We could not be more pleased with the tremendous honor that the The Queens Library recently earned. Already the top library system in the nation in circulation, it has been named Library of the Year by Library Journal.
Queens Library CEO Thomas W. Galante recognized immediately that besides the bragging rights and the $10,000 award the title brings, it most importantly “recognizes all the work our staff and organization have done over the years.”
We have been an advocate of the Queens Library system forever. Under leadership like Galante’s it runs outreach programs from literacy to job training and exam preparation. It has consistently monitored the needs of its communities and gone the extra mile to provide complete service to them.
The good news is that the “Library of the Year” seems to have dodged the budget ax. The Bloomberg administration and the city council have agreed on the budget two weeks early and plan to restore previous and pending tax cuts.
Sadly, Queens Library receives far less funding per branch than those in Brooklyn and Manhattan. This must be reevaluated immediately, as Queens Library cannot provide the same hours or services as other borough libraries do.
Additionally, both sides have warned that money is tight and that increased sales tax legislation is needed from the gridlocked Albany Senate.
Libraries are needed more than ever during the current tough fiscal times. They are neighborhood resource centers. Over half of the people in Queens don’t have access to a computer with Internet at home. The library does.
Galante notes the library has plenty of computers as well as resumé writing workshops. “You need access to a computer just to find out what jobs are out there,” he said.
Perhaps it is time to find a new revenue stream for the Queens Library so that more services and hours can be provided without the threat of budget cuts. Museums and other cultural centers use suggested entrance fees for visitors who can afford it. Why not the Library too?
Queens boasts a population of 2.3 million people with another 900,000 coming in the next decade. Just think what magic a simple $5- or $10-a-year fee for a library card could accomplish.
