From The Peopling of New York City
A Library Catered to Brooklyn Chinatown's Residence and Beyond
Located in the heart of Brooklyn Chinatown, the Sunset Park Library originally opened its doors to the public in 1905. At first, the building was heralded for its architectural prowess, and in fact, “he original two-story classical revival style building designed by architects Lord & Hewlett and funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, occupied the present corner lot. Yet, by 1970, the library had become useless to the surrounding community, and as a result, the brick and stone of the library were demolished. This is how the site would remain for almost thirty years, until 1998 when the library was rebuilt and renovated to include an adult and children’s reading area, a meeting room, and an auditorium. Furthermore, it includes a number of technological updates including the addition of computers, wireless internet access, and copy machines. The $1.8 million renovation, funded by Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, even gave the library a new glass and brick façade and wheelchair ramps. The branch is accessible to all: those with physical handicaps, as well as the colorful population of Sunset Park.
Starting in the 1980s, Hispanic, Latino, and Chinese immigrants began to flood in to Sunset Park. These new immigrants brought with them their culture from their previous lives, opening up shops, schools, and services specifically directed at Hispanic or Chinese immigrants. The area surrounding Sunset Park Library demonstrates these demographics perfectly. Flanked on all sides by Chinese and Hispanic and Latino restaurants, movie theaters, dance studios, and places of religious worship, the library is a hotspot for locals immersed in their native cultures. The extremely competitive school, P.S. 105, is found right down the street from the library. The Chinese students already attending, as well as the many hoping to gain admission to the overwhelmingly Chinese speaking school, all can find what there are looking for at their local library, in the language they need. Students from the 80% Latino and Hispanic school, Sunset Park Prep, have no problems finding the study materials they require to succeed. Without the library’s extensive multilingual collection, these students, as well as many others, would have difficulties researching and gathering data, and as a result, not do as well as they could have with the proper resources.
Even American-born programs cater to the unique community when they take place at the Sunset Park Library. This past December, Sesame Street held an exhibition at the library, with all of the screenings and story-telling sessions held in multiple languages. In the past, multilingual puppet shows, after-school programs, dramatic readings, book clubs, special needs programs, parenting workshops, garden clubs, and a large variety of classes have taken place at Sunset Park Library to serve all non-English speakers.
In addition to all the immigrant-friendly programs taking place, the Sunset Park population is drawn to the library by their large collection of research materials, novels, DVD’s and recordings. The branch boasts thousands of materials each in Chinese and Spanish. All the signs in the library are written in multiple languages, and everyone can find a library employee who understands their native tongue to help them find what they need in the Multilingual Center. In addition, the library provides a multilingual Bookmobile to bring materials in different languages to community events and to serve as a temporary library whenever the branch is undergoing renovations. Another appeal of the library for the Chinese residents is its proximity to the N train. After their visit to the library, they can head straight over to the Manhattan Chinatown to shop or visit friends.
The Sunset Park Library helps contribute to the community’s lack of Americanization. With its services and classes in Chinese and Spanish, proximity to local cultural eateries and entertainment, and wealth of materials focusing on Chinese, Latino, and Hispanic history written in several languages, the library fosters the idea that the residents of Sunset Park do not need to learn English or deviate from their native cultures at all to survive and prosper. Brooklyn’s Chinatown can continue to flourish as their own, separate world with the aid of the services provided by institutions like the Sunset Park branch of Brooklyn Public Library.