Mulberry Street Library

Smells

📍 The New York Public Library's Mulberry Street branch is located at the site of a former chocolate factory in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, historically known as the Cast Iron District. The branch entrance is located at ground level, and two other floors are located below ground. ★★★★★ …

The librarians are not friendly. I felt very unwelcomed. 2 stars for having a restroom though.

I’m leaving this review about the New York Public Library – SoHo Mulberry Street branch. I called in and spoke with a woman at the desk, and she was super helpful and really clear on the phone. She tried her best, but she couldn’t figure out what I meant when I asked her to confirm the exact location of a bakery called Martin Auer at 285 Lafayette Street, which I was told should be right by the corner near the Mulberry Street Library. I also mentioned that I couldn’t find any landline listing for the bakery in the 411 directory, and that threw me off a bit, because the grocery and bakery brand is pretty well known and is trying to break into the Manhattan market. Generally I would recommand to take a visit at this mind-catching library - not only for astral entities and angels. Maybe, they could try to enrich their guides with an advertisement for this near located bakery for combining harmony, information needs and mind-catching coffee breaks.

Tucked away from the busy streets of SoHo, the Mulberry Street Library is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. It’s charming and relatively small, with a ground floor and two lower levels. There was a mix of people—some working, some reading, families with kids, and others just escaping the cold. We stopped in to kill time between activities in the area and ended up reading for a bit, which made it feel like a genuine neighborhood space rather than a tourist stop. A good option if you’re looking for a quiet reset without committing to a long stay.

I had a great experience at the library while working on paperwork, scanning, and printing, thanks to the kindness and diligence of Charlie at the front desk. People like him make NYPL feel like a space for enrichment and empowerment. Thank you, Charlie!

I had a really disappointing and honestly upsetting experience at the Mulberry Street NYPL location. I was dealing with an emergency Wi-Fi issue at home and urgently needed a quiet place nearby to take a short 30-minute school meeting before heading to other obligations in the area. Since no space was available in the adult section, and the teen area was completely empty, I briefly sat there just to finish my meeting. During that time, an older male staff member in the teen area approached me in an extremely aggressive and rude way. Instead of calmly explaining the policy, he raised his voice, interrupted my meeting, and made me feel genuinely threatened and unsafe. As a person of color, the interaction felt especially disrespectful and intimidating. There was no need for the level of hostility I experienced, especially given the circumstances and the fact that the space was empty. The only positive part of this visit was one librarian on the second floor who kindly allowed me to finish the last 5 minutes of my meeting and thoughtfully let me know about other NYPL locations that offer quiet rooms. I truly appreciated her professionalism and empathy. Unfortunately, that one kind interaction was overshadowed by how rude and hostile the lower-level staff were. Based on this experience, I would strongly recommend avoiding this location if you need a welcoming or respectful environment.

Great to have services for the community, inviting and large space, but not so great if those who are in the spaces (especially the teen section) are rude and condescending (: Printers are cash only at this location!

This is my favorite NYPL branch🎉🎉🎉🎉 …

Super helpful and kind staff, services, and great selection of books.