纽约公共图书馆总部翻新后的玫瑰主阅览室，纽约市 The renovated Rose Main Reading Room inside the New York Public Library Main Branch, New York City (© Sascha Kilmer/Getty Images)

纽约公共图书馆总部翻新后的玫瑰主阅览室，纽约市 The renovated Rose Main Reading Room inside the New York Public Library Main Branch, New York City (© Sascha Kilmer/Getty Images)

So many books, so little time

May 23, 2021 marks the 110th anniversary of the opening the of the New York Public Library's Main Branch (now known as The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building). Back just before the turn of the 20th century, a group of New York City businessmen decided that if their hometown was ever going to compete with Paris and London as a center of urban culture, then it needed a great library.

It took almost two decades and a lot of brainpower and money to create the architectural masterpiece that stands today on New York's 42nd Street. On the day it opened to the public, 30,000 to 50,000 people streamed through its doors to take in the architecture and gaze at the one million books on display. The first book request was filed at 9:08 AM and was delivered to the reader 6 minutes later through the library's rapid delivery system. Since then, it's become part of the very fabric of New York and has been featured in movies from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' to 'Ghostbusters' to 'Spiderman.'

Today, we turn our gaze to the Beaux-Arts delight that is the Main Branch's Rose Reading Room. It is truly one of the city's great public spaces, a lavish hall where one can come to escape the bustle of the city streets and the honking of taxis. This room underwent an extensive renovation after one of the gilded rosettes crashed to the floor in May 2014. Now it's all spiffed up and in perfect form for its anniversary celebration.

这么多的书，这么少的时间

2021年5月23日是纽约公共图书馆主分馆（现称斯蒂芬A。施瓦茨曼大厦）。早在20世纪之交之前，一群纽约市的商人就决定，如果他们的家乡要与巴黎和伦敦作为城市文化中心竞争，那么它就需要一个伟大的图书馆。

它花了将近二十年的时间，用了大量的脑力和金钱，才创造出今天矗立在纽约42街的建筑杰作。在它向公众开放的那天，三万到五万人从它的门前涌进，参观这座建筑，观看展出的一百万本书。第一本书是在上午9点08分提出的，6分钟后通过图书馆的快速投递系统投递给读者。从那时起，它就成为了纽约的一部分，并出现在从《蒂凡尼早餐》到《鬼怪》再到《蜘蛛侠》的电影中

今天，我们将目光转向博克斯艺术的喜悦，这是主要分支的玫瑰阅览室。这真的是一个城市的伟大的公共空间，一个奢华的大厅，人们可以在这里逃离繁忙的城市街道和出租车鸣笛。2014年5月，一个镀金的花环掉在地上，这间屋子经过了一次大范围的翻新。现在，它已经装饰得整整齐齐，为它的周年庆典提供了完美的形式。