As you walk down East Broadway, you’ll notice a building that seems to be out of place. The white stone facade stands out against the old red brick buildings that surround it. Despite its relatively new appearance, 33 East Broadway has a history as long and rich as that of any other building in Chatham Square. From the dawn of the 20th century to the present day, the Chatham Square Library continues to be an invaluable resource for the new immigrant populace of the Lower East Side of New York City.
In the beginning, Chatham Square was a cattle market. Later in the 1880s, elevated railroads were built. Residential buildings began to develop in the area as well as manufacturing and businesses. In 1901, Andrew Carnegie donated $5.2 million to the city to build public libraries. Construction of Chatham Square Library began soon and it became the second library to be constructed using the funds from Carnegie’s fund. The library officially opened in 1903.
Chatham Square Library is a community institution that provides various services for the different immigrant groups moving into the area. It provided circulars in various languages such as Russian, Hebrew, Italian, and Chinese. However, the increasing Chinese immigrants in the area prompted the Chinese Literary Club in 1908 to propose a plan to include more Chinese books in the library collection. In 1911, 300 Chinese books were successfully added to the library’s book collection, thus making Chatham Square Library the first Chinese library in New York City.
Throughout the years, the library has collected various materials about Chinese culture and history and now there is a section in the basement that contains the Chinese heritage collection. Besides providing more Chinese books, the library has become oriented to preserving the Chinese culture. Till this current day, the library still hold events that try to promote Chinese culture and foster understanding of the culture. The library has been affiliated with Chinese performing arts organizations in the past and the present. They tend to perform operas, puppet shows, dance, and music. Now, the library occasionally holds Chinese film events too.
Kids love going to the library to play games on the computer – especially the games their parents won’t let them play at home 😀
This library serves as a point of access to electronic resources, language materials, and of course, a large selection of books. Students use the library for research projects as well as for leisure reading, and events. adults also have access to a wide range of reading material in both English and Chinese. The librarians are a resource in themselves, helping those who use the library to navigate through the information to find what they need.
To help get information out to its patrons and possible patrons, NYPL has a magazine called “Roar!” which lists upcoming events and services at each of its branches.
For more information, just visit the Chatham square library website at www.nypl.org/locations/chatham-square or better yet, go and visit!
