Enrichment Education

New York Public Library giving out 500,000 free books this summer 

The book giveaway is to help New Yorkers build up their home libraries and help students fight summer learning loss. 
Stack of books at New York Public Library. ( Photo courtesy of NYPL).

Story at a glance


  • The New York Public Library, which serves the boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx, is giving away thousands of free books to patrons.

  • The giveaway started earlier this month, and kids, teens and their families can stop by any of the NYPL’s 92 locations to pick up a free book to take home. 

  • The NYPL is also offering a number of in-library workshops and pop-up events as part its “Summer at the Library” program. 

The New York Public Library is giving out half a million books to patrons for free as part of its “Summer at the Library” program.  

New York city kids, teens and their families can stop at any of the public library systems’ 92 locations to pick up books to start or build on their home libraries.  

The goal of the book giveaway is to help spark a lifelong love of reading and learning, library officials said, and to help fight against “summer slide” when students forget some of what they have learned in school during the months of vacation.

  


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Some locations will even offer books in Spanish, Chinese and Large Print. 

“New York City students and families have been through so much over the last two years. It’s critical that, during this period of recovery and renewal, our ecosystem of learning do all it can to support and engage them,” said Brian Bannon, the NYPL’s Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education, in a statement. 

 “Public libraries are uniquely positioned to do this while students are out of the classroom over the summer months, providing quality, free programs to engage their minds while also getting them excited about books, reading, learning, and their communities. After so much time apart, it’s time to safely come together this summer.” 

In addition to the book giveaway, the New York Public Library, which serves the boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx, will host pop-up events like outdoor reading rooms and activities within libraries like teen podcasting classes and a citywide summer dance party.  


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