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The New York City Public Library was the location of the first ghost encounter. It is located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 42nd Street in downtown New York City.

Canonicity[]

New York City Public Library in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984). In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. New York City Public Library (prime) appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions).

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters (1984)[]

In 1984, Alice, an elderly librarian, pushed a cart of books across the South wing of the Main Reading Room. She paused and took a stack of books off an empty table. Patrons walked past and behind her. She placed the books on the lower level of the cart then continued on. She took those books downstairs into the basement's stacks to re-shelve them. She looked up at shelves, took a left into an aisle, scanned the shelves, looked left, and mentally counted then stopped and put the books away. A few books floated from one bookcase to the bookcase on the other side. Alice looked up to her left but didn't see anything. She continued down the aisle and went right. A short time later, Alice paused at a work station and wrote down notes on a clipboard. She picked up the clipboard and walked on. She passed by a card catalog. Several drawers opened on their own and cards shot out all over the area. Alice paused, turned around, screamed and ran, dodged drawers, and hurried through the stacks. She went left, left again, another left, turned and looked briefly, then kept running. She turned right, stopped, turned, and went left instead. She turned right, stopped, and came face to face with a ghost at 1:40 pm. The ghost transmogrified. Alice screamed and her hair was blown back. 10 people saw the ghost. It blew books off shelves 20 feet away.

After receiving a phone call from Roger Delacorte, a library administrator, Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz went to the library to check P.K.E. levels and investigate. After the P.K.E. levels maxed out the P.K.E. Meter, Dr. Stantz returned to Columbia University to pick up some other equipment and get Peter Venkman to join the investigation. Peter tried to break it to Ray that he finally had gone around the bend on the "ghost business." He brought up how he and Egon met every "schizo" in the five boroughs who claimed to have had a paranormal experience. He asked Ray what he had actually seen so far. As they entered the South Wing of the Main Reading Room from the Southern side doorway to the Art and Architecture Reading Room, Ray reminded Peter he was present at an undersea, unexplained Mass Sponge Migration. Peter reacted as if he probably heard that story for the umpteenth time and countered the sponges migrated about a foot and a half. They slowly converged on Dr. Spengler. Egon sat next to a table listening with his Stethoscope which was holding under the desk. Peter noticed Egon and sneaked over then, in a faux zombie voice, uttered, "Egon..." Egon perked up. Peter rapped the table with his knuckles then slammed a hardcover book down. Egon was startled and jumped. He finally noticed Peter and Ray. Over at the librarian's desk, an employee and Roger Delacorte looked over at the trio. Peter asked Egon what he had. Egon stated it was very big and there was definitely something present. Peter smiled remembered the time Egon tried to drill a hole through his head. Egon quickly countered it would have worked if he hadn't stopped him. Roger walked up behind them and introduced himself. Peter took the lead and introduced himself as "Dr. Venkman," Ray as "Dr. Stantz," and Egon as "Egon." Roger shook Peter's hand then Ray's, and Egon nodded once. Roger thanked them for coming and expressed his hope that they could clear it up quickly and quietly. Peter warned against rushing into things before they knew what was going on.

Roger, Peter, Egon, and Ray went into the office dividing the north and south wings of the Reading Room. Alice was lying on a table in shock. A man comforted her. She recalled not seeing any legs, but it definitely had arms because it reached out for her. Ray, held the Camcorder on her and Peter. Ray got more excited and remained oblivious of Alice being traumatized by the incident. Peter sat near Alice and told her he was going to ask her a couple of standard questions. He started off by asking if she or anyone in her family were ever been diagnosed schizophrenic or mentally incompetent. She remembered her uncle thought he was St. Jerome. Peter made a face and countered that as a big yes. He asked her if she was habitually using drugs, stimulants, alcohol. She wasn't. Peter asked her if she was currently menstruating. Roger nervously asked what that had to do with it. Peter stated, "Back off, man. I'm a scientist." Egon entered the office and reported the ghost was on the move. Egon went down the stairs to the basement stacks first and had out his P.K.E. Meter. Ray was close behind him with the camcorder. Egon was serious and focused. Peter came down last, lacking any interest and rolling his eyes. He started to make scary hand gestures at Ray. They found an incredibly tall stack of books in an aisle. Egon swept his P.K.E. Meter around the stack and stated it was hot. Ray recalled the term, Symmetrical Stacking, and it was just like the Philadelphia Mass Turbulence of 1947. Peter dryly and sarcastically agreed, noting no human being would stack books like this. Ray suddenly turned and instructed everyone to listen then asked them if they smelled something. Peter sniffed the air.

