I haven’t been inside of a public library in a long time,
but Chloe and I have had nothing but time on our hands this month. This weeks we (ok, "I") decided to take a tour of
libraries in Harlem. On the whole, I was shocked by how underfunded and uninspiring they were. There
was nothing there to excite either a reluctant reader, or a seasoned one. In fact, there were hardly any books!
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| The Hamilton Grange Branch of the NYPL |
The Hamilton Grange Branch of the New York
Public Library on 145th Street stinks, no . . . it literally smells. The outer walls are sparsely lined with shelves of books (fiction, non-fiction, new books, books in Spanish) but the bulk of space is taken up by computers. These computers obviously serve a necessary function for the community; for many people the ability to print off a resumé is more important than ability to check out the latest Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel. However, there has to be a balance. If young people, in particular, aren't developing a love of reading in school and the libraries are devoid of books, where do they turn?
The Countee Cullen Library on 136th Street was a bit better. Immediately, the librarian was able to show me how to use my IDNYC card as a library card. There was a section of books on the Black Experience - a lot of street fiction, very few classics, and almost no books from
contemporary authors- but it's the thought that counts right? The children’s floor had volunteers doing
face-painting and mask making to celebrate the end of their Summer Reading program, and there was a floor just for teens where
high-school students were gathered using computers. Unfortunately, again, there were very few books. I could not find any of the
books on Dwight’s Summer Reading List for 7th graders. The Schomburg Center next door features an exhibit on Walter Dean Myers, but I was not able to find any of his books at the library.
The one bright spot was the Washington Heights Library on 160th Street. Chloe and I stumbled on this
branch on our way to visit Sylvan Terrace and The Morris Jumel Mansion. We took a glass elevator up to the Children’s
Floor and were greeted with books, computers, illustrations, comfortable
couches, and lots of light. Chloe and I
both found books that we wanted to take out and were thrilled with the
self-service kiosk for check out.
After this week, I definitely plan on donating to the public library in the future. Find out how to support The New York Public Library here
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