Posts from Wakefield Library

"Black&" Discussion Series

"Black&" is a series of online discussions led by dedicated NYPL Staff members centered around different aspects of Black identity.

Free Websites to Practice English at Home

Happy learning!

Citizenship Day / Constitution Day: Supporting Your Citizenship Journey

The New York Public Library provides resources, programs, and services that support those New Yorkers seeking to become American citizens.

Library Zine! Build a Better World

The second issue of the Library Zine! is here! Explore a few selections from the second issue.

Exploring Citizenship Day: Programs, Books & Films

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and to “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

Ep. 24 "I Would Like My Children to Speak English" | Library Stories

Juan Cordero immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in order to build a better life for himself and his family. When one of his children gave him a flyer about free English classes at the Library, it opened up a whole new world of opportunities.

What’s Making Us Happy, Part 2

What’s making us happy in the realms of TV, cooking, art and design, libraries, and online thingamabobs, and then happinesses that defy categorization.

Beyond Bond

We asked library staff to investigate Ian Fleming's legacy and go “beyond Bond”—to pick out other books starring secret agents.

Out of This World: Books About Interplanetary Travel

Our expert NYPL librarians recommend their favorite books about interplanetary travel.

A Bronx Week Reading List: May 8-18

One of the unique features of the Bronx is that is has a week dedicated to showcasing and celebrating all its wonderful attributes: history, literature, culture, etc. Here is a reading list which is sure to spark your interests in all things Bronx!

Poetry Writing With Adult New Readers, Strategy 1: The List Poem

You have not crossed the bridges I have crossed. You have not listened to the music I have listened to. You have not been in the top of the World Trade Center the way I have been there. You have not seen the waves I have seen. You have not fallen from horses the way I have fallen. You have not felt the guns on your neck the way I have felt them. You have not been in the sea with a big storm in a little boat the way I have been.

—Excerpt from "Don’t Give Me Advice," by Luis Marin, Tompkins Square CRW

This month is

Read for Your Life: Resources for Teaching Health Literacy to Adults

A woman came into the Library's Center for Reading and Writing, where she was enrolled in a basic literacy class. Visibly shaken, she pulled a staff member aside and confided that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue in the class. She had felt some pain in her breast, and her doctor had recommended that she have a mammogram. Not having any idea what a mammogram was, she understood it to mean that she had cancer. The staff member showed her how to find information about

From Masailand to Tompkins Square Library: A Journey in Literacy

Last year, Victoria joined a basic reading and writing class at Tompkins Square Library's Center for Reading and Writing. She agreed to speak with me about her experience so far and what brought her here.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Kenya, in the Masailand, in a village with 10 huts.

What other languages do you speak besides English?

I speak the Masai language and Swahili, and other tribal languages: Kikuyu, Luo, and Kamba. I came to America in 1986. I speak English every day, but 

What do leg warmers, healthy food preparation, wrestling, and Obama’s inauguration have in common?

They are all topics of programs or workshops for adults coming up at various New York Public Library locations over the next few months!

Leg warmers will be knitted at the Chatham Square Library in Chinatown. Wakefield Library in the north Bronx will host a useful series of free food preparation workshops by Cornell University Cooperative Extension