# Talk:New York Public Library Main Branch

I put three more pictures of the flagpole bases in the commons category, and one each of Beauty and Truth.  Jim.henderson (talk) 06:25, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

See main article in 5 minutes or so. 66.234.33.8 (talk) 19:37, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Technically, I don't believe this building is referred to within the library system as a "branch." (It is the central location for the Research Library, as opposed to a branch library—although ironically that distinction within the system is beginning to blur these days). Is there a better name we could use for the article? (I do not support using the recently conferred name of "Schwarzman Building" as the article name, as that name is not (at least not yet) in common parlance.) Newyorkbrad (talk) 22:18, 30 December 2012 (UTC)
Fwiw and chiming in, "Central Research Library" was the staff's name back in the 1980s, when I briefly worked for NYPL on a fundraising project.  Staff reserved use of the word "branch" for the many small neighborhood NYPL libraries—taxpayer-funded—that loaned books to patrons.  Walter Dufresne (talk) 13:45, 27 October 2021 (UTC)

This article should be updated to include more information over the Central Library Plan, its controversy, and the fact that it has been abandoned. The plan, involving Foster +Partners as architects, would have gutted the historic stacks beneath the main reading room. I'd write it but I don't have time at the minute.
Kiravae (talk) 20:07, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

I can't believe I have to raise this, yet another editor seems to dispute what I believe is a pretty clear choice. @Beyond My Ken: seems to be of the opinion that File:4.29.11NewYorkPublicLibraryByLuigiNovi.jpg is the best image for the article's infobox. I believe the graininess and composition of this image should immediately disqualify it from being the first and primary visual representation of an article averaging 300+ daily views. While there are many images of varying composition, style, etc that might be suitable for the infobox, I do not believe BMK's choice meets the basic technical threshold for consideration. I've included both BMK's image (numbered 1) as well as a couple alternatives I believe to be of higher quality (numbered 2-6). I am by no means wedded to any of the alternatives and would love to hear some thoughts from other editors. Filetime (talk) 20:18, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

@Beyond My Ken and Filetime: I apologize, I accidentally misclicked and restored a previous version while trying to look at the images. I will comment on these shortly. Epicgenius (talk) 20:50, 7 June 2021 (UTC)
Keeping in mind that File:New York Public Library May 2011.JPG was the original image - I think we can agree the old image was not that good as a lead image. It's both zoomed-in and off-center, and if we have a zoomed-in image for the library building, I'd think at least we should have it centered. For me, that leaves out (6). Images (2), (4), and (5) are zoomed and centered, and of these three I think (5) is the best; however, (4) is also okay if the right edge is slightly cropped.
As for images (1) and (3), either is fine if it would benefit readers to have a wider view of the building. I have small issues with both, but they are usable for an educational context. (1) has the car in the middle of the shot and a blemish at the lower left (I disregarded the blurriness in (1) for the purposes of this discussion). On the other hand, (3) shows other buildings pretty prominently, making the library building look somewhat less important.
Please note that I'm not a professional photographer (or even a good amateur one) - this is merely my opinion from an aesthetic point of view. Epicgenius (talk) 20:59, 7 June 2021 (UTC)
For full transparency, I have also linked this issue from the Wikimedia NYC Discord server. Epicgenius (talk) 15:30, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
My preference is for image 3, maybe with a crop on the top and/or right to help focus on the building a little better. I am on mobile though, on vacation, so I need to look on a computer sometime again, and browse Flickr and Commons for other potential alternatives. And I can elaborate on image benefits and detractions from a technical/photographer's standpoint sometime soon... ɱ (talk) 23:46, 7 June 2021 (UTC)
Lions required Only 1 and 3 show the lions. 1 is grainy and low technical quality while 3 is an acceptable quality photo.  Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:49, 8 June 2021 (UTC)

Comment: I have cropped (3) on the top, creating File:USA-NYC-New York Public Library2 (cropped).jpg. This image is labeled (7). Epicgenius (talk) 15:36, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
Team Lion per Bluerasberry. Though I think someone needs to take a better photo, something like (2) minus the snow plus the lions would maybe be ideal.--Pharos (talk) 23:47, 13 June 2021 (UTC)

Speculative comment and another angle suggestion I actually think the ideal angle for a photograph might be something like this, which is off-center but gives a good view of the iconic felines. In that spirit, I offer (8) which is perhaps not the platonic ideal high-res NYPL photo, which should be elsewhere in the article, but it may be the best and most recognizable at infobox scale.--Pharos (talk) 16:37, 14 June 2021 (UTC)

It would be helpful to list the philanthropists, particularly the ones etched on the builidngs, who support NYC's leading public library. Also - how does NYPL come by its funding from New York State Public Education law, and how is that funding spent. Does NYPL pay property taxes? Does NYPL support public education in NYC? MissPhiled (talk) 14:02, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

@MissPhiled, I think that question would be more appropriate for the Talk:New York Public Library page. This is about the building, not the library system. – Epicgenius (talk) 21:29, 10 February 2024 (UTC)