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nypl’s main branch but ironically there aren’t really books for you to check out these days lol. a particular highlight is the reading room (pictured). there’s also a small (but very cool) museum exhibit that has stuff like the original winnie the pooh characters, lots of historical political pamphlets, some art, old religious / botanical / astronomical texts, first edition of a vindication of the rights of women, and more.
if you want to actually check out books, there’s another library building across the street lol, it is modern and kinda cool but not as beautiful
Mar 28, 2025
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All of them but the Stephen A. Shwarzman building has a special place in my heart.
When I did my new york residency I spent so much time in the library. I was so broke and it was free and I could spend hours in the presence of other people without any obligation of actually socialising. Every trip I would go to the cafe and buy an espresso, plan my research in the cafe, wander around the gift shop planning what I would eventually buy to take people home, then go into a reading room to plan artworks and learn. The Treasures exhibition was so beautiful (I cried when I saw the real life Winnie the Pooh). Really feels like a peaceful place to sit and think or wander around. I genuinely think about how much I miss my trips there near daily.
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⭐after my super scientific research of going to every single branch of the nypl this is the best. it’s in the main schwarzman branch but you have to walk through another room to get to it + you need a library card (you just have to ask and they’ll sign you up for one!!). also if you want to read any periodicals but don’t wanna pay BOOM they have them. i’ve started going on mondays so i can read the sunday paper from the day before. i feel excellent in there. perfect balance of pretty, quiet, and exclusive.
Jan 29, 2024
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⭐title says it all. let's rebrand public libraries as freaky little hangout spots
Feb 3, 2024
Top Recs from @marxinista
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🤓being traditionally cool is really quite boring and iterative, and it’s actually very cool and sexy to geek out about something you like or share bits of knowledge on a topic you’re passionate about
Aug 17, 2024
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HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WORKER’S DAY!!!! i love having a union, i love being a union steward and getting to support my unit. when my union won its contract, i got a pay bump, better benefits, and increased protection as a worker. 🥳
unions help address racial and gender pay gaps, issues workplaces impose on families and those having kids, addressing unsafe conditions, plus things like better health insurance, wages and overtime, weingarten rights to representation, and more!!!
if you don’t have a union but are thinking about forming one, check out AFL-CIO’s page (linked) or Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. there’s always more power in a union!! ✊🥖🌹
May 1, 2025
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📖they have FREE SHIPPING through Friday (7/8-7/11)
if you are thinking about buying a book online this week, please buy a book there instead of evil amazon dot com. bookshop benefits local indie bookstores! you also can pick which specific bookstore to support and they have many lgbt-, women-, and bipoc-owned shops listed :)
also they now have ebooks and many are on sale, such as Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower + Talents, Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, or Talia Lavin’s Wild Faith for under $3 (!) each
Jul 8, 2025