By Cynthia Koons
In Mayor Michael Bloomberg's drafts of the budget for fiscal year 2005, which begins July 1, the library system was put on the chopping block.
After two consecutive years of cuts that have cost the borough's reading rooms $10 million, the latest round has been deemed “unacceptable,” Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) told the crowd of children, adults and seniors gathered outside the Bay Terrace Library on Bell Boulevard Monday.
“You know what this has done to our libraries – shorter hours, less librarians,” Avella said. “The Queens public libraries are the most heavily used library system in the entire country. We don't get the proper funding – it's the least funding in the city.”
Queens Library Director Tom Galante said the city earmarks about $60 million for the Queens libraries while the state contributes $6 million.
This number has decreased by $10 million over the past two years, a cut that has borough politicians concerned about preserving the libraries.
State Assemblyman Barry Grodenchik (D-Flushing) and Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) met with local civic leaders Friday in Flushing to denounce cuts to the library system.
“The libraries need to be fully funded, meaning we can't accept the budget cuts that are being proposed by the administration this year,” Liu said after the rally. “And we need to restore the $10 million of funding cuts enacted over the last few years.”
Flushing Library has experienced a reduction in hours of operation, staffing and book purchases as a result of these budget cuts, Liu said. Galante, who attended both the Flushing and Bay Terrace rallies, said the support of local officials was appreciated.
“It's great that people are making it known that they support the library,” Galante said.
Bay Terrace residents such as Jacqueline Shapiro said they came to the rally for reasons that transcend straight economics.
“To me, you give a child a book, you give them the world,” she said.
A retiree, she held two crime novels in her arms as she walked through the rally to meet her retired husband, who waited in the car.
“People get here bright and early and they push each other to get a book,” she said. “What about the children, if they don't have a computer?”
The Bay Terrace branch of the Queens library system already had to cut back its hours last year as a result of the budget cuts. It now operates Monday through Friday, most days from 1 p.m. and two days from 10 a.m. until either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.
“We basically held off as long as feasibly possible,” Galante said about scaling back the hours of operation. The budget cuts have also forced the 63-branch library system to cut 200 employees, which Galante said was done entirely through attrition instead of through layoffs.
“If cuts go through, we're talking about less than five-day-a-week service and that's totally unacceptable,” Avella said.
At the Bay Terrace Library, a free yoga class is offered along with the latch-key program. In the Queens system, English as-second-language classes, an adult literacy program and Arabic services are also available to accommodate the borough's diverse population.
“Through the support of people like Tony Avella, we'd like to see the change come about,” Galante said of his hopes to see the potential $4.1 million cut restored.
Said Avella: “This is a key quality-of-life issue.”
Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
