Underground Library Speakeasy

You have to know it’s there. There is a branch of the New York Public Library nestled down a flight of stairs next to a subway turnstile on Lexington and 50th. I read about it in the New York Times. Commuters in the know use this branch frequently, stopping in for novels to read on the train. Befuddled tourists wander in, often asking about the location of a Barnes and Noble.

This branch is a great example of library services evolving to serve its particular niche of the community - in this case, the commuters. The collection is focused on business books, novels, leisure reads and some children’s books. One plus - it is easy to remember to return a book since it is conveniently located en route to the daily train. And the secret password is “read.”