They came across the card catalog that Alice ran away from. Cards were still all over. Clear hued Ectoplasm was strewn all about. Ray was amazed with the telekinetic activity. Egon zeroed in on the Ectoplasm and clued Ray in. Egon held out a Plastic Petri Dish and asked Peter to get a sample. Ray slowly backed away and followed Egon. Ray couldn't believe it was the real thing. Peter grumbled. Egon stated he would like to analyze it. Peter scraped Ectoplasm from a drawer into the petri dish. Around the corner, Ray noticed more. Egon confirmed stronger readings further on. It was not working and some of the residue got on Peter's hands. Peter groaned and grunted. He tried to flick it away. Some got on his face. Ray told Peter to come on. Peter grunted. He started slapping books and wiping random book spines. He stepped on some slimed cards and yelled "Dah!" He lifted his foot and tried to shake the cards off. They turned another corner. Peter caught up and handed Egon the petri dish. A green wood bookcase creaked and suddenly fell down face first behind them onto the floor. Peter hopped back a little. They all stared at the bookcase. As the dust kicked up in the air, Peter calmly turned to Ray and asked if that happened to him before. Ray slowly shook his head 'no' and Peter asked if that his first time. Ray slowly nodded 'yes' and they continued on. They emerged from aisle. The P.K.E. Meter lit up. They went down the next aisle. The arms on the P.K.E. Meter rose up and Egon held out his hand to the others to stop. He stepped out of the aisle, swept around to his left then turned right, and paused in surprise at what he saw. It was the Library ghost. She was looking at books. Ray was excited and as softly as he could, stated it was a full torso apparition.

The ghost began reading a book. Peter asked what to do. Egon and Ray were silent and looked at each other. Peter rolled his eyes and asked them to come over for a talk. He pulled Ray by the ear into an aisle. The ghost looked over at them. Ray wasn't sure what to do and turned to Ego. Egon took out a calculator and started typing but Peter yelled at him to stop that and knocked it out of his hands. It tattered on the floor. Ray proposed they make contact. Egon agreed. They both looked at Peter. Peter huffed over the silent vote. He walked out of the aisle. Egon took over the camcorder. Ray followed and quickly snapped photographs with the Nikon SLR FE2 Camera. Peter greeted the ghost, introduced himself, and asked her where it was from. He kicked himself and clarified, "Originally." The ghost only shushed him. Peter returned to the aisle, corralling Ray and Egon back into the aisle. Ray had a new plan. He instructed them to stay close and do exactly as he said. They inched back out and slowly moved closer. Ray suddenly exclaimed, "Get her!" The ghost transmogrified into a monstrous form and screamed "Rah!" at them. They hurried outside and down the stairs. Roger came out the door after them and asked them if they saw it and what it was. Peter yelled they would get back to him. Roger tried to get them to wait. He stopped in disbelief. People looked at them as they ran away. The experience later gave Dr. Stantz and Dr. Spengler some impetus to develop a proton storage facility for indefinite incarceration of spirits.

