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 665 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 45% 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 (9) , 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 56 reviews)); "Many of the librarians and other pages were great people and made working there great." ((in 36 reviews)); "great staff here at nypl" ((in 31 reviews)); "Flexible hours for part timers and hourly." ((in 22 reviews)); "It was a great work environment." ((in 16 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 55 reviews)); "The salary is low and the number of hours are capped to 19 hours a week." ((in 25 reviews)); "Management wasn't as organized as initially expected." ((in 21 reviews)); "It is absurd that some of these managers have the jobs they do" ((in 15 reviews)); "Some upper management doesn't understand the reality of working with the public." ((in 7 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 New York Public Library locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Staten Island , New York , Bronx

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New York Public Library

New York Public Library reviews

3.5

58% would recommend to a friend

(614 total reviews)

Anthony Marx

53% approve of CEO

45% 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 614 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

614 reviews

2.0

Jul 29, 2013

Overworked and underpaid.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If you work with a friendly staff it will be a comfortable work setting.

Cons

No room for promotion. Outside people get hired first over internal. Salaries are horrible and management does not care about their employees.

3.0

Jul 16, 2013

Great Experience For A First Job

Library page

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay, Friendly staff, flexible hours, Supervisors are understanding about you taking days off, Not many hours you have to work so you can actually have a life outside of the workplace, Your not under close watch so you can do your work however you want, Reasonable time for lunch/breaks, Receive perks whenever there are events or programs in the library

Cons

Lazy staff that expects you to do their work for them sometimes but won't lift a finger if your having a hard time with your work. Work is very physically demanding ! Work is not recognized or appreciated but the appearance of the library is solely dependent on YOU. You are asked to do work that is not in your job description. Patrons are careless about the library appearance so you have to pick up after them A LOT. Large workload. Short staffed and overworked.

3.0

May 3, 2013

Overall Very Positive, Until It Was Horrible

Supervising librarian

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The Library offers a dizzying amount of classes and training, if you are ambitious. Some are mandatory, but most are not. If you're smart, you'll avail every opportunity. Most staff, though by far not all, are courtesy and professional, and very easy to get along with. You'll make many long-lasting friendships. The Library encourages staff to develop innovative programs for the public, and are quite supportive of staff efforts.

Cons

Since it is union (which can be a very good thing!), unfortunately bad apples are almost impossible to get rid of. There are plenty of people who don't pull their weight, and do nothing with attitude. The chance for advancement is scarce; many professional positions now do not require MLSs, thus taking away jobs once held my librarians. All about the all mighty dollar. Management in the upper eschelon are business people, most with no experience in non-profits. And it shows. Many changes have been made over the years that most staff find deleterious to the mission of the library. For example, monetizing libraries (i.e., selling off library properties to developers), thus shrinking the system of needed, very busy libraries.

Viewing 580 - 582 of 614 Reviews

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Library Information Assistant - Bronx Library Center

Library Page - Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Library Information Assistant - Bronx Library Center

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Ratings by demographic groups

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Overworked and underpaid.

Great Experience For A First Job

Overall Very Positive, Until It Was Horrible

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