This is the main branch of the New York Public Library, located on Bryant Park, on Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 40th Streets. There is a total of 87 branches throughout the city. It was constructed in the early 1900s, with a Beaux-Arts style architecture, and opened in May 1911. Its main reading room is beautifully decorated with very high ceilings and lined with thousands of reference books on open shelves.