Students issued a New MyLibraryNYC Card; teachers may order books for classes through innovative partnership
All 1.1 million New York City public school students will have
direct access to 17 million items in the public libraries' collections
by 2015.
New York – Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Dennis M.
Walcott, New York Public Library President Tony Marx, Brooklyn Public
Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, Queens Library President and
CEO Thomas W. Galante and Citi Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit
today announced the expansion of
MyLibraryNYC, an initiative that
connects New York City public schools with the millions of books and
other learning materials available through the public libraries.
MyLibraryNYC
supplements the materials available in public school libraries and will
provide access to the more than 17 million books and other items that
are a part of the New York, Brooklyn and Queens Public Library catalogs
to up to 250,000 students in 400 public schools this year and 1.1
million students by 2015. The program is made possible with $5 million
in funding from Citi. The Mayor, Chancellor, public library leaders, and
Mr. Pandit made the announcement at the 50th Street School Campus in
Manhattan, which houses five high schools, and were joined by School
Librarian Adelena Kavanagh and students.
"Libraries are an indispensable asset to our students and the expansion of
MyLibraryNYC
will encourage reading and promote learning both inside and outside the
classroom," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This program is a great example of
the public and private sectors coming together to invest in our children
and city's future. I want thank our three great public library systems
and Citi for their help in providing our children with the resources
they need to thrive."
"Since its launch last year,
MyLibraryNYC has been
celebrated by both teachers and students, and we are thrilled that even
more schools in all five boroughs will have the opportunity to
participate," said Chancellor Walcott. "By expanding the volumes of our
school libraries to include the collections of three of the largest
public library systems in the country, we are increasing the
opportunities for our students to meet the higher bar of the Common Core
standards and graduate ready for college and careers."
"The city's public school students – the future of this great
city – deserve every opportunity to succeed, and to do so need access to
critical information and stores of knowledge necessary to further their
educations," said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. "I
am proud that the New York Public Library joined forces with the New
York City Department of Education, Citi and our fellow library systems
in Brooklyn and Queens to break down bureaucratic walls and do just that
– offer students and teachers unprecedented access to key materials
they so desperately need. The Library has long been a leading provider
of free education in New York City, and I am thrilled that we are able
to expand that role with this innovative program, which is sure to set
an example for the rest of the country."
"Brooklyn Public Library is committed to promoting early
literacy, fostering a love of learning and inspiring students to express
their creativity," said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn
Public Library. "With
MyLibraryNYC, we will work with the New
York Public Library, Queens Library and the New York City Department of
Education to ensure that teachers and students have the support and
materials they need. This first-of-its-kind partnership will open new
worlds of information to young New Yorkers, sparking their imaginations
and helping them to achieve their educational goals."
"Queens Library is an important part of the educational
infrastructure," said Thomas W. Galante, Queens Library President and
CEO. "We are gratified to be able to enrich our City's students' lives
by leveraging our extensive collections. We thank Citi for their support
in this project."
"Citi has a long history of supporting education in New York and
the U.S., from promoting financial literacy to helping families save for
college to financing the construction of schools. We know the success,
not just of our company, but of the communities we serve, depends on how
well we as a society educate the next generation," said Citi CEO Vikram
Pandit. "This innovative public-private partnership brings together the
leading global bank, the nation's largest educational system and one of
the world's largest public library systems, and leverages their
resources to help New York City's public school students learn and
thrive. Citi is proud to play a role in making it happen."
"The city's three public library systems – New York, Brooklyn,
and Queens Borough – are showing the way forward with this exciting,
innovative program," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "Not only has
MyLibraryNYC
already achieved terrific results in increasing reading among our
public school children – it's doing so in an extremely cost-effective
manner. I want to thank Chancellor Walcott for joining with the Library
in forging this new model, and Vikram Pandit and Citi for their
investment to help get it off the ground."
"Today's announcement of the citywide expansion of the
MyLibraryNYC
program is wonderful news for New York City school children," said
Congressman Jerrold Nadler. "Through this wonderful program 250,000
school kids will have access to more than 17 million books. I commend
Mayor Bloomberg, the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public
Library for enabling this expansion of this program and making it easier
for kids to read and take out books from the library."
"Expanding
MyLibraryNYC to 400 schools further integrates
our City's three amazing library systems with our public schools, giving
teachers and students more of the tools they need to succeed at no cost
to the schools," said New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane. "This
efficient, innovative and collaborative use of resources will aid
teachers' course development and knock down students' barriers to entry
into the library system, encouraging reading in both print and digital
platforms. I applaud Mayor Bloomberg, the Department of Education, the
Queens, Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries, and Citi for making this
program a reality."
Through
MyLibraryNYC, students and teachers will have
access to an online catalog developed by BiblioCommons, where they can
browse the collections of the three public libraries and arrange to
borrow books and other materials. Each student in one of the 400
participating schools will receive a new library card, and teachers may
order up to 100 books – or class sets – as part of lesson plans.
Teachers may also use online social tools to collaborate with their
peers, share ideas and post their own recommended book lists. The
program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi, which
provided for the development of the online searchable catalog and
interactive tools.
The
MyLibraryNYC pilot first launched last year in a
partnership between 86 schools and the New York Public Library system,
under the leadership of its President, Anthony Marx. Surveys conducted
after the pilot showed that nearly 90 percent of participating teachers
said the program better equipped them to teach and that students in the
pilot were three times more likely to check out a book from their public
library than those in non-participating schools. This year's expansion
includes the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries, providing for
services in each of the five boroughs. The program will grow to cover
all public schools – and 1.1 million students – by the year 2015.
For more information on Brooklyn Public Library
click here
For more information on The New York Public Library
click here
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