Secondary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game[]

Dr. Eleanor Twitty was the head librarian of the New York City Public Library in the early 1900s and curated its Special Collections, which included ancient artifacts, stone tablets, and otherwise forgotten parchments. Dr. Twitty was seduced by a man named Edmund Hoover. In reality, Hoover was just using her in order to get access to the rare books in her care, including the Gozerian Codex. When she discovered her fiancee's true motives, she broke off the relationship and engagement. In March 1924, he murdered her in a secret section of the Library constructed by Ivo Shandor, the founder of the Cult of Gozer, a group that Hoover was a member of. Dr. Twitty was reported missing. The New York Police Department made every effort to find her and even conducted repeated room-to-room searches of the underground library stacks where she was last seen but she was never found alive. She was the fifth woman to go missing under mysterious circumstances in 1924. Hoover also murdered many others to cover up Twitty's death and collected their bodies like he collected books. At least 12 bodies of women were discovered under the library in a search led by Detective Sergeant Ambrose Hannigan. Hoover was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging before dawn on May 10, 1924.

While on route to the Natural History Museum, the Ghostbusters were detoured to the library after Janine Melnitz clued them to a radio report on 1010 WINS. Captain McMahon from the 12th Precinct told Ray there was a massive disturbance, a "real fireworks show." Upon arrival, they noted that one of the lion statues at the entrance was missing. They checked for valences and suddenly two animators burst out of the remaining lion before fleeing into the library. The guys split up to track the animators. The Rookie headed to the Reading Room and encountered a Book Golem. Upon its destruction, the Library ghost was sighted in a corner. Rookie, Ray, and Egon gave chase. They discovered not all print was dead, as Book Bats and other paper based creatures attacked them while chasing the Library ghost (also known as the Gray Lady). Egon noted that the readings he's got were off the charts, and that he was going to have to make new ones. After a brief period of separation, Egon and Ray joined up in a storage area where they fought some of the Paper Constructs and Book Bats. Meanwhile, in the periodical archives, Winston Zeddemore uncovered some history between the Library ghost, Eleanor Twitty, her ex-lover Edmund "The Collector" Hoover, and the Gozerian Codex. The group then learned that the Collector manipulated the Grey Lady in an attempt to get her to give him the Codex, but she refused after she broke up with him, and so he murdered her and several others, collecting their bodies just as he had collected books before being caught and executed. At his execution, Hoover swore that he would be reborn as Azetlor and would watch over the Library and all the rare books in its care.

After Rookie and Ray captured the animators Cruster and Crusto, they cut through the Juvenile Collection room and rejoined Egon at Special Collections. The ghost shushed them again and summoned Book Centurions. After she vanished again, the Rookie discovered a hidden passage. The trio headed down into the sub-basement and discovered stacks and stacks of books and entities out to kill them. They pressed on and found the Library ghost in an eerie circular chamber, where they watched as she seemingly reenacted her death. Egon noted the codex was emitting massive energy, and the Rookie was sent to retrieve it. Once the book was removed, the Grey Lady seemingly vanished, leading Ray to assume that they helped her cross over to the next world by taking the book. But this was not so, as she then reappeared behind them and assumed her more ghoulish form to fight them. They easily captured her and a cross-dimensional portal materialized as they realized the Grey Lady actually wanted them to have the Codex and avenge her death by confronting Azetlor. Rookie, Egon, and Ray crossed over into the Ghostworld, a Gozerian dimension inhabited by ghosts. After several additional periods of separation via portals, the trio arrived in what appeared to be the Reading Room, a place where the dimensional membrane seems to be extremely thin. They realized that Azetlor won't let them return to the physical plane with the Gozerian Codex, which he wants to add to his collection. After long battle, Ray, Egon, and the Rookie defeated Azetlor, causing a new portal to upon up. Passing through the portal, the group arrived back in the real world's Reading Room. There they found that Winston had been running around the library looking for them since they disappeared through the portal. Egon noticed a Mandala on the wall above them, noting that they seemed to have turned the node off. However, they still don't know what it is yet. They hurried back to the Firehouse to analyze the Codex while Winston offered to buy the gang pizza on their way back.

