The New York Public Library (NYPL) has been visiting Fordham Libraries this fall to help students sign up for their very own NYPL library card free of charge… Which goes without saying, of course, since it’s a public library after all. With this library card, you’ll gain access to one of the largest public library systems in the world, with millions of books, e-books, audiobooks, research databases, films, music, and more. It’s an incredible resource to complement your studies and fuel your curiosity outside the classroom.
NYPL has already made stops at Lincoln Center’s Quinn Library on September 15th, and Rose Hill’s Walsh Library on September 16th. But if you missed those events, don’t worry- there are still two more chances this semester:
Wednesday, October 15 | Walsh Library | 12–2 PM
Thursday, November 13 | Walsh Library | 2–4 PM
Stop by to register for your card, ask questions, and start taking advantage of everything NYPL has to offer. It only takes a few minutes, and the benefits will last throughout your time at Fordham and beyond.
You might be wondering why you need a New York Public Library card when you already have the Fordham Libraries. Well, here are some of the top reasons you should get an NYPL card:
- Borrow items from any NYPL branch across the city. NYPL is the largest public library system in the U.S. with 92 branches throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Their collection consists of over 55 million (!!!) items including print books, e-books, audio books, DVDs, and more.
- Use online research databases for academic and personal projects. Though the Fordham Libraries offer many databases, there is always more to find. NYPL subscribes to hundreds of databases, giving you access to a wealth of current and historical scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, and so much more. Check out the extensive list of databases available through NYPL.
- Enjoy free admission to dozens of NYC museums through Culture Pass. Explore local museums and attractions with Culture Pass! If you have an NYPL library card you can reserve free passes to 100+ cultural institutions across NYC.
- Apply for MaRLI to borrow from Columbia, NYU, and NYPL research libraries. Fordham faculty members and PhD students can apply to be part of the MaRLI program which allows you to borrow from the collections of the Columbia University and New York University libraries, if items you need are unavailable at NYPL.
- Take free online courses to build skills and knowledge. With an NYPL card, you get free access to LinkedIn Learning courses and Mango Languages, offering skills training and lessons in 70+ languages (including ESL).
Even without a library card, keep in mind that the New York Public Library can serve as a free place to study anywhere you may find yourself in the Bronx, Manhattan, or Staten Island. The main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street/5th Ave., is also worth visiting just to see its magnificent architecture, iconic Rose Main Reading Room, and regular exhibits that are open to the public. As a Fordham student, don’t miss out on one of NYC’s best (and one of the rare FREE) attractions while you’re here.
Getting an NYPL card is quick, free, and opens the door to countless opportunities for learning, research, and exploration. Don’t miss your chance to sign up this semester and make the most of all that New York City’s libraries have to offer.
Each October, Fordham University Libraries joins institutions around the world to celebrate International Open Access Week, a global event dedicated to promoting equitable access to research and scholarship. This year’s theme, Who Owns Our Knowledge? asks how, in a time of disruption, communities can reassert control over the knowledge they produce.
At its heart, the open access movement asks a simple but powerful question: if scholarship is created to expand our collective understanding, shouldn’t everyone be able to read it?
Why Open Access Matters
Essentially, open access (OA), is a broad term used to describe materials that are freely disseminated and available to all. Accessible work has no paywall and requires no login authentication to access an otherwise pricey journal article that is usually unavailable to students and academic employees (i.e. university faculty and staff). In short, open access is an umbrella term used to identify information that is free of cost and without restrictions.
In traditional academic publishing, access often comes at a price. This process of researching, authoring, and eventually undergoing a peer-review process to publish the work, is known as scholarly communication. However, subscription costs and paywalls can limit who is able to read or cite a piece of research, creating invisible boundaries around knowledge. Open access challenges that system by making scholarly work freely available online, where it can reach students, educators, researchers, and curious readers everywhere.
This year’s theme International Open Access Week theme, Who Owns Our Knowledge?, reminds us that information is not a commodity but a shared resource. It also pushes us to think about equity: who gets to publish, whose voices are amplified, and whose work remains hidden behind institutional barriers.
For Fordham, this principle aligns perfectly with our Jesuit mission of promoting knowledge in service of others. By supporting open access, the University helps create a more just and collaborative scholarly world where information fuels progress rather than privilege.
Overall, open access is a hot-button topic, and accessible databases and repositories are becoming more commonplace within academia. Perhaps you’re already familiar with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)? All of this is to say that it’s important that we continue to strive for a world in which more accessible resources are made widely available to all interested researchers. And this Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of open access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make open access a new norm in scholarship and research.
So, from the Fordham University Libraries to you- Have a splendid Open Access Week! If you have any further questions, please feel free to check out this page on our Scholarly Communication research guide, and as always, you can use our 24/7 chat service, Ask a Librarian.