If your weekend plans include a visit the library – you may be out of luck
Beginning February 1, 14 borough libraries will no longer be holding weekend hours because of budget cuts.
According to Queens Library associate director Joanne King, the facilities have been faced with steady budget cuts totaling about $9 million over two years.
“We’ve been in a hiring freeze since 2008,” King said, “and now we’ve lost so much staff, we can’t keep the regular hours for all the libraries.”
So far, the cut hours directly affects 14 of the system’s 63 branches. However, if the cuts remain constant, there is a chance other branches may be affected in the future. King knows that people will not be happy. “They use [libraries] for adult education, child education, to get out of the cold . . . It is a burden on the community,” she said.
The branches that will lose their weekend services have been chosen carefully to minimize impact as much as possible.
The Central Library will be the only library open on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The Arverne, Queensboro Hill, Ridgewood, and Windsor Park library branches have been chosen because they are currently or will be going through renovation and hours would be cut anyway. Other cut branches include Astoria, Baisley Park, Court Square, East Elmhurst, East Flushing, Kew Garden Hills, LeFrak City, North Forest Park, Ozone Park, and South Hollis. These were chosen because of traffic patterns and because other and regularly functioning branches will be available nearby. The remaining 48 libraries will keep their regular Monday through Saturday service.
For more information, visit www.queenslibrary.org or call 718-990-0700.