IDW Comics-Insight Editions[]

Prime Universe[]

In 1924, Eleanor Twitty, the head librarian of the New York Public Library, went missing in the library itself. Police were unable to find her. Twitty's apartment was searched, too, and yielded no results.[1] Twitty's corpse lay undiscovered in secret catacombs under the library. In 1925, the staff and the patrons of the library started to notice obvious signs of her presence. Twitty's favorite books appeared on the front desk in the morning, those who raised their voices above a whisper were shushed, and those who used the reference section reported they felt like she was watching them. This continued until 1929, then she went dormant.[2] Many years later, Twitty began to manifest in the lower levels of the library, where she harassed staff and patrons and left ectoplasm in her wake. Egon and Ray went to the New York City Public Library after Roger Delacorte called them about an incident. Egon tested his P.K.E. Meter for the first time in the Reading Room and picked up the ghost's P.K.E. reading. Egon wanted to follow the signal to its source but Ray wanted to have a visual record of the investigation and to have Peter present to see it. He hurried back to Columbia University and returned to Peter and audio visual equipment.

Ray observed Peter's interest was piqued when he interviewed the victim, Alice Sherman. Peter, Ray, and Egon investigated downstairs and had their first paranormal encounter. Peter attempted contact but was shushed by the Library ghost. In the spur of the moment, Ray decided to see if they could get an emotional response and yelled, "Get Her!" as they tried to rush her fearlessly in hopes of forcing her to disperse. Twitty, however, changed into an aggressive, bestial form and screamed. They made a strategic retreat back to Columbia. Fortunately, the data collected from Twitty helped in the design and calibration of their proprietary equipment. The Ghostbusters returned several times in the following months after their founding but failed to trap her.[3] At some point after Winston Zeddemore was hired, the situation with the ghost had gotten worse and it was actively harassing the library patrons. Roger called the Ghostbusters and left multiple messages but due to the heavy workload, they never responded. He went to the Firehouse and pleaded his case with Janine Melnitz then Ray and Peter. Peter finally remembered he was from the public library and admitted he would love another crack. He told Ray to make him deal and considered 18 or 20 percent. Roger was crestfallen and admitted their budgetary discretion was limited. Ray recalled he was a big help to them early on in their studies and promised they would finish what they started if he could get them into the library after hours. That night, the four Ghostbusters began in the Reading Room. Peter griped Ray didn't even negotiate with Roger. Ray teased him, alluding to the deal he made with Manhattan City Bank. Egon advised Winston it was usually better not to know. He got a reading on the ghost and they headed to the stacks.

The ghost zipped around the corner and was gone. Winston noted it was a long day and asked if the had a "duck call" or something to bring the ghost to them. Peter teased. Egon was adamant he didn't and never needed such a thing. Ray got an idea. Peter recalled he said that before. Ray explained she was a librarian and didn't like noise so he yelled. They got ready. But nothing happened. Peter called it 0 for 2. Many books levitated around them and attacked. Peter opened fire but Egon warned him to stop because the books were irreplaceable. Peter pointed out the books had a teeth. They ran for it. Ray came up with a new plan and grabbed one of the flying books. He addressed the ghost by name, Eleanor Twitty, to Winston's surprise and threatened to destroy Ptolomy's Cosmographia unless she materialized. It worked and the ghost appeared in her transmogrified form. Peter wrangled her and taunted her that trick only worked once. Winston trapped her and the books fell to the ground. Peter held up the Trap and remarked things could have gone differently a few months ago if she had a polite conversation with them. Winston wasn't so sure he needed to taunt it further. Peter claimed it struck fear in them. Luckily, they avoided damaging the stacks in the bust. Roger was so happy the ghost was gone, Ray talked him into selling him some of the library's occult collection for a good deal. For her book about the Ghostbusters, Rebecca Morales went to the library and interviewed Roger Delacorte a few weeks after Gozer was defeated. Roger recalled Egon and Ray spent a lot of time at the library requesting some very esoteric books from the expanded collection. Roger then stated he was a firm believer in expertise, especially if the subject was out of his understanding, and admitted Egon and Ray were the only ones he could think of to call about the incident with the Library ghost.

