The New-York Directory, first published in 17olis, was the third printed edition of the city and the second surviving manuscript directory for New York City. It contained over eight hundred names of local individuals and organizations. This is the oldest directory that is still in print. New York, which is known as a city of trade, was a center of shipping, banking and farming. Today it is one of the most populous and most developed metropolitan cities in the world.

The New York City Directory was a combination of two earlier printed documents. The first was an almanac prepared by printer Peter Thompso. The almanac included local newspapers and legal proceeding from courts and town halls across New York. The second edition of the city directory included information on churches, synagogues, colleges, professional and chartered institutions, courts, lawyers and other individuals who were active in local community affairs. It also included a "Genealogy Page," which gave the names and birthdates of local residents, and provided genealogy information page of deceased individuals.

In addition to these earlier published sources, the city directories Allen county public library retained records of almost all local government offices and other public records. New York City was fortunate to have this allene county public library with the first public research maps and microfilms of the documents. They created a microfilm library to support the research needs of the people of New York City. This became the forerunner of the modern computerized image retrieval system.

A part from the city directories Allen county public library was a private lending library that contained more than one thousand volumes on different subjects. This private library had its own collection of books on law, architecture, geology, prints and sculpture. These were mostly general reference materials but some of the legal directories had guides that were specific to the city of New York. One such directory was prepared by John Seward for the New York State Supreme Court and contained seventy-two pages of court cases decided between New York and other states. The index was written in very large letters and was illustrated with color pictures.

The business directory was a part of the city directory under the general heading of commercial directories. This business directory had publications like a trade journal, directory of manufacturers, a credit service and a directory of wholesalers and suppliers. Its telephone numbers were published together with the addresses.

New York City directories, as we can see were a significant part of the activities of the city during the early years of its development. It can be regarded as a set of maps which at the same time had practical value as well. All city residents before long became acquainted with the best places to go, what to do and where to stay. They were able to find their way around town through the New York City Directory . In the process they were able to save money on their daily expenses, provided a faster and better means of communication and even provided employment opportunities to many.