Exploring New York City’s Shelves: The Musings of the Informed Library Patron

Abstract

This article documents the experience of using public library resources from the perspective of a patron unfamiliar
with library and information science. I hope to highlight the processes critical to the functioning of the New York Public
Library (NYPL) and the impact that library staff have on patrons and communities. Through visiting multiple NYPL
branches, I learned about the unparalleled level of archival materials and other print and digital resources available to
any person for free, and the care that library staff put into ensuring that those who want to use these resources feel
encouraged and motivated to do so.