Thirteen-year-old Josiah Petrie, an African-American, goes there twice a week. Sokhury Puth, 14 and Cambodian-American, goes there every day. The Vietnamese kids are usually there too, but they just haven't arrived yet.
It's not the United Nations. It's the Fordham Library Center in University Heights, one of many libraries in the borough keeping pace with swiftly changing demographics.
Fifty years ago, the standard reference books at Fordham were the World Book and the Encyclopedia Americana. But today's patrons are also heavily using the Encyclopedia Hispanica, and demanding books in other languages.
"Libraries are one of the best indicators of immigrant settlement, because immigrants who want to assimilate use the libraries as sources of information," said Joseph Salvo, director of the Department of City Planning's Population Division.
According to the community planning boards in the southern and western sections of the borough, the largest groups settling in their areas are Dominicans, followed by Vietnamese, Cambodians and Bangladeshis.
Despite budget cuts, the Fordham Library Center offers the most to the growing Dominican and Vietnamese population. The branch, the largest of the borough's 33, boasts more than 2,000 books in Spanish and 250 books in Vietnamese, as well as a wide collection of video tapes in various languages.
"If we had more funding, we could do better," said Elga Cace, the regional librarian, adding that the demand for Spanish books is growing. "But we have done well with what we have."
Fordham's staff is almost as diverse as its book collections. Close to one-third of its 50 employees speaks more than one language. When it comes to linguistic assets, book-shelver Betty Kamara, 18, is the branch's secret weapon.
"Once I translated for a boy from Haiti," said Kamara, who speaks English, French, Spanish and Vietnamese. "I also translated for a Vietnamese woman who was looking for a book on welfare. But I mostly translate Spanish."
Another University Heights library, the Francis Martin branch, can't match the linguistic diversity of Fordham's Kamara, but it does offer the largest collection of African-American books in the borough, close to 500 volumes in Spanish and almost 200 books of Vietnamese literature.
The library's diverse video collection also brings patrons and staff just reward.
"A Bangladeshi man came in here looking for a famous series in Hindi," said Patricia Long, the regional librarian. "After we gave it to him, he told us we were one of the few libraries that had the series. He was so grateful, he helped us put it in the correct order."
The Hunts Point branch also caters to incoming Dominicans with the largest collection of Spanish language and cultural books in the borough. Another asset: its free English-as-a-Second-Language classes and 20 General Equivalency Degree books, which are in high demand.
"We try to keep a finger on the pulse of the community," said Margaret Hetley, the regional librarian, "And one of the statistics here is that nearly half the adults 25 and older do not have high school diplomas. If we can help them get a diploma, they have a better chance of getting jobs."
The Belmont branch houses the Italian Heritage Collection, a treasure trove of Italian Literature and Culture, which serves the area's large Italian community. In addition to its books, several staff members are fluent in Italian.
As the Italians leave Belmont and move on to other neighborhoods, the collection may follow them.
"Many times, collections move from one neighborhood to another," said Billy Kenny, a spokesman for the New York Public Library. "Libraries have to be responsive to their neighborhoods. If the neighborhood changes, so does the library."