About the Morningside Heights Library

View library address, hours, and more.

The Morningside Heights Branch of The New York Public Library is located on Broadway at the corner of 113th Street. Formerly known as the Columbia Branch, the library has been serving the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan since 1914, when it opened in Columbia University's Low Library as a recreational collection for students and faculty. When the university's Butler Library replaced the Low Library in 1937, it included a room designed for the Columbia Branch. In 1996, the branch moved to a temporary location on 113th Street to accommodate renovations at Butler Library. The present building, opened in 2001, also includes a Columbia University dorm and a retail shop. The building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern architects and incorporates modern technology in a traditional library setting.

Among the collections, services, and programs the branch makes available are:

  • Book collections for adults, young adults, and children available for borrowing and use in the library
  • Videos, books on tape, and CDs for all ages
  • Lifelong Learning collection for adult new readers of English
  • Large Print collection
  • Community Information collection
  • Internet access for free public use by appointment (list of Internet Training Workshops)
  • TechConnect, the library computer training site
  • Films, story hours, and reading-aloud programs for children
  • Puppet shows, crafts, music programs, and other special events for children
  • Author readings, lectures, workshops, music, poetry, and theater programs for adults
  • Class visits by appointment

Community District Information

For more information about your Community District, including census data, community board information, local schools, and other resources, see here.

 

Information About Environmental Remediation Projects in Your Community

Brownfields are properties where redevelopment is complicated by actual or suspected environmental contamination from past land usage. Because of New York City's long industrial history, brownfields are found in areas throughout the five boroughs. The New York City Office of Environmental Remediation offers programs that encourage environmental investigation of lightly-to-moderately contaminated sites, and that oversee clean up appropriate to a site's new end use. Information about these projects is available below:

New York City Voluntary Cleanup Program
Brownfield Educational Video series –Cleaning Up NYC
Brownfield Cleanup Program Application