I’m sure we’re all too familiar with the feeling of finally getting out of bed and going to Bobst only to find after half an hour of scouring through each floor that there are no empty seats left. Instead, you resort to sitting on the scratchy carpet outside the elevator knowing the only upside is that you’ve got an outlet to charge your laptop. Thankfully, Bobst isn’t the only library NYU students have access to. In addition to libraries at the New School and Cooper Union, the New York Public Library has branches all around city to suit your studying needs.

The NYPL buildings are often largely unchanged from their original architecture, retaining history on an architectural level in addition to a literary one. Here is a round-up of the NYPL branches around the NYU campus:

Ottendorfer Library
135 Second Ave.
Ottendorfer is the oldest public library in New York City and was designed by German architect William Schickel. Oswald Ottendorfer, the building’s owner, donated the library to the city of New York. It was erected in the neighborhood previously known as Little Germany in an effort to help German immigrants learn English and assimilate into American culture.

Tompkins Square Library
331 E. 10th St.
The Tompkins Square Public Library opened in 1904. It continues to provide English classes and other resources to serve the diverse community surrounding it. The library has three stories and faces Tompkins Square Park. However, it does not have public restrooms.

Jefferson Market Library
425 Sixth Ave.
The Jefferson Market Library used to be a civil courthouse (which is now the second floor Adult Reading Room) and a police court (now the Children’s Room on the first floor) from its erection in 1877 until 1945. Following a campaign of East Village preservationists led by Margot Gayle, the building opened as a public library in 1967. It remains a comprehensive resource for many progressive publications pertaining to feminism and prison laws.

Epiphany Library
228 E. 23rd St.
Opened in 1887, Epiphany Library used to be part of the Cathedral Library Association and was renovated in 2007. Conveniently located near Gramercy Green Residence Hall, the three-story library is known for being clean and organized.

Mulberry Street Library
10 Jersey St.
This branch actually used to be a chocolate factory. It has two large reading rooms, comfortable chairs and plenty of natural light, perfect for when you’re sick of the fluorescent bulbs at Bobst.

Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
40 W. 20th St.
The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library provides New York City and Long Island with braille and talking book resources. It’s a center that caters toward those who are visually impaired or cannot physically read print. It hosts annual technology fairs to educate people on the equipment. The library began in a parish house when it first became a part of the NYPL network, and it has a long history of being at the forefront of providing literary resources for the visually impaired.

Email Shirley Cahyadi at [email protected].