Palaces for the People

New York Public Library’s Rose Room

Libraries are some of my favourite places. It doesn’t matter how much you make, where you come from, or what you look like, libraries are a space where everyone belongs. They are a community hub, a safe haven, and a source of knowledge. It’s a place to study, read, and think.

Today, I ventured to the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) main branch in Manhattan to get some writing done. The building is a popular tourist destination with over 4M people visiting a year.

The crown jewel of the NYPL is the Rose Room, the largest room in the library spanning two city block. The room is majestic. With high ceilings, arched windows, ornate desks and lamps surrounded by a massive collection of books. The American magnate and philantrophist, Andrew Carnegie, described libraries as “palaces for the people”, and that’s exactly what came to mind as I’m sitting here, looking around, in awe at just how beautiful a library can be.