New York Public Library: Serving Looks and Books
First impressions are important: as someone who has a uniform of hoodies and faded black jeans, I can appreciate the new NYPL Grow Up Work Fashion Library. The Riverside branch of the NYPL has started to lend accessories to its teen and adult card holders. The Grow Up Work Fashion Library program is a part of the NYPL’s Innovation Program, which takes program suggestions from librarians on community building projects. The Grow Up Work Fashion Library program offers other career-building resources, such as interview tips, access to websites, career boards, and fashion advice. The library also offers an array of accessories: ties (neck AND bow), as well as briefcases and handbags. The Grow Up Work program is similar in spirit to a project by the Paschalville Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the delightfully-named “tiebrary.
According to branch librarian Thaddeus Krupo 1, the New York program was inspired by the Riverside Library’s proximity to two high schools, after the staff noted the number of students coming to the library before their first job interviews. The two high schools across the street from the Riverside Library are the Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of The Performing Arts (the school of Fame! well, fame) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus (itself made up of seven high schools including the Urban Assembly School For Media Studies. New York City’s inner-city youth face a lot of competition, both within school and with entering the job market. The Grow Up Work Fashion Library is an invaluable resource for giving young people every chance to thrive in the city that never sleeps or wherever life may take them.
Reference
- Crain’s New York Business. “New York Public Library Helps Cardholders Dress for the Job They Want.” Accessed August 16, 2018.
Further Reading
Lee, Michelle. New York Public Library. 6 Aug. 2018.
McGrath, Lauren. This Philly Library Lends Out Ties to Members on the Job Hunt. Phillymag. 16 May 2016.
Tags: Grow Up Work Fashion Library, nypl
