|---|
Location | Newark, New Jersey, USA |
Established | 1847 |
Branches | 7 |
Collection | |
Size | 1,691,042 |
Access and use | |
Circulation | 164,022 [1] |
Population served | 281,402 |
Members | 72,605 [2] |
Other information | |
Budget | $11,351,129 [1] |
Employees | 98 [3] |
Website | www.npl.org |
James Street Commons Historic District | |
Coordinates | 40°44′41″N74°10′14″W / 40.74459°N 74.17067°W |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 78001758 [4] |
NJRHP No. | 1275 [5] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | January 9, 1978 |
Designated NJRHP | February 10, 1977 |
The Newark Public Library (NPL) is a public library system in Newark, New Jersey. The library system offers numerous programs and events to its diverse population. With eight different locations, the Newark Public Library serves as a Statewide Reference Center. The Newark Public Library is the public library system for the city of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The library system boasts a collection of art and literature, art and history exhibits, a variety of programs for all ages. The library is home to author Philip Roth's collections.
The First Avenue Branch, located in upper Roseville, and the Madison Branch, located in Clinton Hill, closed down on August 27, 2010, due to budget cuts. The Roseville Branch, located in lower Roseville, is temporarily closed. The Clinton Branch, located on Bergen Street is permanently closed due to building conditions. [6]
Name | Address | Website | Opening Date |
---|---|---|---|
Branch Brook Branch | 235 Clifton Avenue | https://npl.org/community-libraries/branch-brook-branch/ | 1946 [7] |
Main Library | 5 Washington Street | https://npl.org/main-library/ | 1901 [8] |
North End Branch | 722 Summer Avenue | https://npl.org/community-libraries/north-end-branch/ | 1930 [8] |
Springfield Branch | 50 Hayes Street | https://npl.org/community-libraries/springfield-branch/ | 1923 [8] |
Vailsburg Branch | 75 Alexander Street | https://npl.org/community-libraries/vailsburg-branch/ | 1927 [8] |
Van Buren Branch | 140 Van Buren Street | https://npl.org/community-libraries/van-buren-branch/ | 1923 [8] |
Weequahic Branch | 355 Osborne Terrace | https://npl.org/community-libraries/weequahic-branch/ | 1929 [8] |
The historic Newark Public Library traces its beginnings to the Newark Library Association, a private organization that was chartered in 1847. In 1887, the people of Newark approved the founding of a Free Public Library. [9] The first director of the library was Frank Pierce Hill. [10]
The Newark 'Free Public Library opened on West Park Street in the central ward of downtown Newark in 1889 and offered a collection of over 10,000 books which had been acquired from the Newark Library Association. [11]
Over time, the influx of more books and an increasing population necessitated the construction of a new building at 5 Washington Street, the current location of the main branch of the Newark Public Library. An architectural marvel, the new building, designed by Rankin and Kellogg, was influenced by the 15th century Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. [11] The library also served as a museum, lecture hall, and a gallery. [11]
In 1902, John Cotton Dana succeeded Frank Pierce Hill to become the director of the library. John Cotton Dana greatly promoted the educational value of the library. For example, he established foreign language collections for immigrants and even developed a special collection for the business community. [12] This "Business Branch" was the first of its kind in the nation. [12] John Cotton Dana was employed at the Newark Public Library in Newark, New Jersey, until his death in 1929. [12] John Cotton Dana also founded the Newark Museum in 1909, inside the library, directing it until his death. [12]
After the death of Dana in 1929, Beatrice Winser took over as director of the library and Newark Museum until 1942. [13] In 1930, the library had a book truck which brought books to children throughout Newark. [14] In 1929, the library's New Jersey Collection was founded, which later became The Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center. The CFCNJIC became a separate Library department in 1951. [7]
Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the library continued to grow under the leadership of John Boyleton Kaiser (1943-1958 [7] ), James E. “Ned” Bryan (1958-1972 [7] ), J. Bernard Schein (1972-1977 [7] ), William Urban (1977-1979 [7] ), Thomas J. Alrutz (1979-1988 [7] ), Alex Boyd (1988-2004 [7] ), Wilma Grey (2005-2015 [15] ), Jeffrey Trzeciak (2017-2019), Joslyn Bowling Dixon (2020–present) and others. [16] In 1963 the library became a Federal Regional Depository. [17]
The Newark Public Library claims to have negotiated its first international interlibrary loan in 1955 with the German government. [18] According to researchers on the subject of international interlibrary loans, this is not exactly on the cutting edge of international interlibrary loan history, due to the fact that international interlibrary loans have been occurring in different forms throughout the ages. However, "The United States... was slow to resume international lending [after World War II]. Although some individual U.S. libraries reluctantly began to loan materials to Europe after the war, it was not until 1959… that the majority of U.S. libraries willingly resumed lending their materials across the Atlantic". Newark Public Library was a part of the vanguard to reactivate international interlibrary loans after the events of World War II, reconnecting the library systems of North America to the rest of the world. [19]