Years later, they were led to the secret catacombs and found Twitty's corpse. She manifested and attacked in her bestial form. The Ghostbusters finally captured her.[4] While the other Ghostbusters were on a flight to Italy, Egon went to the library in search of a copy of "The Johansen Argument" for a project he initiated during his recovery. It was missing from the shelf. As Egon made his way down the steps outside, he called up Ray's Occult Books but their copy was sold, too.

Dimension 50-S[]

On Alan Crendall's call, the Sanctum of Slime Ghostbusters went to the New York Public Library and went through the occult collection Ray donated to the library to find any entries on Wat. Alan believed there was more to Wat's plan to destroy the Ghostbusters and reign. After an hour, Bridget Gibbons found a description about how Wat was a patient demon hell bent on conquering the mortal plane, avoids direct contact, his disguises were super foul, and living things recoiled at the presence of his aura. Alan realized Wat hid itself on his flight suit in order to infiltrate the Firehouse.

Tertiary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Board Game[]

A paranormal storm cloud encircling 550 Central Park West prompted the Ghostbusters to conduct research at the New York Public Library. Zuul and Vinz Clortho manifested near one of the famous lion statues and across the block respectively. The Ghostbusters prevented their reunion and forced them through the Terror Spirit World Gates at the same time. Continuing on with their research, they unearthed the Necronomicon and accidentally awoke Cathulhu. After dealing with five Spawn of Cathulhu, the Ghostbusters closed the Align Gates and placed Cathulhu back into a deep slumber.

Noted Places[]

Primary Canon Noted Places[]

  • Reading Room
  • Periodical Archives

Secondary Canon Noted Places[]

Employees[]

Primary Canon Employees[]

Secondary Canon Employees[]

  • Dr. Eleanor Twitty
    • Head of Special Collections
  • Matt Vegan
    • First Response Trained Staff
    • Name on green and white sign to right of employee break room door and microfilm readers where first Paper Construct runs past
  • Simon Powlle
    • Medical Staff Manager
    • Extension is 117
    • Name on green and white sign to right of employee break room door and microfilm readers where first Paper Construct runs past
  • Mr. Spektor
    • Left a message on the Firehouse answering machine about a ghost stealing change from a vending machine and Ray's overdue books during the Shandor Incident.[5]

