July 16 2018 | By Lisa L. Colangelo for AM New York
‘Culture Pass’ Turns City Library Cards Into Admission For 33 Cultural Institutions
Above: Westmacott / Alamy
If you don’t have a library card, there are now 33 more reasons to get one.
Starting Monday, cardholders from any of the city’s three systems can get free admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, The Museum of Modern Art and 30 other cultural institutions across the five boroughs.
The “Culture Pass” program aims to give more city residents — especially those in underserved communities — access to museums and other sites.
“I think it’s one of the greatest things to happen,” said Queens Library CEO Dennis Walcott. “It really shows that libraries are the connective tissue to the public at large.”
Walcott noted that many New Yorkers, especially new immigrants, may not be aware of the different cultural institutions in the city.
The program is open to people who have cards for the New York Public Library — which serves Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island — the Queens Library or the Brooklyn Public Library.
Each library system’s website will have its own page for Culture Pass. Cardholders can log in using their library card ID, make a reservation and print or download a pass.
Officials said they expect the program will provide 58,000 passes annually at an estimated cost of $2 million. The cultural institutions provide the passes while foundation donations pay for most of the administrative costs.
The Culture Pass is different from the benefits offered to New Yorkers who sign up for IDNYC cards and get free memberships to cultural institutions across the city. The Culture Pass provides passes for a one-time visit, not memberships, at places ranging from the Queens Museum to Wave Hill in the Bronx and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
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