Translation from English

Thursday, July 25, 2013

New York Public Library--Science, Industry and Business

This is a fantastic branch of the NYPL at Madison and 34th Street in what at one time was the upscale Altman's Department store. It has wonderful research facilities, particularly for the internet and internet related topics and items.

 It has wonderful exhibits on a surprising range of topics. One that really caught my eye last year was a big  retrospective on Hollywood movie musicals...This one on the Civil War is undoubtedly as well thought and thorough as all the rest I have seen...they also have artwork over on the other side of the building, which I am not showing because I do not yet have a polarizing filter to block out those damn reflections in the glass...

Books below are fascinating

 This library, as I said, has such a wealth of source material about so much..

 Let me just see what additional information I can find on the net...

First, let me give you their website for openers..

http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl

And now, of all things, some reviews from Yelp...  


Science, Industry & Business Library

33 reviews Rating Details
Category: Libraries  [Edit]
188 Madison Ave
(between 35th St & 34th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 592-7000
Nearest Transit Station:
33 St (4, 6, 6X)
34 St - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
28 St (N, R)
Wi-Fi:
Free
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Useful | Funny | Cool | Total Votes | Friends' | Elites'

33 reviews in English

  • Review from

    1/5/2013 2 check-ins here
    Every entrepreneur our start up should stop by and explore all the small biz resources available here.  The hold an annual small business competition awarding about 10K to start your business and they help you get loans (if that's the route you want to go).  Every day there are career and business classes for free.

    This library is very nice, unlike the small local branches.
    Listed in: 100 Reviews of 2013
  • Review from

    7/18/2013 1 check-in here
    I walked by and decided to stop in. This library looks like the middle ground between the showcase library behind Bryant Park and the Mid-Manhattan library.

    That means it's a quiet library, good for studying, browsing the internet, checking out business/marketing related books, and it looks rather nice and clean inside.

    I was only here for a few minutes though.
  • Review from

    • 52 friends
    • 43 reviews
    7/9/2013 2 check-ins here
    My only criticism is that it's about a block away from a subway stop. This place is awesome. Free wifi. No tourists. Helpful staff. Big reading room. Lots of places to sit, outlets, and computers.
  • Review from

    5/7/2013
    This is my favorite library.....on the ground floor its books and videos but in the basement is large computer rooms and conference rooms too...There are always seminars for small business owners and the staff is great...
  • Review from

    Update - 6/23/2012 8 photos
    Recent visit was for an interview intervention at Job Search Central in NY Public Library SIBL's private conference room.  The course was mediocre to further my job search as I disagree on several points of the instructor's views.

    Nevertheless, this library staff is resourceful and friendly to direct me the location of the conference room where the course is hosted.  This particular NYPL branch is the main facility for job searches where free courses and other resources enable candidates to gain insight on their research of competitors and industry information.  The library resonates a clean environment in a modern atmospheric setting.  The facilities are clean without any stenches or rubbish plastered on the floor.  All bags are subject to inspection by security before patrons' departure.  Free internet usage is readily available to library members.
    • SIBL Job Search Central

    1 Previous Review: Show all »

    • 2/10/2010
      In my past life of adult times I came here often to utilize the computers to check my e-mails and… Read more »
  • Review from

    5/30/2012
    I have grown up in Brooklyn and spent almost all of my free time roaming around Manhattan. I've been to several of the nypl library branches to do work including the Mid-Manhattan library and the Research and humanities library by Bryant Park but this one blows the others out of the park.  I wanted to study for my dental admission test and this place was amazing!  There's no homeless people and everyone who goes to this library looks really professional and studious. I usually go downstairs and the chairs are very nice and comfortable.  This place looks very sleek and clean.
    Out of all libraries in the city, do go here if you're serious about getting work done in a scholarly environment.
  • Review from

    4/5/2012
    Man, I'm almost afraid to rate this place so well and yelp about it, because honestly, it's one of the best places in the entire city to study. There are plenty of cubicles to sit and study at and everyone is super quiet. There are power outlets and lan cables at all of the laptop stations and it usually doesn't get crowded, probably because there are other library branches within a few blocks too.

    Internet is fast and they have at least a 10Mbps connection with a minimal or possibly even zero filters, eg facebook/reddit were both accessible.

    I like that it's big, clean and has that traditional library/museum feel to it. Very comfortable all around. They have a guy who looks like Morpheus from the Matrix who walks around every 20 minutes or so to make sure everyone is following the unwritten rules of being polite and quiet so if you're breaking any of these, just watch out for him.

    There are signs that say no food/drink allowed but I saw plenty of people breaking this rule (again, only when Morpheus was not there).

    A few of the power outlets and LAN cables don't work, but at least there are signs up that say so.

    Unlike most of the neighboring library branches, they have their books tagged with magnetic tags so if you do try to steal one, they'll catch you with the metal detector instead of having you open your bag every single time you get up and come in/out.

    The bathrooms are pretty gross even though they're clean. They stink and are used pretty much around the clock but at least they are there when you need them.

    Hours are basically 10am to 8pm with minor variances for weekends/holidays.

    In the end, this is one of the best places to study that I have found in all of NYC which is free and accessible to anyone. The only downside is that since it is accessible by anyone, you definitely get a different sort of clientele showing up that may or may not be up to speed on proper library etiquettes.

    Won't stop me from coming-- consider this my go-to spot for now.

    I also like the fact that there are subway stations really close by (herald square) and also a lot of great places to take a lunch break or even shop.

    To sum up, some pros and cons to this place but the list of pros is just unbeatable. Hard to find a similar setup anywhere else.
  • Review from

    • 129 friends
    • 131 reviews
    6/17/2012
    Private cubicles and conference rooms that you can reserve.

    Any time I need to study or even cram for something, I come here. Which means that I've been coming here since after school prep and science/ math tutoring in my adolescence/ teens... which means... Gosh, I must have been around 15 when I first walked in here with family and 3 when I first walked in the Schwarzman. The family math tutor used to teach us in our warehouse, but changed it up every so often and I have a very vivid memory of her taking me to the Science and Business section when it was still located on in the "Two Lions" (the nickname that I gave the Schwarzman when I was a child) on 5th avenue and running across the street in the middle of traffic and then walking in calmly with her (stifling giggles) into the Mid-Manhattan when I was around 8. That must have been the first time I went into Manhattan without my nanny (au pair).  It was very exciting.

    Well what can I say about this place? It's quiet and not as touristy as the Schwarzman Library on 5th ave (the Two Lions- Humanities); However, it's definitely not as pretty. The place looks like highschool or college to me- literally. As a lifelong scholarship student, I spent almost all of my waking hours in libraries, and this was no exception. The cubicles are the best here, along with the fact that you can look up quotes and trade here on the bottom floor (if you want to do it on a public console that is).

    They have a decent selection of books that you can reserve or even borrow, but obviously the good stuff are in house only. They have a small collection of humanities books as well, which I always found to be ironic and funny, and I've been redirected quite a few times here over the years. I also remember that they have a good film selection in which you can borrow out as well. Huh, go figure.

    The best times to come here is during the day, definitely try to beat the after school and after-work time slot, because that's when it becomes congested and the line for reservations go all the way up the stairs (ground floor).

    The area has a lot of meaning to me, as my family's old showroom used to be located down the block, and I spent half my life working and studying out of it. Our family tradition (between my brother and I), would be to take turns working and studying in SIBL and the showroom during highschool. Very good  memories.

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