New York Public Library is classed as one of the five greatest libraries in the world. It is located on the corner of 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. It was formed by the combination of the Astor and Lenox libraries and the Tilden Trust. Throughout the 1960’s it grew steadily, but the 1970’s New York financial crisis caused budget problems for the library.

Nevertheless, private sector funding programmes of the 1980’s led to the library successfully raising £300 million. Today the library holds 49.5 million items, including 17.9 million books.

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