For New York City residents, public libraries have gone far beyond a simple venue for information query and book borrowing.  They have become an important component of the soul of city culture and play an irreplaceable role in knowledge transmission, education, entertainment, community service, and so on. 

Information Transmission
There are three major public library systems in New York City -- the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library.  Each of them has dozens of branch libraries in different communities all around the city.

Through computer networking, information sharing is made possible among all branch libraries.  From any neighborhood branch, all the information in the main library is accessible, including historical data, latest news, special collections, and all for free. 

Community Education
All three major public libraries in New York City have departments for special training and education.  Each branch library offers various language or job training programs designed to meet the special needs of the local community.

Entertainment
In addition to books, public libraries also provide vast quantities of cassette tapes, video tapes, and music CDs.  All three major public libraries in New York City have their own theaters and audio-visual equipment.  During summer and winter vocations, there are also free concerts and art exhibitions for children and adults of the community to enjoy the pleasure of arts.

Community Service
Public libraries are backed by government funding to provide services to the community, including free English classes for new immigrants, activities for working mothers with young children at home, programs for senior citizen centers.  Every year during tax season, public libraries supply all kinds of tax forms and free tax consultation and translation services.  In addition, public libraries often host cultural festivals to enable immigrants from different countries with diverse ethnic backgrounds to showcase their native customs to promote cultural exchange.

The public libraries of New York City have become an integral part of local culture.   No wonder some say, " if a library is closed for one day, people feel lost; for two days, they feel frustrated; for a week, they will definitely go to the city hall to protest.”

Source：
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/news/2009/06-17/1737801.shtml