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • Before being cast, John Rothman happened to be working on a writing project in the New York City Public Library when he saw Bill Murray and Harold Ramis scouting the location.[6]
  • The scaffolding seen at the New York Public Library were part of an ongoing cleaning project at the time of filming.[7]
  • The film crew released rented pigeons outside the library when filming exterior scenes.[8]
  • A real librarian working in the New York Public Library on the day of filming was annoyed Alice was dressed like a stereotypical librarian.[9]
  • Joe Medjuck crosses the screen just before the one minute mark.[10]
  • The room Alice and later Peter, Ray, and Egon check out were filmed in the Los Angeles Public Library.[11][12]
  • John DeCuir was dissatisfied with the basement stacks so he aged the room and kept adding to it.[13]
  • Ruth Oliver, who portrayed the human form of the library ghost, didn't film at the library sets. She did her scenes at Entertainment Effects Group then later inserted optically into shots.[14]
  • The floating books were Dan Aykroyd's idea during principal photography in lieu of a more expensive flying books concept.[15]
  • The floating book effect cost $250,000.[16]
  • The card catalog effect was done by physical effects supervisor Chuck Gaspar. He constructed a special bank of cabinets rigged with air hoses. It was sent to the Los Angeles Public Library shoot.[17]
  • The wall behind the card catalog was fake. Behind it, technicians pushed the drawers forward then with copper tubing, blew air through the drawers the blow the cards out.[18]
  • When Alice screams, near her on the book shelf is "A Small Success" (1961) and on the top shelf is "The Great Man" (1957). Both were by the same author, Al Morgan. Also on the higher shelf is "The History of the Kingdom of Basaruah" (1946) by Joseph Morgan and Richard Schlatter.
  • The stack of books was Ivan Reitman's idea while he was on his way to the morning shoot. He felt it was a strong set up for the ghost sequence.[19]
  • Peter's collection of the Ectoplasm was another late addition to library shoots.[20]
  • Filming at the library had to be done before 10 am.[21][22] This means there was 5 hours to get it done between the crew's 5 am call to the library's 10 am opening. Despite the logistics of getting the reading room lit, staging and photographing, and clearing it all away, filming of exterior and interior shots was done in four hours of a single day of location shooting instead of the scheduled two days.[23][24]
  • Originally, the library was going to be introduced by two establishing shots but on the day of filming they were combined into a single sweeping crane shot.[25]
  • A street preacher heckling the production crew on Fifth Avenue was paid off to stop.[26]
  • When Peter and Ray are walking up the stairs to the library, Peter asked Ray, "How many of these things have you actually seen?" Ray replied by saying, "What do you mean by 'seen'?" Peter said, "Looked at with your eyes." The joke never got a laugh from test audiences so the exchange was cut from the movie except for Peter's question.[27] [28]
  • Footage from the library scenes were part of the first screening. The Library ghost's transformation was one of the only special effects done so far.[29]
  • Some of the library shoots were done on the first day of principal photography.[30]
  • The sequence where Peter, Ray, and Egon run out of the library took at least 20 takes. During filming, the camera lens cap kept falling off or a prop would fall out of an actor's pocket. When the nearby crowd enjoyed the filming so much that when they realized there was going to be another take, they cheered.[31]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • On page 19, panel 2, of Ghostbusters Annual 2015, left of Egon and under the parabola is "Library" - a reference to the public library.
  • In Ghostbusters International #2, page 10:
  • In Ghostbusters International #2, page 11 panel 3:
    • On the far right is the Mad Prophet from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Ragnarok and Roll"
    • The blue and white sign advertises Wolf Van Shandor. His artwork was on display at the New York Public Library in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Realistic Versions
    • Milton Angland from Ghostbusters II appears right of the Wolf Van Shandor sign
    • Elaine from Ghostbusters II appears on the far right below the lion statue.
  • On page 18 of Ghostbusters 101 #6, the first image is from the first movie, when the Library ghost roars at them. Erin Gilbert and Patty Tolan appeared in place of Peter and Egon.
  • On page 7 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, scenes from the library investigation in the first movie, Chapter 3 are recreated:
    • Panel 1 is Egon stepping away from the Symmetrical Stacking while Ray films it.
    • Panel 2 is when they find the Library ghost.
    • Panel 3 is when the ghost shushes Peter.
    • Panel 4 is the group huddle about what to do next.
    • Panel 5 is Ray's "Get her!"
  • On page 7 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Ray mentions Peter interviewing Alice in Chapter 3.
  • On page 8 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, the top panel recreates when the Library ghost transmogrified and roared at Egon, Ray, and Peter in their first encounter.
  • On page 8 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Ray alludes to them running out of the library.
  • On page 13 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Peter's quip is a nod to Ray's plan to get the Library ghost in the first movie, Chapter 3: "Get Her!"

