Brooklyn Public Library

An independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn and the 5th largest library system in the United States.

On November 30, 1896, the Brooklyn Common Council passed a resolution to establish Brooklyn Public Library to nurture “the minds of the people and lay the foundation of a better civilization for the future.” The first branch, Bedford Library, opened in a former public school building and soon after Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 21 more branches across the borough.

Brooklyn Public Library continued to grow throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. There are now 61 BPL branches in every neighborhood across the borough and outreach sites in schools, homeless shelters, senior centers and jails.

As our library system has grown, so has our definition of literacy. While Brooklynites still visit their local library to read books in a welcoming space, they also come to borrow laptops, hear live music, register to vote, revise their resumes and so much more. The Library has always been the most democratic institution in our borough and it’s become the most versatile, too.