FY25 Budget Cuts Would Lead to Continued Elimination of Seven-Day Service, Five-Day Service at the Majority of Branches In the Five Boroughs, Delayed Reopening of Renovated Branches and Additional Cost-cutting Measures
March 12, 2024 — The presidents of New York City’s three public library systems on Tuesday testified at a City Council budget hearing about the devastating impacts $58.3M in cuts and potential funding reductions would have on their ability to continue providing New Yorkers with the vital services they rely on.
In addition to the $58.3M in cuts and funding reductions, libraries, for the first time since 2008, have been asked to cut from their Capital Plans. The presidents testified about the dire impacts the planned $130M in capital funding would have on branches, including delayed maintenance and renovations.
Citywide, those budget impacts to libraries include:
- The majority of NYC libraries only open for five days a week – down from the current standard in which all are open for at least six days a week.
- Universal six-day service has been the standard since 2015 after New Yorkers launched a campaign to restore it.
- The continued elimination of seven-day service citywide, with most branches remaining closed on Sundays.
- Seven-day service was eliminated following a mid-year city budget cut to libraries in November.
- Indefinitely delayed reopenings of renovated branches, many in historically marginalized communities. The cuts and proposed funding reductions mean we cannot afford to staff these branches.
- Further reducing spending on library materials, programming, and building maintenance and repairs.
- Delays and cost overruns for numerous ongoing capital projects, many of which have already been initiated.
Details about budget impacts specific to each system outlined further below.
New Yorkers can send an online letter in support of New York City libraries to their elected officials through BPL, NYPL and QPL’s campaign page at InvestinLibraries.org. Last year, a record number of New Yorkers sent 120,000 online and print letters.
The budget hearing, which was before the Council’s Committee on Libraries and Cultural Affairs and led by Council Member Carlina Rivera, followed a rally of library supporters at City Hall Park outside City Hall. That rally included library leadership, staff, elected officials – including the Council’s Libraries and Cultural Affairs Chair Carlina Rivera – and union officials with DC 37, which represents a majority of library staff, as well as advocates challenging the proposed cuts.
Copies of their prepared remarks will be available at InvestinLibraries.org.
Specific impacts for each system include:
BPL:
- More than half of BPL branches dropping down to five-day a week service
- Reduced hours
- Potential delay of three locations slated to reopen in in FY25 after completion of renovations.
NYPL:
- Close to 60% of NYPL branches will drop down to five-day service.
- Currently all city libraries are open for six days.
- Delayed reopenings of at least five recently renovated branches and their teen centers. All of these branches are over 100 years old and built with funds donated by the industrialist Andrew Carnegie. They were in serious need of repair and prioritized for renovation because of the Library’s commitment to equity. All are in historically marginalized communities. The renovations were funded through a $100M capital investment in 2016 as part of the City’s 10-year capital plan. All five are currently close to completion and had been scheduled to open in the first quarter of FY25. The branches are:
- 125th Street Library in Manhattan
- Hunts Point Library in the Bronx
- Melrose Reopening Library in the Bronx
- Port Richmond Library on Staten Island
- Fort Washington Library in Manhattan
QPL:
- QPL will end Saturday service at all locations except Central and Flushing libraries
- Delayed reopenings of three renovated branches, all of which are close to complete and scheduled to open in the spring:
- Bay Terrace Library
- Broadway Library
- Hillcrest Library
"By nearly every metric, library usage is up. New Yorkers are eager to visit their local branches, take advantage of our resources and connect with one another. And yet, we are facing some of the largest reductions we have seen in years. We look forward to working with the Mayor, the Speaker and the Council to fully restore Library funding so that we can continue to provide the resources and services our patrons rely on every day,” said Brooklyn Public Library President Linda E. Johnson.
”The city's public libraries are facing the highest proposed budget cuts in over a decade, a potentially devastating loss of funding that will force most branches to limit service to just five days a week. This is on top of the loss of Sunday service enacted in November, and just one of the painful measures we must take to absorb these cuts. Libraries are less than half of one percent of the total budget, but their value in providing free services, programs, and access to knowledge is unmatched. We are calling for full restoration of our funding so we can continue partnering with the City to best serve New Yorkers,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx.
“It is astounding that we are in a situation where the greatest city in the world is facing the possibility of losing universal six-day public library service,” said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “The potential reduction of $58.3 million in City funding is a devastating blow to our already strained staffing and resources and will force us to deepen the reductions we recently made as a result of the November cuts. Libraries are a catalyst for our city’s dreams, and we are hopeful that we can see our budgets fully restored and keep those dreams alive.”
“Libraries are a critical part of New York City’s infrastructure, and are essential to our wellbeing. They provide programming, increase access to opportunity, create meaningful relationships, and generate positive social impact. I grew up going to public libraries on the East Side, and it made a huge difference in my life. 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,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations.
About the Campaign
The #InvestInLibraries campaign is a partnership between the city’s three public library systems—Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library—and other library supporters across the city. Since the campaign launched in 2015, the City has allocated additional funding for programming as well as critical capital dollars to help address the over $1 billion in needs facing the city’s aging library infrastructure. Despite this important support, libraries confront rising costs and increased demand for more services and programs (from New Yorkers and the City). The campaign urges the City to restore and increase funding to meet rising needs, demands, and costs.