The purpose of this report is to present a study of the history and development of the New York Public Library. Attention has also been paid to the structure of the Library and it's various Divisions, including the Manuscript Division. However, this paper does not attempt to penetrate deeply into the policy and organization of the Manuscript section, as that is the subject of subsequent reports. (Other papers from this Institute are available as LI 002962-LI 002970 and LI 002972 through LI 002976). (Author)