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]

Secondary Canon[]

Tertiary Canon Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.17). Paragraph reads: "In 1924, Eleanor Twitty, the head librarian of the New York Public Library, vanished. She was last seen at the library itself, and policemen who searched the entire building found no trace of her. A search of her apartment turned up the same results. She was gone."
  2. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.17). Paragraph reads: "But in 1925, patrons and other librarians started to notice signs of her presence; her favorite books began to appear regularly on the front desk in the morning, and people who spoke above a whisper would be shushed from the shadows. Patrons using the reference section also reported feeling that they were being watched by Twitty. The ghost appeared frequently in this manner until 1929, then went dormant."
  3. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.17). Paragraph reads: "We returned to the library more than once in the following months to seek out and trap the Gray Lady, but she remained out of reach."
  4. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.17). Paragraph reads: "Eventually, we were led to secret catacombs beneath the library, where Eleanor Twitty's corpse was discovered. The Librarian attacked us again there, in her aggressive, bestial form, but this time she was no match for us---or rather, our proton streams."
  5. Mr. Spektor; After Checking Out the Library, Firehouse 2nd Floor Answering Machine Message 4 of 13 (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) - Firehouse (2009) (Video Game). Terminal Reality. Mr. Spektor says: "This is Mr. Spektor at the Public Library. Who do we contact to remove the black goo from all over our break room? Please get back to us soon. It seems to be talking to us. And we think it's stealing money from the vending machines. Also, Mr. Stantz still has a number of books checked out that are overdue. The current fine is $417.42. ...Please, we just want them back."
  6. John Rothman (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 23:56-24:09). Bueno Productions. John Rothman says: "I was actually working in the New York Public Library on a writing project. And I looked up and saw Bill Murray and Ramis. They were scouting the location, and I remember looking at them and thinking, I wonder what they're doing here?"
  7. Ivan Reitman (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 00:25-00:41). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "Now we actually shot this in New York at the Public Library. But unfortunately there was scaffolding everywhere because they were cleaning the building... "
  8. John Rothman (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters, Deleted Scenes (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 2:35-2:43). Bueno Productions. John Rothman says: "They had boxes of pigeons. They were releasing their own pigeons."
  9. Alice Drummond (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 23:30-23:39). Bueno Productions. Alice Drummond says: "But I remember the real librarian came around, and she look at me and she said, "Oh, they always make us look like that." Isn't that terrible?"
  10. Joe Medjuck (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 00:56-00:59). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "And this handsome young man is me 15 years ago crossing the screen. "
  11. Ivan Reitman (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 00:59-01:07). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "And through the magic of cinema, as she [Alice] walks down the stairs we are now shooting in the Los Angeles Public Library. "
  12. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 16 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Although the labyrinthine stacks of the New York Public Library were scouted for possible employment, aesthetic and economic considerations prompted the production unit to shoot instead within the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library ."
  13. Joe Medjuck (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 11:04-11:15). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "Now the-- I noticed the sides of the, uh, stacks John De Cuir put up there. Aged them. Even though there were real stacks, they weren't real enough for him so he was adding to them."
  14. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 32 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Murray, Aykroyd and Ramis were filmed on location at the Los Angeles Public Library, while the actress playing the ghost was photographed on an effects stage at Entertainment Effects Group and then inserted optically in the shots."
  15. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 18 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "During principal photography, it was decided that the flying books concept was too obvious an effect. At Dan Aykroyd's suggestion, several volumes were instead made to float mysteriously across the aisles, exchanging places while the librarian's back is turned."
  16. Harold Ramis (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 01:27-01:29). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "$250,000. "
  17. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 19. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "From these drawings, physical effects supervisor Chuck Gaspar was able to construct a special bank of cabinets, rigged internally with air hoses to spew cards on cue The card catalogues were then transported to the Los Angeles Public Library where the sequence was shot."
  18. Harold Ramis (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 01:42-01:54). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "She's walking past. The wall is fake. Behind the wall are technicians who push these drawers open and they're using copper tubing, they're blowing air through drawers to blow the cards out. One at a time."
