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A Big Apple Travel Gem: The Great New York City Public Library

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In a city of 30 thousand dollar a year private schools, 800 dollar (or more) a week kids’ camps, and $15 an hour babysitters, the New York City Public Library system is such an amazing tool for parents – and NY’ers of all walks of life.  It is a great, free, resource – and one which remains as awesome today as it was years ago.

Growing up as an ‘80’s “latch-key” kid, I have fond memories of hours in the Spuyten Duyvil (Bronx) library with my younger sister before walking home. (As my mother insisted we go there so we wouldn’t kill each other alone in the house.).  How I remember kvelling when I was able to start taking books from the adult system – and today as a parent, I share the joy of spending hours with my kids in libraries. We have traveled to branches all over the city (and carried books out of all of them), and in the midst, we learn, connect and bond. (An additional bonus is I can take out books like those by uber-liberal Michael Moore which I can never bring myself to buy.)

New York Public Library President and CEO Anthony Marx recently noted that “The library is the one place in New York where you have the student and the immigrant and the homeless and the Nobel laureate and the Pulitzer Prize winner – everybody’s using the library.”  He’s right – and America’s largest library system has more visitors than the city’s many cultural institutions and professional sporting events combined.

The library system offers a great insight into our amazing city. Books teach people how to think.  I-phones and emails are great tools – but in many ways these devices limit our ability to think. (No, Google and Siri can’t solve it all.)  Thinking – the ability to reflect – is essential to growth and moving forth. As Bertrand Russell said when all other options have failed, man is thrown back onto “the painful necessity of thought!”

Going on vacation? Borrow books. Need to escape from day to day life? Borrow books – and gain a “fountain of knowledge.”

As an old-school reader who still gets the morning papers delivered to my front door (yes, I am the one), here’s to hoping that many future generations of New Yorkers enjoy the great New York City Public Library (just don’t visit in my area so you take books I like.)

About Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is the Founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations. He is an experienced leader in the public relations industry with over 20 years of experience. Ronn Torossian has been named as Public Relations executive of the year by the American Business Awards, and has run countless award-winning Public Relations programs.

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Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is the Founder and Chairman of 5WPR, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America’s most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company’s growth, overseeing more than 275 professionals. With clients spanning corporate, technology, consumer and crisis, in addition to digital marketing and public affairs capabilities, 5WPR is regularly recognized as an industry leader and has been named “PR Agency of the Year” by the American Business Awards on multiple occasions. Throughout his career, Torossian has worked with some of the world’s most visible companies, brands and organizations. His strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, Metropolitan Magazine’s Most Influential New Yorker, a 2020 Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, and a recipient of Crain’s New York 2021 Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Torossian is known as one of the country’s foremost experts on crisis communications, and is called on to counsel blue chip companies, top business executives and entrepreneurs both in the United States and worldwide. Torossian has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly on CNN & CNBC, is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer, and has authored two editions of his book, “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations,” which is an industry best-seller. A NYC native, Torossian is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and active in numerous charities.

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