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Just over a century ago, there were only two public libraries in New York. When then-governor Samuel J. Tilden bequeathed a generous trust ($2.4 million) to "establish and maintain a free library and reading room in the city of New York," the two institutions were combined to form the New York Public Library, which was dedicated on May 23, 1911. Built on the former site of the Croton Reservoir, the library's main branch is a Beaux Arts creation by the architectural firm Carriere and Hastings. It features a main reading room that spans two full blocks; below it are 88 miles of shelves holding…