NYC Neighborhoods

9/11/01 by Lauren Lampasone, Senior Librarian, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)September 11, 2011

From "Drugstore Photographs, Or, A Trip Along the Yangtze River, 1999;" Lower Manhattan Block-by-Block by Dylan Stone. Block 084: West Thames Street between South End Avenue and the Hudson River Esplanade (north side), Digital ID 504218, New York Public LibraryWhere were you? Uptown, midtown, downtown. Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx. Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey. On the ferry, on the train, in the air, below ground. At the library, at school, at home, at work. Maybe you were somewhere else, and you watched the events unfold from far away on television.

Last year we offered an extensive list of books providing facts and analysis on the terrorist attacks, available from our collections in many languages. This year we also have a list of books to help you talk about this day with children. This Sunday, the tenth anniversary, it makes sense to look back and just remember. Listen and reflect on where we were, and where we are now.

Oral Histories and Archives

September 11 Digital Archive - collection of first-hand accounts of the attacks and aftermath as well as born-digital materials.
Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive - One week (3,000 hours) of news broadcasts for study, research and analysis.
"New York Stories: An Oral Historian Takes on 9/11" The Atlantic
Archival materials at NYPL from the authors of City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center
- Eric Lipton World Trade Center research files, 1945-2003.
- James Glanz World Trade Center research files, 1885-2003.

Personal Narratives in the NYPL Catalog

A Decade of Hope: Stories of Grief and Endurance from 9/11 Families and Friends by Dennis Smith
Before & After: Stories from New York edited by Thomas Beller
Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 by Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathias
September 11: An Oral History compiled by Dean E. Murphy
Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 edited by Damon DiMarco
What We Saw CBS News

If you have a story you'd like to share, feel free to leave it in the comments area below.

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9/11 Memories

Submitted by Philip Vassallo (not verified) on September 12, 2011 - 10:23am

I was engrossed at work in my home office on the morning of September 11, 2001, when my wife, a middle school teacher, called from her classroom: "Phil, the World Trade Center had been hit. Turn on the TV." As I watched the North Tower engulfed in flame, the South Tower was hit. I will always remember that moment--the human capacity for evil. I reflected on the nearly three thousand people who perished and the tens of thousands more who loved them and would be affected by this tragedy far greater than I. The mere thought of this crime made many flee from others, made them withdraw. Where can they go in safety? Whom can they trust? Why are they living in such a world? But what I will most remember from that day is our capacity for love. I immediately received calls from relatives all over the world: Malta, Australia, and England. Local friends, some knowing I was scheduled to deliver a presentation in the World Trade Center on September 13, called to see where and how I was. Even some people I'd forgotten checked in. I did the same, learning that my dearest family and friends who live and work in New York City were as safe as I was. I didn't know what world I would live in when the dust of the collapsed towers settled, but ultimately, September 11, 2001 taught me that we need each other more than ever.