Learn more about the mission of NYPL. Created in 1895, NYPL provides free and open access to more than 50 million items in its physical and electronic collections. The Library has 90 locations throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, including the landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the Science, Industry and Business Library. More than 18 million patrons come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe visit www.nypl.org.