“Ssshh!” whispered Verum, “Not so loud. We are going to New York, a city in the United States (US). The New York Public Library (NYPL) is giving away about 500,000 books. And we want to try our luck.”
“Tell more about this!” requested Scorch.
“New York City is one of the major commercial, financial, and cultural centers of not just the US but the entire world!” Verum explained, “The city also has a wonderful public library system called The New York Public Library (NYPL). A public library is a library that is open to the public, that is, it’s open to everyone without discrimination. It is often funded by taxes (an amount paid by the citizens to the government).
The NYPL was founded in 1895. Since then, it has been working towards ensuring that communities have access to knowledge and resources. To further promote this mission, the NYPL is giving away 500,000 books this summer through a program called ‘Summer at the Library Program’.
While libraries are brilliant, owning books yourself is also a matter of pride. Through this program, the NYPL will help children, youth, and even adults to build their home libraries. This will also help keep the youth occupied and productive during the summer months.
Moreover, schools were shut down due to the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. So, children’s education suffered a setback. Through this program, the NYPL is also trying to help these students.”
“Where will these books be available?” said Scorch.
“They will be available at any of 92 locations of the NYPL in Manhattan, Bronx, and Staten Island,” said Verum, “Oh, some locations will also offer Spanish and Chinese titles.
The NYPL is also organizing free youth programs such as story times, reading challenges, and writing contests.”
“We should definitely go check it out!” said Scorch.