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How to (Almost) Ruin a Great Library

Tragedy Averted

Public libraries have lately shifted their mission from culture to social services. The NY Public Library’s main branch was almost a casualty of this trend.

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James. S. Russell/Bloomberg via Getty

When standing in front of the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, what one beholds is, in essence, a massive steel cage shrouded in marble and extensive Beaux-Arts stylings.

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