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New York City Public Libraries: New York Public Library

A guide to the three public library systems of our city. No matter which borough you live in, you can get a free library card at all three systems.

Overview

The New York Public Library (NYPL) has 88 neighborhood branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, as well as four scholarly research libraries.  You can ask for a book to be sent to a branch that is convenient to you, and return your books to any branch. 

Culture pass

You can use your library card from the New York Public Library, or the Brooklyn Public Library, or the Queens Public Library, to gain FREE entrance into a wide range of museums and other cultural institutions through Culture Pass !  You do have to make a reservation online.

See the Culture Pass website for more details. 

Branches closest to Hostos

NYPL map 115th St.

 125th St.

Countee Cullen

Hamilton Grange

Harlem

Macomb's Bridge

Mott Haven

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 

To see all the NYPL branches, click here.

Special nearby libraries

image credit: New York Public Library

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of NYPL's four research libraries, and has valuable special collections.

It is usually open later than other branches, and also holds many  interesting public events.  It's only one subway stop away from Hostos on the downtown 2 train, near the subway exit at 135th Street.

Just a few stops north of Hostos (near Fordham Road), the Bronx Library Center is the biggest NYPL branch in the Bronx.  It is also usually open later than other branches, and has free public performances and many free classes.

Guide author

Profile Photo
Haruko Yamauchi

Digital images from NYPL Collections

Bronx real estate ad    (Explore over 800,000 images in the NYPL Digital Collections!)

   Men in Harlem listening to radio, 1930's Design for Grand Central Terminal