During the first week of the new year, my father and I visited the New York Public Library at 42^nd street.  Although I have lived about 20 minutes away for most of my life, I never actually set foot in it.

As it turned out, they are celebrating their centennial and had their most prized collections on display in one room. This included:  Gutenberg’s print of the Bible; Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence; one of Malcolm X’s journals; a letter written by George Washington; and so many more treasures.

In addition, I walked to the top floor where I was met with beautiful ceiling frescos that were absolutely grandeur.  I also walked into the Rose Main Reading room, which I found absolutely academically inspiring.  It made me just want to sit down and read – which I suppose is a good thing for a “reading” room, haha.

As we read about the various treasures in this impressive structure, we noticed that the name James Lenox came up quite often in the descriptions including purchaser of the Gutenberg Bible.  It turns out he was a bibliophile and collected the rarest books which eventually became a part of the New York Public Library.  It was an amazing experience and a great start to my New Years Resolution.

If you are interested in learning more about the New York Public Library, you can visit their website at www.nypl.org.