The New York Public Library home page contains twenty links to a variety of information resources as well as a link for searching the site. Links to “About NYPL” and “Membership” discuss the library system and how to become a member. The “What’s New” link provides explanations of new material on the site, and “Publications” lists items for sale either through the library or a commercial publisher. There are links for the branch libraries listing their addresses, phone numbers, hours, directions to the library, and pictures of each building. “NYPL Express” explains the library’s document delivery service. That covers the more mundane parts of this site. The rest offer some interesting and informative information.
“Space Rentals” is an interesting area that describes rooms in the various libraries available for rental for meetings or other social functions. The information includes a description of the area (with a picture), seating capacity, and the phone number to call to reserve a space.
The section on “Resource Guides” contains links to annotated bibliographies, pathfinders, research strategies, and other resources on over twenty subjects from AIDS, Art, Architecture and Design, and Business to Religion, Women’s Studies, and Young Adults. There are anywhere from one to seven listings in each area.
“Catalogs & Indexes” presents a page describing the two online catalogs used by NYPL and the various electronic databases that are available. The latter are only accessible from a library workstation.
The “Exhibitions & Programs” section is particularly interesting. This area provides descriptions of all the current programs at the various libraries. Three of the exhibits are online: Dry Drunk: The Culture of Tobacco in 17th‐ and 18th‐Century Europe; The Schomburg Legacy: Documenting the Global Black Experience for the 21st Century; and Photography Exhibits from The Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs, Photography Collection. Each exhibit contains textual material with digital images.
“On‐Lion for Kids” provides links to recommended reading lists for general reading or for a variety of topics. Internet links are provided as well as a link to Yahooligans to search the Internet. A similar area is provided for teenagers in “Teen Link”.
This discussion has covered most, but not all, of the information available on this site which provides the user with a wealth of information. Links are provided to and from various areas of the site from a variety of points. The only area where I found a problem was the Schomburg online exhibit. I found no link to take me directly back to the NYPL home page. This is the only area on the site where I encountered this problem.
All of the pages include the name(s) of the author(s). A very small number include an email address. In fact, there are very few email listings on the entire site. There isn’t even one for the webmaster. At least this address in not prominently displayed. I guess they don’t expect any problems. There is an email listing to obtain information about special events. However, if I would like to inquire about using any of the photographs on the site for my own use, I have to make a phone call.
The online exhibits are quite well done. The Dry Drunk . . . includes thumbnails with the text that let you view larger images. The photo exhibit also has thumbnails; but it only includes a brief phrase with each item. I would have liked a more detailed description. The Schomburg is impressive. The photos are exceptionally clear. Unfortunately, all of the images are in GIF format which means it takes a long time for them to load. From my T1 connection at work, the pages averaged fifteen seconds. I didn’t even bother to clock the load time through my dial‐up connection. These pictures really need to be in JPEG format for use over the Internet.
Overall, the site is well done and is well worth a visit.
Minimum requirements: Internet connection. Any graphics‐enabled web browser
