# Collective Witness: A Library for a Young Country

Collective Witness: A Library for a Young Country at The New York Society Library, Friday 30 October 2026, until 31 Dec.

- Venue: The New York Society Library, East 79th Street 53, 10075
- Go to page: https://www.nysoclib.org/exhibition-collective-witness

![Collective Witness: A Library for a Young Country](https://noky.io/images/db34d8ac8d84ad03a789dbd97df2e586cd0d52cc882f707a6611ff1aed9b3b34-2000.webp)

"Collective Witness: A Library for a Young Country" is an exhibition at the New York Society Library marking the United States' 250th anniversary. It explores how the library, founded twenty-two years before the Declaration of Independence, bore witness to the earliest days of the U.S. government, lending books to President Washington and serving as the first Library of Congress. On view are a first edition of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense", a 1776 New York newspaper chronicling the path to Independence, a first edition of the Federalist Papers, and books read by George Washington and other founding fathers. The exhibition is open daily in the Assunta, Ignazio, Ada and Romano Peluso Exhibition Gallery.

## Dates

- Thursday 18 June until 31 Dec — The New York Society Library

Written by a model, sources: [nysoclib.org](https://www.nysoclib.org/exhibition-collective-witness)

## More like this

- Saturday 31 October, 14:00 Tour the Building with a Docent, October (2-4 PM on the half hour) — The New York Society Library — Free — Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and step into history on a docent-led tour of the Library's landmark 1917 building, exploring the gallery and its … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/tour-the-building-with-a-docent-october-2-4-pm-on-the-half-h-79672/
- Friday 30 October, until 8 Nov Donald Moffett — Alexander Gray Associates Gallery — Common Sense is a group exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum that puts America's past in dialogue with its present. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/donald-moffett-50912/
- Friday 30 October, 11:00 “Founding Principals” Exhibition — Historic Richmond Town — A two-gallery exhibition at Historic Richmond Town titled “Founding Principles: The Declaration of Independence, Civics, and Staten Island.” It is presented … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/founding-principals-exhibition-53026/
- Saturday 31 October, 12:00 Open Hours — Old Stone House — Free — Open Hours are the public visiting times of the Old Stone House, a historic house in Brooklyn where visitors can drop in without a reservation. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/open-hours-76987/
- Friday 30 October, until 1 Nov Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime — Poster House — "Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime" is an exhibition of book-related posters from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Germany … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/reading-under-fire-arming-minds-hearts-during-wartime-54902/
- Friday 6 November, 12:00 Spies Among Us: From the American Revolution to 1830s New York — Mount Vernon Hotel Museum — $15 — A program at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden looking back at spies and spying in New York City from the American Revolution to the 1820s and 1830s. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/spies-among-us-from-the-american-revolution-to-1830s-new-yor-54013/
- Friday 30 October, until 31 Jan Hank Willis Thomas — New York Live Arts — Hank Willis Thomas at Ford Foundation Live Gallery is a gallery exhibition of new works by artist Hank Willis Thomas, on view from September 16, 2026 into … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/hank-willis-thomas-54321/
- Tuesday 3 November, 11:00 Open House at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden-Tues, Nov 3rd — Mount Vernon Hotel Museum — Free — A free, all-day open house at a historic house museum celebrating a new exhibition and the 200th anniversary of the Mount Vernon Hotel opening on this site. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/open-house-at-the-mount-vernon-hotel-museum-garden-tues-nov-54012/
- Friday 30 October, until 31 Dec Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Land — Old Stone House — Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Land is an art exhibition at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-land-54592/
- Friday 30 October, until 13 Nov Open Access: Exploring 130 Years of American Design — Van Alen Institute — Open Access: Exploring 130 Years of American Design is an exhibition at Van Alen Institute's Brooklyn space that invites five artists and design teams to … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/open-access-exploring-130-years-of-american-design-57334/
- Friday 30 October, until 4 Nov DPI Presents: The Object/Photograph: From the Archives of the Department of Photography & Imaging — Iris Cantor Theatre — The exhibition "The Object/Photograph: From the Archives of the Department of Photography & Imaging" presents original photographic prints drawn from the … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/dpi-presents-the-objectphotograph-from-the-archives-of-the-d-53232/
- Wednesday 11 November, 18:30 Raise Your Voice: Curator-led Tour — Museum of the City of New York — Free — A curator-led tour of the exhibition Raise Your Voice: New York Activism at the Museum of the City of New York. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/raise-your-voice-curator-led-tour-54056/
- Monday 2 November, 13:00 Let’s Make an Anthology with BlackMass Publishing — Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture — Free — A hands-on zine publishing workshop in which participants craft a collective zine and produce their own knowledge, culminating in a limited edition collective … — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/lets-make-an-anthology-with-blackmass-publishing-55715/
- Wednesday 4 November, 16:00 Wednesday Story Time — Society of Illustrators — Free — Wednesday Story Time is a cozy afternoon gathering for families in the historic library of the Society of Illustrators, held every Wednesday. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/wednesday-story-time-55952/
- Friday 30 October, 12:00 “The Bicentennial Revisited: The Spirit of ’76?” Exhibition — King Manor Museum — King Manor Museum presents the exhibition “The Bicentennial Revisited: The Spirit of ’76?”. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/the-bicentennial-revisited-the-spirit-of-76-exhibition-53025/
- Friday 30 October, 12:00 “Black People and the Battle of Brooklyn” Exhibit — Lefferts Historic House — Free — “Black People and the Battle of Brooklyn” is a pop-up exhibit in the yard of Lefferts Historic House. — https://noky.io/en/new-york/events/black-people-and-the-battle-of-brooklyn-exhibit-53028/