8. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is located on 40 Center Plaza and given New York City’s affinity for theater and the arts, unsurprisingly contains one of the most extensive collections of rare, circulating, and archival collections of performing arts materials in the world. In addition to books, the library contains multiple collections of autographed manuscripts, sheet music. videotapes, historic recordings, and other forms of media.

The Library for the Performing Arts features multiple exhibitions every year with previous topics including “Curtain Up, Celebrating the Last 40 Years of Theatre in New York and London” and more specific topics like “Laughter, Agita, and Rage, Political Cabaret in Isaiah Sheffer’s New York.” The library also hosts workshops and performances, making it the perfect combination for the many arts-inclined residents or visitors in New York City.