The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a major public library system in New York City. Holding nearly 53 million items across 92 locations, it ranks as the second-largest public library system in the United States, behind only the Library of Congress, and stands as one of the largest library systems in the world. Officially chartered as The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations, the institution is structured as a private, non-governmental, and independently managed nonprofit corporation that operates through a combination of public funding and private philanthropy.\n\nThe system was developed during the 19th century, arising from the amalgamation of various grass-roots and social libraries, heavily aided by the philanthropy of some of the era's wealthiest citizens. Today, the NYPL operates circulating branch libraries across the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, while also maintaining four specialized research libraries. The remaining New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are not part of the NYPL system, instead maintaining their own independent library networks.\n\nThe library's celebrated Main Branch is famous for the iconic stone lions, named Patience and Fortitude, that flank its entrance. Reflecting its architectural and cultural significance, the Main Branch building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and named a New York City Landmark in 1967.
