Reading Room of the Jewish Division

Unknown photographer

Jewish Division Reading Room

Lantern slide, ca. 1920s-30s

This is the earliest known photograph of the Jewish Reading Room (Room 217) at the Library’s Central Building (known today as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) on Fifth Avenue. A librarian stands on the left, while patrons are either immersed in reading the latest Jewish periodicals and books or simply posing for the photograph. We can see their overcoats thrown on the backs of the chairs. The photograph provides a snapshot of the intellectual milieu of New York’s Jewish community of that time. The Jewish Reading Room was a hub for contributors to many authoritative Jewish encyclopedias and reference works of the first half of the 20th century, and it was rightfully called the “brains of Jewish New York.” The reference books that fill the shelves of the main floor and balcony of the reading room are organized according to the classification system that Abraham Freidus, the first chief librarian of the Jewish Division, invented. The card catalog cabinet is seen on the left, by the entrance to the balcony.