As you may have heard, the library has opened a beautiful new workspace and learning center in our Central location -- the Shelby White and Leon Levy InfoCommons. The InfoCommons offers much-needed space for laptop users as well as computer workstations with specialized software like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. More exciting to us is the Lab adjacent to the InfoCommons. This classroom space comes equipped with laptops and A/V equipment, and affords us the new opportunity to lead workshops in topics relating to Brooklyn history.
Our next workshop is coming soon! Introduction to Buildings Research will be held in the InfoCommons Lab on Wednesday, February 20th from 7 to 9pm. Looking to learn more about the building you live in? This class is for you. There are a myriad of city agencies and public institutions that maintain research materials on buildings' history, and navigating your way among them can be daunting. This class will provide an overview of the kinds of information you can expect to find when researching your building, and where you can go to find it, including resources available at the library, like Sanborn insurance maps and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper as well as online portals like the NYC Department of Buildings' BIS database and the Municipal Archives tax photo collection. To clarify, this event will be held on the main level of the Central Library in the InfoCommons lab, NOT at the Brooklyn Collection on the mezzanine level.
The Graham Home for Old Ladies on Washington Ave, below, was built in 1851 as a home for... old ladies. It is currently a condominium but only after going through a rough period, in the 1980s, as the Bullshipper's Hotel. Perhaps your home has a colorful past as well!
We hope to see you there! And if you're distressed over missing the genealogy workshop we held in the InfoCommons last month, don't worry, we'll be offering both of these and other workshops again in the future. Keep any eye on Central's events calendar or follow us on twitter to get updates on upcoming classes. Is there a topic you'd like to see covered in a workshop? Let us know in the comments!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
I cannot make it on Wednesday
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