Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) kicked off January 2023 by celebrating a team of our librarians who were named Library Journal’s Librarians of the Year—the profession’s most prestigious national award. Just two weeks later, we crowned Washington Irving Library the winners of the BKLYN Robotics League championship, besting 14 other teams across the borough.
In between, we hosted story times and STEM programs, career workshops, live concerts, camps for youth and conversations with authors, academics and beyond. In all, BPL offered nearly 60,000 free programs and circulated nearly 10 million books and materials. As we face an uncertain fiscal climate, let’s celebrate all that we were able to accomplish in 2023—and what a library system can do with both the necessary resources and an unwavering commitment to serving the public.
Here are BPL’s top 10 moments of the year.
We Celebrated a Brooklyn Icon—And Made History
In July, we opened The Book of HOV, an exhibition created by Roc Nation to celebrate the life and work of Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, the esteemed lyricist, musician, innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist who began his journey in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses, just blocks from Central Library. Over 600,000 people visited the exhibition, marking a 74% increase attendance at Central Library.
The exhibition’s final day, December 4, 2023, drew nearly 11,000 patrons— the most in a single day in the Library’s history. Furthermore, we had a 66% increase in library card registrations systemwide as new patrons flocked to get one of 13 limited-edition library cards featuring artwork from JAY-Z’s albums.
We Fought for the Freedom to Read
Against an unprecedented rise in book bans and censorship, the Library’s landmark Books Unbanned program was expanded to include Seattle, Boston, LA County and San Diego Public Libraries. Since launching in April 2022, BPL has provided 7,300 cards to teens in all 50 states; these Books Unbanned card holders have checked out over 170,000 books to date. For their extraordinary work on the project, Nick Higgins, Amy Mikel, Karen Keys, Jackson Gomes and Leigh Hurwitz were named the 2023 Librarians of the Year by Library Journal. And this year, we launched a new podcast, titled Borrowed and Banned—featured as a new and noteworthy selection on Apple Podcasts—to examine America’s ideological war with its bookshelves.
We Opened Three New Inspiring and Innovative Libraries
In June, we reopened East Flatbush Library after a comprehensive renovation. The new, light-filled library has skylights overhead and floor-to-ceiling windows that face the busy neighborhood. Just a few weeks later, we opened the new Brower Park Library at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, bringing together the resources of two beloved institutions in a unique partnership and allowing patrons to see objects and artifacts from the Museum’s collections. And in November, we opened the new Sunset Park Library and Apartments. The historic project, developed with the Fifth Avenue Committee, is the first of its kind in New York City, establishing a new development model under which the creation of 100% affordable housing is paired with new and expanded public library facilities.
We Leveled Up and Powered Up
In partnership with Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women, we launched LevelUP, a new initiative designed to provide Black women in low-paying jobs and underserved communities an opportunity to both advance their careers and build wealth. The comprehensive program provides mentoring, financial coaching, interviewing and professional etiquette courses along with career classes in real estate, finance and technology. LevelUP will serve 120 women over a two-year period. We also celebrated 20 years of PowerUP, the business plan competition founded in 2003 to provide local businesses a helping hand after 9/11. Since then, the contest, sponsored by Dime Community Bank, has provided over $600,000 to over 200 entrepreneurs across the borough, including many of Brooklyn’s most successful and beloved businesses: Greenlight Bookstore, Bogota Latin Bistro, Island Pops, Green in BKLYN, Brooklyn Tea (a Beyoncé favorite!) and Tinsel Experiential Design, now a multi-million dollar company.
We Celebrated Five Years and the Distribution of 270,000 Culture Passes
Culture Pass celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2023. The program, launched in partnership with New York Public Library and Queens Public Library, started with just 30 venues. Today, Culture Pass provides free access for library card holders to over 85 museums, historical sites, and performance venues and has distributed more than a quarter million passes. In November, we broke a record with over 7,700 passes, the most ever for a single month.
We Reopened the Center for Brooklyn History. For Everyone.
After an extensive renovation, we celebrated the grand reopening of the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) in September, providing New Yorkers free access to the space and its collection—the largest of its kind—of Brooklyn history. “Today, as we launch the next chapter of the Center for Brooklyn History, we are not just reopening a building; we are reopening the door to our shared past, illuminating the path to our future and welcoming every Brooklynite to contribute their voice to the ever-evolving story of our borough," said CEO and Library President Linda E. Johnson at the ribbon cutting.
We Let Teens Takeover
In 2023, we opened Teen Tech Centers at Saratoga, Adams Street and Bay Ridge Libraries. They join Crown Heights Library and the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Kings Highway Library, bringing the total number in the borough to five. The Centers provide a place for teens to sharpen digital skills, express their creativity and meet peers. This year we also hosted 52 Teen Takeovers, giving teens after-hours access to select branches to play games, watch movies, make crafts and hang out in a safe, communal space.
We Hit the Road
When Leonard Library closed this year for renovations, Nellie opened for business. Nellie is a fully functioning roving cart, conceived, designed and built by librarian Lauren Comito. Nellie holds 100 books and is wired so patrons can sign up for library cards, borrow and return books. Comito and her team wheel Nellie around the neighborhood so they can stay in touch with patrons during the renovation. Nellie is just one way BPL reaches the community; our Bookmobiles traveled over 2,000 miles across the borough in 2023, meeting over 20,000 patrons in parks, community centers and more. And our Books by Mail program, which ensures that patrons who are homebound can access library services and materials, circulated nearly 9,000 books in 2023.
We Danced
This spring, the most joyous, energetic spot in the borough was surely Flatbush Library, where a group of older adults—including an octogenarian—came together to learn Salsa, Cha-cha-cha and other Latin dances for six weeks. In addition to learning the dance steps, class members found themselves building a community, combating the social isolation that often impacts seniors. Over at Central Library, The People’s Ball—named Time Out’s Best Nightlife Event—allowed the public to strut, walk and dance down the runway to show off their personal style. And DJ Max Glazer—who has toured with Rihanna and DJed parties for Missy Elliott and Naomi Campbell—threw two positively electric dance parties this summer, declaring Central Library’s Plaza his favorite place to DJ. The Library also offers free swing dancing and a wide variety of exercise and health classes throughout the year, for all ages and all stages of life.
We Made a Wish Come True
In the springtime, we also learned that one of our youngest patrons (age 5) had been very ill, missing school and visits to the library with her family. After spending time in the hospital with health issues related to sickle cell disease, Hannah Jean began recovering at home, where she pretended to be a librarian and even collected boxes to make a help desk to greet “patrons.” So, we invited her to Central to be a librarian for the day! She got an employee badge, read a story aloud just like our librarians do, toured the facilities and sat at the president’s desk where she made some crucial decisions and reminded us all of the important things, in life and at the library: books, songs, stories and friends.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. As a leader in developing modern 21st century libraries, we provide resources to support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book