  19. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 28 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "To sustain the suspense -- and at the same time reinforce the comedy -- Ivan Reitman felt that the first real ghost sequence demanded a stronger setup than what appeared in the script. So, on his way to the set on the morning of shooting, he came up with the idea of having his scientists discover a single stack of books piled from floor to ceiling."
  20. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 28 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Also inserted into the sequence was Venkman's first involvement with 'ectoslime' -- a gooey residue found dripping from an open card catalog drawer."
  21. Joe Medjuck (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 00:46-00:52). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "This is the New York Public Library. Upstairs in it. They let us in until 10 in the morning. So we had to work really quickly."
  22. Ivan Reitman (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 07:45-07:46). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "All before 10:00. "
  23. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 16 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Exteriors of the New York Public Library and scenes within its main reading room consumed only part of a single day's location shooting. From a logistics standpoint, the interiors were especially demanding since the expansive reading room had to be lit, the action staged and photographed, and then everything cleared away -- all within the few short hours available between the crew's 5 a.m. call and the library's 10 a.m. opening to the public."
  24. Joe Medjuck (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 24:59-25:15). Bueno Productions. Joe Medjuck says: "The idea was, we could only shoot in the morning before it would open. And so we were supposed to be in from 6:00 to 10:00 for two days in a row. Ivan was really on a roll, and he completed all of that in the four hours. Then we went out and didn't know what to shoot, so we broke for lunch, and then shot a scene we were supposed to shoot a couple days later."
  25. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 17. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In a deviation from the scripted text, the two exterior establishing shots -- designed to introduce the New York Public Library -- were ultimately combined into a single sweeping crane shot in which the camera tilted down the face of the building, coming to rest on one of the edifice's distinctive stone lions."
  26. John Rothman (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 25:33-25:50). Bueno Productions. John Rothman says: "They were stopping traffic on Fifth Avenue to do this scene. And there was a guy who was like a street preacher, who was praying all morning. He was standing on a soapbox, and he was going, "All you Hollywood are going to hell." And they made--the production had to go and pay him off."
  27. Beyond The Marquee Joe Medjuck Interview 9/15/14 Paragraph reads: "One of our favorite lines is not in the movie because no one ever laughed at it. We used to say it as a joke to each other. When they're walking up the stairs to the library, Bill asked Danny, "How many of these things have you actually seen?" and Danny replies by saying, "What do you mean by 'seen'?" "Looked at with your eyes." The joke never got a laugh so we took it out of the movie except for Bill's question."
  28. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 25 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Though Venkman's "looked at with your eyes" line was a favorite, and even became a catch phrase within the production crew, its ultimate failure to get laughs during previews resulted in its deletion -- along with its setup line."
  29. Ivan Reitman (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 10:24-11:05). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "But he um this first moment of seeing the Librarian and the Librarian shift... I remember our first screening. Our first test screening was only three weeks after we finished shooting. We edited the movie very quickly. It came together nicely and we didn't have much of our special effects but we had this one here, not so much this one but the one that's coming up - the transformation and when we screened it for this audience for people at Columbia Studios they just freaked out... both screamed and laughed at the same time. It was a sense of how the movie was going to work, both truly scary and really funny. "
  30. Joe Medjuck (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 12:25-12:27). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "No, this was the first day of principal photography. "
  31. Entertainment Weekly Labrecque, Jeff (2014). "Ghostbusters: An Oral History" Violet Stiel quote 11/7/14 Paragraph reads: "In the part when they're running out of the library after they see the first ghost, they had to do that scene at least 20 times because lens caps would fall off the camera or somebody's thing would fall out of their pocket. And the crowd that was watching was just enjoying it so much so that every time something would fall off, they would cheer because they knew it meant another take."
  32. Ray Stantz (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4" (2020) (Comic p.1). Ray Stantz says: "With just one glace at the readings we got from the Library, Spengler knew we could "capture and hold a ghost indefinitely." Those were his words."
  33. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Comic p.7). Paragraph reads: "From the public library to the Foley Square courthouse; from Madison Avenue to Central Park; the New York metropolitan area is full of iconic locations plagued by supernatural phenomena."


Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

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Behind the Scenes Images[]

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