During this unprecedented moment, The New York Public Library is committed to supporting New Yorkers and providing the resources and tools they need. In response to uprisings across the globe demanding justice for Black lives, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture—a leading voice for equality and justice for Black communities for 95 years—has released its Black Liberation Reading List, drawing from the lives and writings of Black writers, including  those in their collection. This week, we are also proud to launch this year’s expanded Summer Reading program—which will provide digital books, virtual programs, and online summer camp activities—to meet the current needs of families across New York City, while ensuring equal access to literacy for all. We hope these critical services, along with our wide array of virtual resources, will empower learners of all ages to read, discover, and explore their own stories during this time. Read on for more resources and opportunities. The Library is here for you.

In the Spotlight

The Schomburg Center’s Black Liberation Reading List

Curated by expert librarians from the Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, this reading list comprises essential titles about Black life and the struggle for freedom. In honor of the Schomburg Center’s 95th anniversary this year, the 95 books on the list represent titles that the Schomburg Center and the public turn to regularly as activists, students, archivists, and curators. Download the Library’s free e-reader app, SimplyE, to borrow titles from the list and start reading immediately.

Researching Black Heritage with NYPL's E-Resources

Explore all aspects of Black heritage—from genealogy to LGBTQ history to current popular culture—with a list of online resources accessible to anyone with a New York Public Library card. Schomburg Center librarian Rhonda Evans breaks down all the materials you can find at the Library, from online databases to recent periodicals. 

Summer Reading

Begin Your Summer Reading Adventure Today!

Every summer, kids and teens and their families join the Library’s Summer Reading program to engage with books and reading while keeping their minds sharp to prevent summer slide. This year, our program is bigger than ever, featuring an array of online programs, activities, and challenges that celebrate the power of myths, fairy tales, and folklore—as well as the power of telling your story. All summer long, kids and teens can earn badges and track their reading through our online reading portal, participate in virtual summer camp activities, attend online author talks and programs, and more! 

 

Online Summer Reading Programs

This summer, the Library is taking our Summer Reading events online, with author talks, performances, and more. Children’s author Tracey Baptiste kicks off NYPL’s season of kids programming on Saturday, June 13. Baptiste will read from her book The Jumbies, a fantasy about a young girl’s fight to save her family and her home from the Caribbean folk monsters from the book’s title. Learn about this event and more!

Get Virtual Summer Camp Activities & More Straight to Your Inbox

All summer long, NYPL will be offering an array of fun and engaging programs and resources for kids and their families, including at-home summer camp activities, virtual programs, and book recommendations. Sign up for our weekly kids e-newsletter to keep up with everything the Library is offering.

More for Kids & Teens

At-Home Play Activities 

Play is a fundamental part of childhood and an important way that kids learn. Our online guide has creative activities and helpful prompts to engage little ones and encourage them to make predictions, experiment, and enhance their vocabulary while learning new concepts. These activities can be created with everyday objects on hand at home. For grades Pre-K–2.

Teaching American History with NYPL Digital Collections: Reconstruction

Teens can learn about one of the most consequential yet misunderstood eras of American history using Library resources, no matter where they are. Find an array of online resources, from digitized primary sources to e-books, to help foster learning about the Reconstruction era, selected by our curator of history, social sciences, and government information. For grades 6–12.

Calling All Kids: Join Us on TV!

Do you have a young reader who's ready for their close-up? The New York Public Library is looking for children to participate in a special opportunity with WNET/Channel 13 that will spotlight titles from our anniversary book list, 125 Kids Books We Love. For these pre-taped television segments featuring our librarians, we are looking for children in grades K–5 who love reading and have lots to say about selections from our anniversary book list. Find out more about the requirements and how you can apply today. Space is limited and the deadline is Friday, June 12, so please submit as soon as possible!

Online Events & Classes

LIVE from NYPL: Barton Gellman with Emily Bell

Thursday, June 11 | 8 PM
The Edward Snowden story is well-known, as are the accounts of it by journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald. Now, the third journalist who shared their Pulitzer Prize, Barton Gellman, recounts his part in bringing to light the trove of highly classified documents that forever changed the way we understand surveillance in America.

LIVE from NYPL: N.K. Jemisin with W. Kamau Bell

Tuesday, June 16 | 8 PM
The City We Became, the latest novel by bestselling speculative fiction writer N.K. Jemisin, imagines a New York City whose future is threatened by an ancient evil that aims to capitalize on its divisions to destroy it. Jemisin is the only three-time winner of the Hugo Award—sci-fi’s highest honor—for each of the books in her groundbreaking Broken Earth trilogy. She will be joined by comedian (and her cousin!) W. Kamau Bell to talk about her work and what all of our cities might become. 

TechConnect: Protecting Your Privacy & Security

Wednesday, June 10 | 1:30 PM
Need a security checkup? This class covers best practices for keeping your information safe online and your computer virus-free. Register to receive an email two hours prior to the start of the class with a link to join.

Webinar: Strategies for Enhancing Job Search Online

Friday, June 12, 2020 | 12 Noon
In this interactive workshop, NYPL career coach Louisa Tatum provides tips on how to enhance the online job application process. Explore alternative job sites, highlight your skills on your resume, address challenging job application questions, and find resources to help you break through the employment barriers and increase your chances of getting an interview.

New & Noteworthy

Reading List: Trans, Nonbinary & Gender Nonconforming Voices 

Whether you are looking for stories you can relate to, books to help you learn more about trans and gender nonconforming friends and family, diverse titles to broaden your understanding of our city and community, or just a fun, romantic, or educational read, we have something at the  Library for you.

Immigrant Heritage Month: Explore Ladino Online

Ladino is a variety of Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, which through migration has come to be spoken in many different countries. Learn more about the language and preservation efforts with Library resources.

The Librarian Is In, Episode 165: June Book Club

Frank and Rhonda discuss Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts from our 125th anniversary book list, 125 Books We Love. 

What Tayari Jones Is Reading

Explore this recommended reading list from award-winning author Tayari Jones, author of the bestselling novel An American Marriage.

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