Twenty years ago, the opening of Bern Dibner Library marked a new era for NYU-Poly, then known as Polytechnic University. The $42 million structure was Poly's first building to open at the school's nascent MetroTech campus. MetroTech played a critical role in the revival of downtown Brooklyn, and "Polytechnic is at the heart of MetroTech," as Governor Mario M. Cuomo put it at the building's dedication ceremony on May 28, 1992.

The new, state-of-the-art library was made possible largely due to the generosity of Bern Dibner, a 1921 graduate who went on to succeed as an inventor and founder of the worldwide engineering company, The Burndy Corp. Housing over 50,000 square feet, the library tripled the size of the school's old library facilities.

While the library today offers most of its resources electronically, it still remains a vital hub for student activity. In 1992, about 51,000 visitors used the library in its first six months. During that same period this year, we had over 125,000 visits from students, staff, faculty and visiting scholars. One thing hasn't changed over the past 20 years—the library's commitment to provide innovative service and to support learning, teaching, and research.