Rikers Island gets unofficial New York Public Library branch by Alison Fox

July 27, 2016

The library at the Rikers Island correction facility has a wide range of books, including "The Hunger Games" series and "To Kill a Mockingbird." (Credit: Craig Ruttle)

 

The (unofficial) 93rd branch of the New York Public Library is now open for business — and you can’t take the subway to visit it.

That’s because the small-but-well-stocked collection is the first permanent public library on Rikers Island.

And the collection, which is housed in the women’s Rose M. Singer Center and sits below a poster of Beyoncé as Rosie the Riveter, is as varied as the people who will be reading from it: “The Hunger Games” books share space with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Les Misérables,” and an extensive James Patterson collection. 

“It’s amazing the city services that are available in the community; many of those we want here on the island,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte. “This is a good step to introduce inmates to the value of education, the value of reading.”

The library holds 1,200 books — spanning everything from comics to sci-fi, from Spanish language works to nonfiction classics — and it will be open every Tuesday for about six hours each day. Read more...

 

MoveOn Petitions - Librarians Belong In NYC Schools

Librarians Belong In NYC Schools

By Christian Zabriskie (Contact)

To be delivered to: Dr. John B. King, New York State Commissioner of Education, Merryl H. Tisch, Chancellor, Anthony S. Bottar, Vice Chancellor, James C. Dawson, Board of Regents, Member at Large, Geraldine D. Chapey, Board of Regents, Member at Large and 12 other targets (click here to see more)

 

Petition Statement:

 

School Librarians are essential to education. We the undersigned feel that the NYC DOE (New York City Schools), should NOT be granted an exemption to state law which requires school librarians and which they have been in gross violation of for some time. School librarians have been shown to improve student performance in numerous studies and New York City public school students have a right to this important educational resource.

Petition Background

New York City Schools are seeking a waiver on state law which requires them to have school librarians in middle schools and high schools. Less than half of NYC schools have a librarian. This is an important resource for our kids and NYC DOE cannot give up on addressing this problem. Sign the petition!