The Morningside Heights Branch of The New York Public Library is located on Broadway at the corner of 113th Street. Formerly known as the Columbia Branch, the library has been serving the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan since 1914, when it opened in Columbia University's Low Library as a recreational collection for students and faculty. When the university's Butler Library replaced the Low Library in 1937, it included a room designed for the Columbia Branch. In 1996, the branch moved to a temporary location on 113th Street to accommodate renovations at Butler Library. The present building, opened in 2001, also includes a Columbia University dorm and a retail shop. The building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern architects and incorporates modern technology in a traditional library setting.

Among the collections, services, and programs the branch makes available are:

Book collections for adults, young adults, and children available for borrowing and use in the library

Videos, books on tape, and CDs for all ages

Lifelong Learning collection for adult new readers of English

Large Print collection

Community Information collection

Internet access for free public use by appointment (list of Internet Training Workshops)

TechConnect, the library computer training site

Films, story hours, and reading-aloud programs for children

Puppet shows, crafts, music programs, and other special events for children

Author readings, lectures, workshops, music, poetry, and theater programs for adults

Class visits by appointment