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

New York Public Library has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 666 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 7% 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 3% 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 51 reviews)); "Many of the librarians and other pages were great people and made working there great." ((in 38 reviews)); "The staff is friendly and welcoming." ((in 25 reviews)); "Flexible hours for part timers and hourly." ((in 23 reviews)); "Great work experience and colleagues" ((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 53 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 18 reviews)); "It is absurd that some of these managers have the jobs they do" ((in 16 reviews)); "Some upper management doesn't understand the reality of working with the public." ((in 8 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

New York Public Library reviews

3.6

58% would recommend to a friend

(615 total reviews)

Anthony Marx

53% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (615 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

New York Public Library has an employee rating of 3.6 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).

Reviews by job title

615 reviews

5.0

May 16, 2022

Safe, welcoming, creative workplace

Information assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The best part of this job is the creative freedom to create programs your community can benefit from. It's a wonderful environment to be creative and focus your time on how you can benefit the community through its local public library. Aside from the pay (which is definitely not enough to live off of in NYC), this job is truly wonderful. You're given a good amount of vacation days, sick days, and they treated us extremely well during the peak of the COVID pandemic, putting plenty of policies into place to keep staff safe.

Cons

Not much room for growth with out Master's degree in Library & Information Science, pay is not high enough to survive in NYC.

5.0

Apr 13, 2022

Love working at NYPL

Front-end software engineer ii

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Meaningful work that serves the New York community and beyond Excellent work life balance Great HR support and benefits I love the work at the library since day one. I had a great onboarding experience here. From filing all required forms to getting to know the team and the projects it was smooth sailing. Everyone at the library works here because they care and it really translates into the working environment and the team culture.

Cons

Things are advancing slow because of the mindful approach. Since this is a non profit your salary won't be as high here as other places.

2.0

Mar 2, 2022

Beware of HR's Microagressions

Young adult librarian trainee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I had a lovely manager and a great team who really made me feel welcomed and got me into the swing of things quickly but comfortably. I loved the vibe of the library even when we had weird patrons. It was like a team.

Cons

The HR person for my region discriminates against people with mental health illnesses as well as possibly race. In the incident that cost me my job, the HR person refused to believe a word I said over another employee and made me seem crazy. She gaslit me, demanded I hand over my medical history and current treatment with my medical team with an egregiously illegal form that appalled my medical team. Since I did not oblige because I maintained my rights under the ADA, I was terminated from my job. The HR person twisted the story on my termination papers once again. This is a crime. NYPL higher-ups should know about it.

Viewing 178 - 180 of 615 Reviews

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