New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center serves as an unusual hybrid institution that functions as both a public library where you can borrow books and a high-level research center for scholars. It sits directly between the Metropolitan Opera House and the Vivian Beaumont Theater, placing it in the physical heart of the city's performing arts district. When it opened in 1965, the building was specifically designed to be both a library and a museum, aiming to interpret and illustrate the entire spectrum of live performance for the general public.