This New York Public Library Branch Is Officially Closing in December

All books and programs will be moved to nearby libraries.

New Yorkers living in the Grand Central area will have to find a new library branch starting soon.

New York Public Library's Grand Central branch, located at 135 East 46th Street, is officially closing on December 1, and all of its books and programs will be moved to nearby libraries.

The decision comes to no surprise. Since the beginning, the branch was a temporary solution while the new Donnell Library Center (53rd Street Library) was under construction, Gothamist reports. The Grand Central location was supposed to close in 2015 , but the lease was renewed because ongoing renovations were taking place inside the Grand Central branch itself and, additionally, the Donnell Library Center wasn't completed yet.

Now, both projects are completed, and NYPL's President Tony Marx said that NYPL can't afford to maintain the Grand Central space.

"The library has limited resources to serve this diverse city, and needs to be strategic and equitable about how it maintains its system and footprint," Marx said in an official statement. "It is a challenge that requires tough decisions and this is one of them."

Luckily, the closing of the branch won't lead to any layoffs. Many employees that were working at the Grand Central branch were already transferred to other locations earlier this year.

To find the nearest NYPL branch, you can visit the NYPL website.

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Serena Tara is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.