According to the Newark Public Library, the library itself was threatened with closure 2 times officially within a decade, one of these people responsible for the potential closure being the mayor of the city, Hugh Joseph Addonizio between 1964 and 1969. This was also taking place during the general time frame of the 1967 Newark riots, or rebellion as many would call it. The library was able to remain open through the help of federal aid funding. When the library was threatened with closure for the second time in 1969, a social movement of concerned citizens were able to put enough political pressure on the government in order to secure more funding. [20]
In 1989, the library opened what is now the James Brown African American Room to "generate and maintain an appreciation of African American history and culture". [21] Also in 1989, La Sala was established with the "largest collection of Spanish–language library resources in New Jersey. [22]
In 2002, The Newark Public Library partnered with a Latino community group, the Friends the Hispanic Research Information Center (HRIC), to create the New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center (NJHRIC). [22]
In 2018, the library launched a digital collection at http://digital.npl.org. [23]
Novelist Philip Roth bequeathed $2 million and a large portion of his estate to the library upon his death in 2018. [24] The collection includes Roth's personal correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, furniture, travel itineraries, typewriters, and over 7,000 books by various authors, many of which include notations in Roth's handwriting. [25] [26] Roth cited a "longstanding sense of gratitude to the city where I was born" as motivation for his bequest. [24] The Philip Roth Personal Library opened to the public in 2021. [24]
The four–story Italian Renaissance-inspired Main Library building was designed by John Hall Rankin and Thomas M. Kellogg, drawing inspiration from the 15th century Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. [32] Their intentions were to have the building not only serve as a library, but also as a museum, lecture hall, and gallery, that would provide cultural, as well as educational experiences in an aesthetically pleasing environment. The building structure includes an open center court/foyer with arches and mosaics that extended upward to a stained glass ceiling four stories high.
On July 9, 2020, the library announced the appointment of a new library director, Joslyn Bowling Dixon. Ms. Dixon began her role as library director on August 3, 2020. [33]
As of January 2021: [34]
The Main Library has been renovated many times since its founding. [11] In 1922 and 1931 additions was completed. [11] In 1927, a mural was painted on the 2nd floor - The Fountain of Knowledge - this mural still exists today. [11] In 1949 a 10,000 square foot maintenance building was added. [11]
In 1952, a $1,500,000 renovation project modernized the building including covering the 2nd floor mural. [11] From 1987 to 1888 another renovation took place—restoring the mural. [11]
In 2006, renovations were carried out in the lobby, including new front doors. [11] In 2010-2011 projects included new carpeting and painting. [11] The Philip Roth Personal Library opened in 2021. [35]
After being selected by the Association of American College & Universities (AAC&U) to partake in the implementation of a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) campus centers, Rutgers University-Newark partnered with the Newark Public Library to aid in the development of the program. The AAC&U selected 10 universities to implement these programs and provided each a grant of $30,000. [36] The goal is to bring to light the issues regarding racial inequality in diverse cities like Newark. Though selected in August 2017, the programs began on January 17, 2017, at the Newark Public Library and include events that addressed DACA and the Charlottesville Riots and used spoken word poetry and art as mediums.
Since 2016, the Newark Library has hosted an annual Philip Roth Lecture. [37] Speakers have included Zadie Smith, Robert Caro, Salman Rushdie, Sean Wilentz, Tracy K. Smith, Ayad Akhtar, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Jelani Cobb. [37] [38]
Newark is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 311,549, an increase of 34,409 (+12.4%) from the 2010 census count of 277,140, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,594 (+1.3%) from the 273,546 counted in the 2000 census. The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 305,344 for 2022, making it the 66th-most populous municipality in the nation.
Interlibrary loan is a service that enables patrons of one library to borrow physical materials and receive electronic documents that are held by another library. The service expands library patrons' access to resources beyond their local library's holdings, serving as "an integral element of collection development" for libraries.
The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately 4 square miles (10 km2) of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," due to the appearance of the curve of the Passaic River. The Ironbound is part of Newark's East Ward and is directly east of Newark Penn Station and Downtown Newark, and south and west of the river, over which passes the Jackson Street Bridge, connecting to Harrison and Kearny. The area became a major transmission "hotspot" of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020.
John Cotton Dana was an American library and museum director who sought to make these cultural institutions relevant to the daily lives of citizens. As a public librarian for forty years Dana promoted the benefits of reading, pioneered direct access to shelved materials, and innovated specialized library services of all types.
The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) is the largest and most comprehensive library and archives of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world. It is located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University–Newark in Newark, New Jersey. The archival collection contains more than 100,000 sound recordings on CDs, LPs, EPs, 78- and 75-rpm disks, and 6,000 books. It also houses over 30 instruments used by prominent jazz musicians.
