Posts from 125th Street Library

Juan Nolasco's Library Story is one of rising from the ashes. He became homeless after the death of his mother, but the staff and resources at the 125th Street Library were there to help him pick himself up and become the artist he is today.

A few streets away from the 125th St. stop on a busy Lexington Avenue, this library is looking toward the future.

This week, 1.5 billion Muslims will celebrate Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, or Tabaski as it is known in West Africa. Very few among them will have a thought for the hundreds of thousands of enslaved West Africans who, during almost four centuries, practiced Islam in the Americas. Although they left significant marks of their faith, cultures, and traditions, the Africans who first brought Islam to these shores have been mostly forgotten.

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. What better time to discover or learn more about Afro-Asians? As our groundbreaking exhibition Africans in India shows, some became navy commanders, army generals, and founders of dynasties. In Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat, they left an impressive architectural legacy. Today, some Sidis live there in a small compound where they proudly maintain their culture.

Generals, commanders, admirals, prime ministers, and rulers, East Africans greatly distinguished themselves in India. They wrote a story unparalleled in the rest of the world — that of enslaved Africans attaining the pinnacle of military and political authority not only in a foreign country but also on another continent. Come discover their extraordinary story in a groundbreaking exhibition at the Schomburg Center — on view from February 1 to July 6 — and on March 21, join Dr. Faeeza Jasdanwalla, a descendant of the African dynasty of Janjira for a conversation on this 

Digital Schomburg's online exhibitions on various aspects of the black experience have truly become a global phenomenon. They are attracting visitors from all over the world. From Argentina to Zimbabwe and Montenegro and the Maldives in between. What do they know that perhaps you don't?

In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience remains the most visited curated exhibition of The New York Public Library. With a few clicks, visitors from 206 countries and territories, including Kazakhstan, Tonga, Suriname, Mongolia and Malawi, 

April is National Poetry Month, and I promised myself to read a poem a day. Some poets of the black experience immediately came to mind: Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Claude McKay, Sonia Sanchez, Audrey Lorde, to name a few. But then I decided to venture unto new territory and immerse myself into recent works.

I selected four great poets — and distinguished scholars training new generations — who published collections in 2010 and 2011. I found history, current events and the future in their works; and grace, beauty, heartache, struggles and 

Visit NYPL's BiblioCommons for these lists and many more. You can also create your own and share them with us in the comments! See below for some interesting staff picks from the past month, on topics both timely and timeless:

Family & Home Be a Better Chef (at Home!) - Collection of popular cookbooks for new as well as "seasoned" cooks.

Would you like to learn more about computers, but don’t know where to start? Thanks to some dedicated volunteers, the 125th Street Library now offers FREE individual computer tutoring/computer help.

If you know nothing about computers but want to learn, are curious about social networking, need help filling out an online form, or want to learn about a specific computer program, these tutors are here to help. You can sign up for a free hour-long session by calling: (212) 534-5050, or stopping by the 125th Street Branch at 224 

Right here in zip code 10035 you can keep your child safe in your car. Just stop by Chevrolet-Saturn of Harlem on Saturday, April 11 between 11 am and 3 pm for a FREE safety check of your child car seat.

A trained car seat technician will check your seat and demonstrate correct installation. No appointment is necessary. DOT is sponsoring this event is in partnership with Safe Kids New York City and Chevrolet-Saturn of Harlem.

Chevrolet-Saturn of Harlem 2485 Second Avenue (at 

The 125th Street Library announces our 2nd Annual 125th Street Poetry Contest (poetry slam!)

All are invited to submit entries, multiple submissions are encouraged, but only one will be chosen for entry!

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009: 4 PM

125th Street Library 224 East 125th Street New York, NY 10035 (212) 534-5050

For more information contact John Fahs, Senior Young Adult Librarian. Images are from last year's event.

Although I have worked for NYPL for over 23 years, I never worked in a Manhattan branch before arriving at the 125th Street Branch in January. I’ve been exploring the 125th Street neighborhood from the Information Desk by looking at the local organizations listed in Community Board 11’s list of Community Based Organizations.

In order to stay truly local, I’ve (so far) limited my explorations to our zip code 10035. Fortunately, the 125th Street Branch is fairly well centered in this zip