New York Public Library for the Performing Arts facts for kids
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center is a super cool library in New York City. It's located in the Lincoln Center complex, right between the Metropolitan Opera House and the Vivian Beaumont Theater. This library holds one of the world's biggest collections of items about performing arts, like music, dance, and theater! It's part of the New York Public Library system, serving both as a special research library and a regular branch where you can borrow books.
Contents
The Library's Story
How It Started
Before this big library existed, its amazing collections were kept in two different places. The special research items about dance, music, and theater were at the main New York Public Library Main Branch, now called the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The music you could borrow was at the 58th Street Library.
Back in 1932, a library chief named Carleton Sprague Smith suggested creating a special center for performing arts. He thought New York needed a great music center. Over the years, there were ideas to team up with places like Rockefeller Center or the Museum of Modern Art.
Moving to Lincoln Center
In 1956, when Lincoln Center was being planned, people started talking about a "library and museum of the performing arts." They wanted a place that would show and explain all kinds of performing arts. By 1957, the library was officially part of the Lincoln Center plan.
The building that holds the library and the Vivian Beaumont Theater was the third one to open at Lincoln Center. At first, they wanted the library to be its own building. But it was too expensive, so they combined it with the theater. The library's special research collections are mostly on the third floor. The famous architect Gordon Bunshaft helped design the inside.
The library fully opened to the public on November 30, 1965. It was first called the "Library and Museum of the Performing Arts." It even had a museum part named after Shelby Cullom Davis, who gave money for it. When it first opened, the library had a bookstore, a film area, and a listening area. There was even a children's performing arts section!
The Big Renovation in 2001
From 1998 to 2001, the library building closed for a huge renovation. It cost $38 million to make it better! During this time, the special collections were moved, and you could borrow books from another library.
When the library reopened on October 29, 2001, it had a new name: the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center. This was to thank the Cullman family for their generous gift.
The renovation added lots of computers throughout the building. Now, there are almost 200 computers for people to use! Most of them help you look up library items or watch videos. Some even let you use the internet. They also created a special room for computer training.
Before the renovation, each research section had its own quiet reading room. The new design brought most public reading areas into one big room. This made it easier to find things, but some people missed the quiet, separate rooms. However, special rooms were kept for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive and other unique collections. The museum's art galleries were also made bigger and better. You can even see Al Hirschfeld's desk and chair near the entrance!
Special Research Collections
The library has two main parts: a special research part and a regular branch part. The research collections hold unique items that are often funded by private donations.
What You Can Find
Besides regular books and magazines, the research sections collect amazing, one-of-a-kind materials. This includes:
- Original letters and papers from artists.
- Handwritten music and dance notes.
- Scripts, posters, and original designs for sets and costumes.
- Programs from shows and other small paper items.
- Sound recordings in all kinds of old and new formats.
The library has over 500,000 folders filled with newspaper and magazine clippings about performing arts. These are great for starting your research! They also have about 4.5 million photos, including a huge collection from photographer Martha Swope.
Most of these special items are kept in non-public areas. You can't just walk in and browse them. Instead, you tell the staff what you want, and they bring it to you.
Music Division
The Music Division is the oldest part of the library's special collections. It started with a valuable music library from a banker named Joseph William Drexel in 1888.
This division has amazing handwritten music, especially for jazz. It includes over 400 music arrangements from Benny Goodman and works by Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. You can also find original music by famous classical composers like Bach, Johannes Brahms, Mozart, and Franz Liszt.
Billy Rose Theatre Division
The library has been collecting theater items for a long time. In 1931, the Theatre Collection officially began. In 1979, it was renamed the Billy Rose Theatre Division, thanks to a gift from the producer's foundation. It's now the biggest research section at the library. It focuses on theater, film, vaudeville, magic, and circus.
A very special part of this division is the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT). This archive records live Broadway and Off-Broadway shows! It's one of the largest collections of videotaped theater performances in the world. They record about 50 to 60 live shows every year. You can watch these recordings in a special screening room.
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
The Jerome Robbins Dance Division started in 1944. It collects and preserves everything about dance. It grew quickly with gifts from famous dancers and choreographers like Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis.
A key part of this division is the Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image. This archive collects and saves videos of dance performances. It has many private films and videos given by dancers themselves. The division also has an oral history program, where they record interviews with dancers and choreographers. This helps capture stories and information not found in books.
Reserve Film and Video
This collection focuses on films and videos that you need to watch at the library. It has a screening room big enough for classes. You can even use special equipment like moviolas to watch films frame by frame for detailed study.
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
This archive started in 1937 with a gift of 500 old 78-rpm records. It grew with more gifts from record companies and people. It was named after the famous musical duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, who gave a donation. This archive has a huge collection of sound recordings, tracing the history of recorded sound.
Borrowing Collections
The library also has a regular branch where you can borrow items! This part of the library started in 1920 at the 58th Street Library. Its first head librarian, Dorothy Lawton, was key to its success. She loved dance and helped build a great collection of dance books.
In 1929, they started collecting music recordings. By 1933, their listening booth was so popular you had to book it two weeks in advance! During World War II, Dorothy Lawton even started free concerts for servicemen. They could request music or play chamber music with instruments loaned by the library.
Today, the borrowing collections let you check out books on music, dance, theater, and film. You can also borrow music scores, scripts, CDs, videotapes, and DVDs. They even have an Orchestra Collection, which loans out music parts for groups to perform!
Museum Exhibitions
The library has museum-style exhibitions in two main galleries: The Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery and the Vincent Astor Gallery. There are also display cases throughout the building. These exhibitions show off the library's amazing items to everyone, not just scholars. They help people see how cool the collections are and encourage new donations. The library also has online exhibitions, which let you explore even more items from home!
Free Public Programs
The library hosts free public programs in its 202-seat Bruno Walter Auditorium. This auditorium is used several times a week for live music performances, film screenings, and interesting talks.
See also
- List of New York Public Library branches
