MyLibraryNYC is an initiative undertaken by the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in conjunction with the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public libraries, and has been called by the mayor of New York City “a great example of the public and private sectors coming together to invest in our children and the city’s future.”
NYCDOE is a major Destiny Library Manager customer with more than 700 of its public schools using the library management solution. As part of MyLibraryNYC, the Destiny system will help connect students and teachers to millions of digital and print resources, and to one another, through its link to BiblioCommons, the new search and social networking interface of the public library catalog.
By 2015, MyLibraryNYC will provide digital access and school-site delivery to the more than 17 million books and informational resources available in the three libraries’ collections. The MyLibraryNYC pilot first launched last year in a partnership between 86 schools and only the New York Public Library system. Surveys conducted after the pilot showed that nearly 90 percent of participating teachers said the program better equipped them to teach, and that students in the pilot were three times more likely to check out a book from their public library than those in non-participating schools. This year’s expansion includes the Brooklyn and Queens public libraries.
“Libraries are an indispensable asset to our students and the expansion of MyLibraryNYC will encourage reading and promote learning both inside and outside the classroom,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during a recent news conference to announce the program’s development. “This program is a great example of the public and private sectors coming together to invest in our children and city’s future.
“By expanding the volumes of our school libraries to include the collections of three of the largest public library systems in the country,” Bloomberg continued, “we are increasing the opportunities for our students to meet the higher bar of the Common Core standards and graduate ready for college and careers.”
Each student in the 400 participating schools will receive a new library card, and teachers may order up to 100 books as part of lesson plans. Teachers may also use online social tools to collaborate with their peers, share ideas and post their own recommended book lists. The program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi, which provided for the development of the online searchable catalog and interactive tools.
