By Cynthia Koons
As the city sits poised to cut $4.1 million from the budget for the Queens Library system, the borough president, Queens council members and concerned residents have launched a campaign to restore the funding and raise money for the libraries.
Nearly $10 million has already been cut from Queens libraries since budget cuts that began after Sept. 11, 2001, causing libraries to scale back their hours and cut book purchases by 40 percent, Interim Library Director Tom Galante said.
The contribution from Brooklyn-based Independence Community Bank comes in the form of a matching grant – for every community dollar donated up to $100,000, the bank will chip in the equivalent amount.
“The library suffers when it does not replenish its book supply,” Borough President Helen Marshall said at a news conference in the library's lobby Monday. “This is a wonderful way, a very meaningful way, for the community to support our library system.”
The Queens Library System is the largest in the country.
Prior to Marshall's speaking, a large Malaysian dragon came dancing into the library to the tune of Asian drummers. Students from PS 20 performed yo-yo dances and the recently appointed Queens Poet Laureate Ishle Park recited her verse.
“The library is a community,” Galante said. “City funding reductions have caused us to reduce book purchases by 40 percent. With the assistance of community foundations and the support of elected officials … we can turn that around.”
Councilmen John Liu (D-Flushing) and Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) stood behind Marshall and Galante in supporting the restoration of potential cuts to the Queens Library system.
“The fact that we have this library as an asset to their education ought not be lost on anybody,” Liu said of the children who performed for the diverse crowd gathered at the news conference. “We are fighting at City Hall so that we have a complete restoration, or certainly as much of a restoration as possible.”
The money contributed by the community and matched by Independence Community Bank will go toward book purchasing for the borough's 62 library branches, 44 of which have had to remain closed during the weekends as a result of city budget cuts.
The Queens libraries host a number of activities, including English lessons for immigrants, latch-key after-school programs for children and yoga classes.
Within the past two weeks at both the Flushing and Bay Terrace libraries, residents and politicians gathered to protest the potential funding cuts.
If the city reduces the funding by $4.1 million, it will be the third consecutive year Queens libraries have experienced a decrease in the budget. Budget slashes have already cost Queens libraries more than 1 million book purchases in a system that services 825,000 card holders, according to Galante's testimony at city budget hearings.
“We just know how important the library system is to the borough,” said Alan Fishman, the president and chief executive officer of Independence Community Bank.
“Over the next few months we're going to make it a high priority to put books back on the shelves,” Fishman said. “We encourage everyone to make a contribution to buy a book for Queens.”
Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
