George Bruce Library | Manhattan, NY

Such a beautiful library! Friendly staff! Lovely long table with outlets, fantastic art: portraits, painted bottles on the top of the shelving, windows on either side. I only wish there was an area for quiet talking, i.e. zoom calls. The staff speaks loudly but shushes patrons even when I was speaking quietly and no one was near me.

Posted on: January 30, 2026

This is my childhood library and now I bring my daughter here as well. The architecture of this building is unmatched compared to the other public libraries around the city. The wood details all around make you feel like you traveled back in time. My only issues with this library are with the children’s section. The toys are extremely old and dirty and look like they’ve never been cleaned. I used an alcohol swab on one of the toys they had and it came out completely black. Maybe they don’t get enough funding to clean or change out the toys. Also, all of the toys are stacked in these bins which are really heavy and hard to carry. I wish they would find a better method of storage. The playroom also does not feel very inviting because almost everything in there is locked away and covered up with curtains. My daughter wanted to play with the legos she saw at the top and the lady there came in and told her she can’t play with them. They should just keep them closed behind a closet if they don’t want people to touch them. Public libraries in Long Island are so much better and actually have so many things for kids to do. I wish nypl would take notes from them. If there are no kids in the library your child will be bored out of their mind like how my daughter is most of the time we go there. And please get rid of the giant plastic vhs cover box on the bathroom keys because it is actually so nasty touching that thing. And please add a changing table for people to change their babies diapers in the bathroom. (I added a pic of the lobster toy they had in the library and the alcohol swab right next to it). It’s no wonder my daughter gets sick everytime I bring her to the library.

Posted on: May 05, 2026

I love going to this library. Just attended a Jazz concert yesterday it was the great.Helpful staff.Been going here for decades.Plus my daughter works here too.

Posted on: April 15, 2026

Beautiful, old NYC architecture with busts of JFK and Malcom X. Clean, fresh HVAC. Well-guarded. Kind staff. Serious readership and neighborhood students.

Posted on: March 27, 2026

For anyone looking, there are indeed a good number of outlets for laptop work etc along with free wifi. I haven’t been here when it’s crowded, but there are 4-6 3-prong outlets per table hub and 5 hubs.

Posted on: June 20, 2025