Is New York Public Library a good company to work for?

New York Public Library has an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5, based on over 666 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 9% over the last 12 months. 58% of employees would recommend working at New York Public Library to a friend and 44% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about New York Public Library have been left by employees working as Library Information Assistant , Library Page and Information Assistant .

Does New York Public Library pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, New York Public Library employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at New York Public Library. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at New York Public Library?

58% of New York Public Library employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated New York Public Library 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.4 for culture and values and 3.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at New York Public Library?

Library Page (93) , Librarian (47) , Senior Librarian (19) , Library Information Assistant (17) , Information Assistant (13) , Library Assistant (11) , Office Aide (11) , Tutor (10) , Part Time Library Page (8) , Page (7) , Young Adult Librarian (6) , Administrative Assistant (5) , Collections Processing Assistant II (5) , Collection Processing Assistant II (4) , Library Technical Assistant (4)

What are the pros of working at New York Public Library according to real employee reviews?

"Good benefits and no weekends" ((in 55 reviews)); "Only a few people I worked with were nice and helpful" ((in 35 reviews)); "The staff is friendly and welcoming." ((in 28 reviews)); "Flexible hours for part timers and hourly." ((in 21 reviews)); "Friendly coworkers" ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at New York Public Library according to real employee reviews?

"LOW PAY!!!! 50k may be the highest and that with a Masters Degree" ((in 50 reviews)); "The salary is low and the number of hours are capped to 19 hours a week." ((in 28 reviews)); "Management wasn't as organized as initially expected." ((in 20 reviews)); "It is absurd that some of these managers have the jobs they do" ((in 18 reviews)); "Some upper management doesn't understand the reality of working with the public." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about New York Public Library layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about New York Public Library layoffs and their outlook for job security at New York Public Library in 2026.

What are the top reviewed New York Public Library locations?

New York , Bronx , Staten Island , Brooklyn , Long Island City , Long Island-Queens , Midtown New York , Jersey City , River Edge , Ozone Park , Rye , Olean , Poughkeepsie , Boonville , Battle Creek , Washington , Minneapolis , Bloomington , Los Angeles , Atlanta , New England , Manhattan , Morningside Heights , Queens

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New York Public Library

New York Public Library reviews

3.5

58% would recommend to a friend

(615 total reviews)

Anthony Marx

53% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Culture & values

3.4

Work/Life balance

3.1

Compensation and benefits

3.0

Career opportunities

2.8

Senior management

New York Public Library has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 615 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The New York Public Library employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation industry (3.9 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

615 reviews

2.0

Jun 30, 2016

Staff

Technology

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working at the Library gives you a good feeling of helping people (the community). Majority of the staff are pleasant to work with

Cons

No clear direction of what the Library wants to do. The Library wants to do everything.

3.0

Jun 25, 2016

Great company, worrisome management choices.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It's not a difficult job by any means, but it becomes as challenging as you want it to be depending on how much responsibility you want to take on. There's room for growth, and hard work can go a long way.

Cons

Branch managers and district managers can be very cliquey. This is a library system that presents itself like a utopia of understanding but runs like a cold, sterile corporation. NYPL claims to have its employees' best interest at heart, but then remains completely rigid in cases where human decency could and should take precedence over unnecessarily stringent policies.

3.0

Jun 24, 2016

Solid job, little professional development or room for growth

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working with kids, while difficult, is always meaningful. Working at the New York Public Library gives you many opportunities to work with kids in different contexts.

Cons

The New York Public Library is a big bureaucratic system. It is not easy to get promotions or move laterally. The HR department also takes forever to process job applications, 2-5 months.

Viewing 502 - 504 of 615 Reviews

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Junior Library Custodian - Manhattan

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Staff

Great company, worrisome management choices.

Solid job, little professional development or room for growth

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