In the annals of embezzlement we've seen people take money from all sorts of places. Churches, banks, hospitals, government agencies, PTAs, bridge tolls, unions and so on. And now, with the guilty plea of 54-year-old Margo Reed, we can add overdue library fines to that list. more ›

Yes, sometimes Williamsburg is so twee it borders on nausea-inducing, but every once in a while, a homegrown project pops up in the neighborhood that's completely adorable without making you feel sick. The K.I.D.S Corner Library is one of those projects. more ›

A student who works in the Henry Birnbaum Library at Pace University tells us the library has been shut down so that it can be treated for bedbugs. Our tipster tells us, "I got kicked out of work early because of an 'emergency closing' of the library. I told the librarian i needed a specific reason to give my boss as to why they were closing, and she said 'Don't tell anyone this,' and then whispered 'bed bugs.' " College kids: they just can't keep their traps shut! more ›

The Park Slope Library has already been closed for renovations for two years, and it's showing no signs of reopening anytime soon, frustrating many locals who say the library is an important part of the neighborhood. Think of the children! more ›

And now, for your Absolutely Adorable break of the day: Six-year-old Morningside Heights resident Helen Stone spent her Sunday morning selling lemonade and homemade cookies to benefit the New York Public Library. Ramona Quimby would be so proud! more ›

During a visit to a library in Astoria, Queens, a 7-year-old girl says that a man assaulted her—specifically her feet— while she was reading. The child told WCBS 2 that he “Sniffed them, rubbed them against his beard, and kissed them. Did it to each foot. And then he did the same and just sniffed my flip flops." Ughhhhhhh. more ›

NYU: it's the home of cyborg teachers, scantily-clad snow shovelers, and Professor James Franco. Oh, and racists—the university settled with an ex-library worker for over $200,000 after his former mailroom supervisor allegedly called him various racial terms and taunts, including a "monkey" and a "gorilla." more ›

Hurrahs are in order for the New York Public Library today, which was saved from potentially devastating city budget cuts. It was a tough battle, with a supporting campaign that involved publicly hugging the stone lions in front of the Stephen A. Schwartzman building, and vaguely threatening letters from small children ("Dear Mr. Mayor, DO NOT I repete DO NOT CUT the Librarys Buggets OR Else!!"). more ›

The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building may be made of stone, but that doesn't mean it couldn't use a hug, right? Tomorrow the group Urban Librarians Unite is planning to do just that—they're holding a "hug the library" event! more ›

It seems that people just can't be reasonable when it comes to porn and prisons: the ACLU filed a lawsuit against a South Carolina jail which allegedly didn't allow prisoners to receive any reading materials other than the Bible. In response, the prison's lawyers argue that the ACLU is just saying that because they want to give prisoners lots of fetishistic, violent porn. Has the world really learned nothing from Buttwoman 2: Behind Bars?? more ›

Remember how some people are really convinced that kids are watching tons of porn at the library? And how that's not actually the case, like, at all? Well, turns out a few Councilmen didn't get the message, and they're introducing a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to watch porn within 100 feet of a child in a public library. more ›

Sculptor Tom Otterness, best known for his whimsical statues in subways and city parks, is having a hard time getting past his other reason for notoriety. The sculptor has been commissioned for $750,000 by a mysterious donor to build lion and cub statues for the Battery Park City branch of the New York Public Library. This is how horror movies start, right? Community Board 1 voted 23-7 to approve the commission, despite outrage over a film Otterness made in the 1970s in which he shot a dog. However, at least one New Yorker hasn't forgiven him. "I think if he shot a dog, he should be shot," said one pet owner. more ›

Why is it so hard to just get your jollies on at the library in peace? Last week, two men got into a good old-fashioned fistfight over the amount of time one was taking to watch his porn in the Brooklyn Public Library. Today, the library is scrambling to defend our God-given right to self-pleasure in the comfort of their walled-in viewing stations, following a Catholic League-quoting report from The Post. more ›

Libraries are sticklers for their rules—and they have a lot of rules—but check out the latest one at the Yonkers Public Library: NO BALLOONS. While bringing a balloon to the library doesn't seem to be a trend here in the city, it was apparently a thing in Yonkers if enough people were bringing balloons to necessitate this sign. We've contacted the New York Public Library to see if balloons are banned in their branches, or if they'd consider such a ban, and have asked for a list of all banned items from the main branch on 5th and 42nd (if a previous visit there taught us anything, this list will probably include croissants). Stay tuned! [via Scouting NY] more ›

