Jonathan Pace/New York Public Library The Edna Barnes Salomon Room at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building has been converted into a reading area for wireless Internet users. The soaring Rose Main Reading Room in the New York Public Library‘s central building on Fifth Avenue was majestically restored in 1998, and provides 50 seats for users to plug in their laptops into Ethernet ports for high-speed Internet access.
But demand for online access is so great — and growing — that the library system is now turning over an entire room in the historic building (formally known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) for Wi-Fi users. And in a first, the library will make up to 46 laptops available to users who want to access the Internet.
Starting on Monday, the Edna Barnes Salomon Room — a Beaux Arts room that sits across the third floor main hallway from the public catalog room, which leads into the Rose Main Reading Room — has been designated a “wireless Internet reading and study room.” The room has seats for 128 users to do work while enjoying free Wi-Fi access. And starting on Tuesday, the library will make 46 laptops available for loan.
While the Rose Main Reading Room is already accessible for Wi-Fi, the room is often full, and even more so recently because library usage is up. “The Salomon Room will provide crucial spillover space when users can’t find room in the main reading room or if they want a bit less crowded environment,” said Jonathan Pace, a library spokesman.
Paul LeClerc, the president of the New York Public Library, said:
The library’s reading rooms have been filled with job seekers, freelancers, students, researchers and many others relying on it services, especially during this time of economic uncertainty,” “With the Internet such an important tool for all types of research, this extra capacity will be important resource for our users, and we are sure they will enjoy working in the beautiful Beaux-Arts setting of the Salomon Room.
The 4,500-square-foot Edna Barnes Salomon Room was designed as a picture gallery and still contains oil paintings. It previously held glass display cases that were used in special exhibitions.
Now the room has been upgraded with new furniture — including 16 custom-made, solid black walnut tables and dark brown leather chairs matching the dark maple wood floor — and new lighting.
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