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    New York Public Library Reviews

    Updated July 17, 2017
    158 reviews

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    3.5
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    New York Public Library President Anthony Marx
    Anthony Marx
    45 Ratings

    158 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • Low pay and the only thing that grows in that place is impatience (in 14 reviews)

    • No room for advancement, could be boring for some (in 5 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. Helpful (2)

      "Part-time Tech Connect Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Tech Assistant in Bronx, NY
      Former Employee - Tech Assistant in Bronx, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at New York Public Library part-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      I had flexible hours and an easygoing supervisor during my time with NYPL. We worked in a small classroom setting of 12-18 students and held several sessions with the intention of teaching students how to use some basic software (MS Office Suit and navigating the internet, for example). The job also kept me constantly reviewing my own skills with these programs, which was helpful.

      Cons

      I worked part-time, and would have appreciated having more hours. Also, the job was occasionally an exercise in patience, as some of the students who attended the classes were clearly there not to learn new skills, but to socialize with their friends who attended. These students were distracting from time to time.

      Advice to Management

      It seemed like there wasn't much structure in the roles that tech connect assistants were given. In the future, it would be helpful to give new hires a better sense of what their day-to-day work would look like.

    2. "Collections Processing Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Mailroom Clerk | Collection Processing Assistant in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Mailroom Clerk | Collection Processing Assistant in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at New York Public Library full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      Great work environment if you like to work in the public and deal with people. Hours are pretty good and can vary depending on position. There some great people who work for the library and are great to learn from.

      Cons

      Heavy work load and lack of sufficient staff coverage.

      3. Join the New York Public Library team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "This Place Had the Potential to Be Good"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at New York Public Library full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Benefits. Not enough reason to stay for long.

      Cons

      Working with sarcastic, vendictive supervisors. They lack compassion and integrity and easily feel threatened by others. They go out of their way to mistreat any employee(s) they do not like.

      Advice to Management

      Screen your supervisors better. They are out of control. We need decent leadership.

    4. Helpful (1)

      "Poor Communication!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Staten Island, NY
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Staten Island, NY
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook

      I have been working at New York Public Library full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Job Security (Union-backed). Plenty of training available.

      Cons

      Inflexible, not interested in meeting borough specific programming needs.
      Fixated on high credentials, but not that interested in professional integrity.

      Advice to Management

      When you gather employee feedback, take it seriously.

    5. "Library Technical Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Library Clerk in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Library Clerk in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at New York Public Library full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Great facility to work for.
      Scheduling is great.
      Give tuition opportunity to continue with education.
      Staff opinion matters even though they are not being implemented
      Staff is friendly

      Cons

      Not easy to get promoted.
      Decisions are usually made without staff being informed
      Most manger do not interact with their staff

    6. "Wonderful place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY

      I worked at New York Public Library full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Collaborative environment; accessible to unlimited patrons (in person and online); professional development opportunities; varied backgrounds within each unit/department

      Cons

      The employment opportunities were only within the library system and not remote at the time I worked there.

      Advice to Management

      My last year working within the Development department was actually 2008. The review section did not allow me to select this accurate year. As the Management structure has changed since I worked for NYPL, I have no advice to share.

    7. "Great co-workers and atmosphere"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at New York Public Library full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      My co-workers are like a second family which makes coming to work a joy. The atmosphere of the building itself is pleasant, working in a museum-like building is very cool.

      Cons

      The pay isn't the greatest, and there seems to be some issues with implementing some policies that are at times handed down to the public facing staff by the management.

      Advice to Management

      Perhaps this is common in any large organization, but the management seems to be disconnected from the day-to-day work of the librarians, and would sometimes implement certain guidelines / procedures that make the job more cumbersome rather than easier.

    8. "Library Tutor"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - BridgeUp Tutor in New York, NY
      Former Employee - BridgeUp Tutor in New York, NY
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at New York Public Library (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Fair pay & you really feel like you're working for a good cause and making a difference.

      Cons

      because of the large size of the org, beaurocracy can get a little frustrating.

    9. "Work with what you got."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Bronx, NY
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Bronx, NY

      I worked at New York Public Library (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      lunch time that pretty much no one bothering you one bit.

      Cons

      I did volunteer work they was on top of me because i was late so i got the boss talk

      Advice to Management

      Be on time get the job done on time.

    10. "Great place to gain experience"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Senior/Supervising Librarian in Bronx, NY
      Former Employee - Senior/Supervising Librarian in Bronx, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at New York Public Library (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Professional Training
      35-hour workweek
      Wide range of opportunities

      Cons

      Low Pay
      Little opportunity for advancement unless you've got the MLS

      Advice to Management

      Value branch library staff more

    Showing 158 of 166 reviews
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