Harvard recently cried "hate crime" when they found numerous LGBT studies books doused in urine in their library, but it turns out that it was (probably) just an accident! A janitor knocked over a bottle, which happened to be filled with urine, as he was cleaning and it spilled onto the books. Apparently peeing in bottles is popular over at Princeton, too. So now the question is how the hell are you studying so hard that you can't take advantage of the wonders of indoor plumbing? We know Addreall is probably making your Organic Chemistry worksheet utterly fascinating, but don't give them any excuse to start making Pee Pee Bottles for adults. more ›

Over the weekend, Brooklyn Law School announced their outrage at Diesel, claiming the clothing company tricked them into shooting racy underwear ads in their library by telling them they were going to do a tasteful jeans shoot. But could the models' cheeky, umm, cheeks have warmed the seats of the trains on display at the New York City Transit Museum? A few of these shots look like they were done on antique subways, and there's one that looks as if it could have even been shot on a working train, which are normally free of such smut. more ›

Brooklyn Law School is now blaming their events director for letting a steamy Diesel photo shoot take place in their library, which almost nobody would have been able to identify had Brooklyn Law School kept their mouths shut. But Administrators say that events director Chris Gibbons presided over the photo shoot, saw what was going on and never told the school. A spokesperson told the Post, "The first time they became aware of the nature of the ads was on Thursday," eight months after the photo shoot. more ›

Back in 2003, locals began going before the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals, proposing to expand the hamlet's library by about 6,000 square feet. And now that the ZBA has rejected the expansion, proponents are bringing out the big guns. One source told the Post, "The old guard is scared that the Latino kids and their parents from Springs are going to invade their precious downtown area. It’s really that simple." more ›

The New York Public Library's main branch will be getting drenched in pretty, shiny new lighting next year, for its 100th anniversary. According to the NY Post, the dramatic outdoor lights will bathe the landmark in a white glow, and NYPL president Paul LeClerc told the paper, "The goal is to make it look like the buildings in Paris that are illuminated. We want to make the building a destination stop in New York at night." The lighting scheme cost $3MM (it was paid for privately) and will include 48 large floodlights and 22-foot-high light poles surrounding the building. Expect full illumination to be in effect by next May—and let's hope the unveiling includes a cameo by the Ghostbusters. more ›

Over the weekend, librarians and their supporters spoke up on the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library in Grand Army Plaza, saying: "We Will Not Be Shushed." The group read from stacks of books throughout their marathon "book-in" protest, where they also raised their voices against proposed cuts. By month's end 40 libraries could be shut down, with others getting new, reduced hours. more ›

Beloved forefather George Washington was nothing but a criminal, and stole over $300,000 from our country! At least, that's with calculated inflation. Washington allegedly checked out two books from the New York Society Library on East 79th St over 200 years ago, and has yet to return them! But that's nothing compared to the heartbreaking news for Tea Partiers that Washington was just a liberal Nazi socialist using the big government institution of a public library. more ›

This morning the New York Public Library cut the ribbon on their brand new Battery Park City Library, which also happens to be the first green library in Manhattan. Their 88th branch, located at 175 North End Avenue, is about 10,000-square-feet and has a pricetag of $6.7 million. The branch is expected to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and inside you'll find: more ›

According to a years-old and little-known contract provision called “Extreme Temperature Procedures,” workers in the vaulting halls of New York Public Libraries can take paid leave when indoor temperatures get frosty. Union boys and girls can step out for a few hours, or if they choose to stay, they can accrue compensatory hours or paid leave to be taken later. But how does NYPL define the rather subjective concept of "extreme cold"? more ›

At Junior High School 126 in Brooklyn, middle schoolers who want to use their library are only getting two, maybe three, hours of partial access a day! The Daily News reports that they "have severely limited access to the cozy, mural-painted reading spot this year so the three charters sharing the Greenpoint building can use the space for planning, meetings and small classes." One student whose local public library is in a dangerous area, lamented, "We have no way of researching. There's this whole library full of new books bought for our school, and we can't even use it." more ›