The Newark Evening News was an American newspaper published in Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey's largest city, Newark played a major role in New Jersey's journalistic history. At its apex, The News was widely regarded as the newspaper of record in New Jersey. It had bureaus in Montclair, Elizabeth, Metuchen, Morristown, Plainfield, Kearny, and Belmar. There were also bureaus in the New Jersey State House in Trenton and in Washington, DC.
Bamberger's was a department store chain with branches primarily in New Jersey and other locations in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. The chain was headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.
Halifax Public Libraries (HPL) is a Canadian public library system serving residents of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is the largest public library system in Nova Scotia, with over 2.8 million visits to library branches and 172,520 active registered borrowers or 44% of the municipality's population. With roots that trace back to the establishment of the Citizens' Free Library in 1864, the current library system was created in 1996 during municipal amalgamation, and now consists of 14 branches and a collection of almost 1 million items.
The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) is the public library system of Hamilton, Ontario.
The Alameda County Library, in Alameda County, California, is a public library system that provides services from eleven branch libraries in the cities of Albany, Dublin, Fremont, Newark and Union City and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, Cherryland and San Lorenzo. According to 2005/2006 statistics, the total service area represents a population of about 522,000, and annual circulation is reported to be around 5.5 million. Its headquarters are located in Fremont.
The Nashua Public Library (NPL) is the public library of Nashua, New Hampshire.
The Northfield Public Library is a public library in Northfield, Minnesota. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, of the Southeast Minnesota library region. The Carnegie Library was built in 1910 with a major addition built in 1985. The library was renovated from 2015 to 2016, with library services moving temporarily to City Hall during that time. The library reopened in its original location on Saturday, May 7, 2016.
Weequahic is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Part of the South Ward, it is separated from Clinton Hill by Hawthorne Avenue on the north, and bordered by the township of Irvington on the west, Newark Liberty International Airport and Dayton on the east, and Hillside Township and the city of Elizabeth on the south. There are many well maintained homes and streets. Part of the Weequahic neighborhood has been designated a historic district; major streets are Lyons Avenue, Bergen Street, and Chancellor Avenue. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a major long-time institution in the neighborhood.
E-book lending or elending is a practice in which access to already-purchased downloads or online reads of e-books is made available on a time-limited basis to others. It works around the digital rights management built into online-store-published e-books by limiting access to a purchased e-book file to the borrower, resulting in loss of access to the file by the purchaser for the duration of the borrowing period.
The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL) is a public library system based in Hillsborough County, Florida. THPL is part of two larger library networks, the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, and the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative which includes Temple Terrace Public Library in Temple Terrace, Florida, and Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City, Florida. There are 33 branches of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. Services provided by the THPL include internet access, public meeting room spaces, interlibrary loans, a Bookmobile, a Cybermobile for Spanish speakers, technology classes, adult literacy programs, and downloadable eBooks. Drive-thru windows for returns and hold pick-ups are located at the Jimmie B. Keel and the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Libraries. In 2017, THPL introduced the new HAAL Pass, which gives access to certain library resources to all students in the Hillsborough County Public Schools System. Students use their student ID number to use different online databases, borrow up to three physical items and read eBooks. The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System is also a part of Hillsborough County government. On January 1, 2018, the library cooperative became one of the largest in the country to go fine free. Overdue fees for borrowed materials were eliminated with the implementation of the "Just Bring It Back" initiative. In 2019 the cooperative received the FLA Library of the Year Award. Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library was recognized for its community focused initiatives as it "reorganized its staffing model and eliminated overdue fines, yielding $1 million in savings while increasing access to library resources and expanding opportunities for community engagement through unique, scalable programs."
The Navy Department Library is the official library of the United States Department of the Navy. Located at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., it is a part of the Naval History and Heritage Command.
The John Cotton Dana Library, referred to simply as the Dana Library, is the third largest library of Rutgers University and the main library on its Newark campus. The library collections focus on business, management, and nursing. The fourth floor houses the Institute of Jazz Studies, the world's largest jazz library and archive. The library also includes the Dana Digital Media lab for digitizing library collections and the Booth Ferris multimedia rooms. The library serves approximately 9,000 students, faculty, and staff.
The Oxnard Public Library is a free public library system operated by the City of Oxnard, California. It has three locations: the Downtown Main Library, the South Oxnard Branch Library, and the Colonia Branch Library.
The Pueblo City-County Library District is a public library system serving Pueblo County, Colorado. The main branch, the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, is located in the Mesa Junction neighborhood of the City of Pueblo, Colorado. Aside from physical books the library system also provides E-book downloads, Audiobook's, DVD collections, music, streaming movies and free wireless internet connectivity.