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 55 reviews)); "Many of the librarians and other pages were great people and made working there great." ((in 37 reviews)); "The staff is friendly and welcoming." ((in 26 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 51 reviews)); "The salary is low and the number of hours are capped to 19 hours a week." ((in 26 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 17 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

Sep 30, 2008

Stuck in the past

Librarian, young adult services

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You won't have to take your work home with you. You get to work with the public and help people find information. If you get assigned to a decent branch, you may be involved in some interesting programs, but many branches seem stagnant.

Cons

It's like working for DMV. Many of the senior staff have been there for 15 years or more and the sense of burn-out is palpable. People are promoted based on longevity rather than merit. While many public libraries have been invigorated by the role of technology in information seeking, NYPL feels bogged down by bureaucracy and overwhelmed by a changing society.

4.0

Aug 21, 2008

Its a job

Senior librarian

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Its prestigious to say that you have worked for the New York Public Library, only a thirty five hour work week, many branches so it is easy to find a better fit, good benefits, there are a lot of different types of training that is offered, part of an union

Cons

the salary is low compared to other big city libraries, there have been a lot of changes recently without a lot of informing the staff, positions are being eliminated or changed, managers are being forced to reapply for their jobs, some librarys are not located in the best areas, having to work Saturdays and nights,

3.0

Aug 4, 2008

Stale pay at research institution

Office aide

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There are many location through out bronx, manhattan and Staten Island (but dont think you can easily move through out these branches). Working at some of these branch can offer low stress position.

Cons

Downsides of working at the new york public library includes low pay and heavy beuracracy. Unless you are LeClerc, staff at all level are pretty much paid below industry standard. There is also far much beuracracy to complete any task efficiently. Some managers go on power trips, over what is really, not that stressful a job. Some managers are the reason why there is any stress at all in some branches.

Viewing 610 - 612 of 614 Reviews

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