The New York Public Library will be hosting a special Welcome Week at all branches in the Bronx from Monday, Oct. 18, to Saturday, Oct. 23, along with free school supplies for kids.

 

Branches will offer free programs and activities throughout the week to encourage visits, and give visitors a taste of all that libraries have to offer. Examples of programs include outdoor story time, crafts, writing workshops, and more. For a full list of programs, visit nypl.org/welcome.

 

In addition, NYPL will be giving away 15,000 draw-string bags full of school supplies at each library branch, including notebooks, USB drives, pencil cases with rulers, pens, and pencils.

 

In addition, for those interested in checking out some of the branches outside The Bronx, one highlight of the week will be at the NYPL’s central circulating branch, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), located on 40th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where a scavenger hunt tied to the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures (a free, permanent exhibition of over 250 rare objects from the Library’s research collections at the iconic 42nd Street building) will be taking place for all ages the whole week. Patrons can visit the greeter desk, get a checklist, and find the Treasures-related items located on the SNFL shelves.

 

Welcome Week at NYPL follows last week’s announcement that the library system has eliminated late fines for those who had books checked out over the course of the pandemic which were subject to late fines. As reported, according to NYPL, the library system has wiped away all prior outstanding fines, “providing New Yorkers with a fresh start and removing a key barrier to access for many.”

 

In other library news, Norwood News recently reported on the launch by NYPL of a suite of new, in-person, educational programs which became effective Monday, Sept. 20, and which are designed to support New York City students and their families this fall. They are available at several library branches in the Bronx.

 

Meanwhile, Robert Sherwood from NYPL said, “Welcome Week is being held to encourage all New Yorkers, including those who stayed away because of fines, to visit their local libraries, return all of their outstanding books without fear of charges, to be together following the isolation of the height of the pandemic, and take advantage of the robust suite of materials, programs, and services offered for free.”