Leaders from the city’s three public library systems initiated a new campaign urging Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council to reconsider a combined $58.3 million in proposed cuts for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The cuts will compel the libraries to reduce their operational hours, limiting their operation to five days a week only.
These budget reductions follow the already established Sunday closures across the city’s libraries, which are attributed to the rising costs of the local migrant crisis.
Tuesday, March 12th, marked the first instance where the leaders of the three branches, the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries, highlighted the significant $58.3 million reduction, surpassing the $22.1 million reduction the mayor implemented in November.
This increase stems from a recurring $20.5 million reduction the mayor implemented last year — which he reversed in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget but not for subsequent years — as well as the loss of $15.7 million in one-time City Council funding, as reported by the library systems.
This situation persists despite the mayor canceling planned 5% cuts for libraries in January and for all agencies in April.
Dennis Walcott, the Queens library system president, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Right now, we are witnessing, before our eyes, what happens when the library funding is cut.”
Walcott added, “Not a single library — not a single library in the City of New York, the greatest city in the world — is open seven days a week. This is New York City. That’s unacceptable.”
The renovations of several library branches are now either postponed or in jeopardy of never reopening, adding to the concerns expressed by the library chiefs.
The proposed cuts would result in more than 60% of NYPL branches, over half of Brooklyn’s branches, and all but two libraries in Queens reducing to five days of operation. Linda Johnson, head of the Brooklyn Public Library, labeled the cuts as “mind-boggling,” pointing out a $16.2 million cut to her system alone, equating to a 13% reduction in its operating budget.
Anthony Marx, the NYPL head, discussed the challenges of maintaining aging library buildings and the importance of libraries as “inspiring and respectful spaces” in communities with limited resources.
He stressed the increasing costs of serving New Yorkers and the adverse impact of budget reductions. “The cost of delivering for New Yorkers is going up, and we’re seeing our budget decrease,” Marx stated, emphasizing the need to overcome these financial challenges.
Carlina Rivera, City Council Member representing Manhattan and chair of the council’s Cultural Affairs and Libraries committee, emphasized reinstating the seven-day service.
Rivera stated, “Libraries are a critical part of New York City’s infrastructure, and are essential to our well-being. As libraries continue to serve more people and expand the amount of services they provide, we must increase government support and restore 7-day service.”
The city’s fiscal plan for FY25 proposes slashing an additional $36.2 million from the libraries’ funding on top of a $22.1 million cut already implemented last year.
These cuts threaten these vital community resources’ operational capability and service availability as library leaders advocate for preserving their funding amidst the city’s financial difficulties.
