New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is a special library located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. It is found between the Metropolitan Opera House and the Vivian Beaumont Theater. This library holds one of the largest collections of materials about performing arts in the world.

It is one of four research centers in the New York Public Library’s Research library system, and it is also a branch library. The library helps people learn about dance, music, theater, and other performing arts by providing books, recordings, photographs, and more.

History

Founding and original configuration

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts started with collections kept in two different places. Materials about dance, music, and theatre were at the New York Public Library Main Branch, now called the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Music books that people could borrow were at the 58th Street Library.

In 1932, a report suggested creating a special place just for performing arts. After Lincoln Center was built in 1956, plans grew for a library-museum there. By 1959, the library’s move to Lincoln Center was approved.

The library’s research area and the Vivian Beaumont Theater opened together in 1965, the fourth building at Lincoln Center. It was called the “Library and Museum of the Performing Arts.” The museum part was named after Shelby Cullom Davis, who gave a lot of money to help.

When it first opened, the library had a bookstore, a place to watch films, and a listening area. There was also a special part for children’s performing arts books.

2001 renovation

From 1998 to 2001, the library closed for a big update that cost $38 million. While it was closed, people could still use the collections at other library spots. When it reopened in 2001, it was renamed the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center after a gift from the Cullman family.

The update changed the reading rooms. Instead of separate rooms for each type of performing art, there is now one big reading area. There are still special rooms for watching films and looking at rare items. The museum galleries were also changed, with two main spaces for showing items from the collections.

Research collections

From the start, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has included both research materials and a public library. It gets money from both private donors and the city of New York City.

The library collects many different types of items, including books, music, and special materials like old programs, posters, and photographs. It has a huge collection of clips about performing arts, with about 500,000 folders. There are also many photographs, with over 4.5 million in total.

The library has several special areas for different kinds of performing arts. The Music Division is one of the oldest parts, with lots of jazz and classical music materials. The Billy Rose Theatre Division has many theatre items, including videos of performances. The Jerome Robbins Dance Division focuses on dance, with videos and oral histories from dancers. There is also a collection of films and videos that can be watched in a special room. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound has many old music recordings.

Branch (Circulating) Collections

The circulating music collection started thanks to its first head librarian, Dorothy Lawton. She helped create the music collection at the 58th Street Library in 1920, beginning with 1,000 books and scores. In 1924, the music collection became an official part of the 58th Street Library. Her love for dance helped her collect rare dance books, which a critic named John Martin praised.

In 1929, the library started a collection of recordings, beginning with gifts from Victor and Columbia records, totaling 500 records. By 1933, the listening booth was always full, with people booking it weeks ahead.

During World War II, Dorothy organized Sunday concerts for servicemen from 3–7 PM. They could choose music to listen to and even play chamber music using instruments loaned by the library. She also created the Orchestra Collection, which loans musical scores and parts to groups for performances. Today, this collection loans parts for over 2,000 works.

After Dorothy retired in 1945, a critic from The New York Times, Olin Downes, praised her work in building the library and getting support from musicians and donors. After retiring, she returned to England and helped start a new music collection at the Central Music Library of the Buckingham Palace Road Library, now called the Westminster Music Library, using ideas from the library she built in New York. Today, the circulating collections loan books about music, dance, theater, film, and arts management, along with scores, scripts, CDs, videotapes, DVDs, and orchestral parts.

Shelby Cullom Davis Museum

The Shelby Cullom Davis Museum is part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. It has two main spaces for showing exhibits: The Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery and the Vincent Astor Gallery. There is also a special display area near the entrance and smaller cases with items placed around the building. These exhibits help everyone see the amazing collections the library has, showing that these items are for anyone to enjoy, not just for scholars. They also help bring in new supporters for the library.

Since the late 1990s, the library has also created online exhibits. These online shows let people explore even more items and learn deeper details beyond what is shown in the physical galleries.

Public programs

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts offers free public programs. These events happen in the Bruno Walter Auditorium, which can fit 202 people and is located on the lower level. The auditorium is used many times each week for musical performances, film screenings, and lectures.