The media has reported that 14 libraries in Queens are slashing weekend service and that only one library in the entire borough will be open on Sunday.
For those of us who work during the week – (like many of my Queens neighbors), having our local library closed on the weekends – provides zero service. In addition, for those seeking employment, the library provides a valuable resource of information and online resources. This is the wrong time to cut these services.
Furthermore, to have only one library in the borough open on Sunday affects not only the working population and those seeking employment, but also schoolchildren throughout the borough.
But there is another question- WHY should the residents of Queens have less library service than other boroughs?
A quick check of the library web sites on the Internet today indicates that absent necessary repairs, every branch of the library in the Bronx is open on Saturday, and three branches are open on Sunday. When we look at Staten Island, two branches are open on Sunday, and every branch is open on Saturday. Turning to Brooklyn, four libraries are open on Sunday, and every branch is open on Saturday.
Heidi Harrison Chain
