Lawmakers Decry Proposed Cutbacks
Hundreds of library supporters joined City Council members and Queens Library Guild Local 1321 leaders for two rallies calling for the restoration of proposed budget cuts to the Queens Library.
First, they gathered on the steps of City Hall last Thursday, May 31, with Council members Karen Koslowitz, Jimmy Van Bramer and Vincent Gentile among those in attendance; then on Tuesday, June 5, Borough President Helen Marshall and Council member Leroy Comrie rallied at the Jamaica branch of the Queens Library.
According to a Queens Library press release, the Fiscal Year 2013 budget includes a $26.7 million cut. If not restored, the proposed cut of 31 percent would mean 605 layoffs, the closure of 18 branches and no Sunday library service.
In addition, 30 branches would be closed for four to five days per week and only one branch would be open on Saturdays.
In various statements, local lawmakers decried the proposed cuts.
“Cutting nearly $100 million in funding to New York City’s top affordable educational institutions is just dead wrong,” said Van Bramer, who chairs the City Council’s Cultural Affairs and Libraries Committee. “New York City deserves a budget that invests in its libraries not one that slashes much-needed funding from easily accessible educational, cultural and social programming. By cutting this funding now, at time when all city residents’ budgets are tight, the proposed budget will deprive millions of people of affordable programming that has been established to uplift our local communities. We cannot allow this to happen.”
“Public libraries play a significant and vital role throughout the city,” added Comrie. “The Central Library in Queens provides students a place to do their homework after school, a facility for non-profits to implement their programs, and ensures free access to the internet for people who are unable to go online at home. The cuts proposed by Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg will put the thousands of New Yorker’s who frequent libraries, looking to improve their well-being, at a disadvantage.”
“As we near the end of the budget adoption process, we must not forget that a library is an important resource for every neighborhood. It’s a place to learn, read, explore, and broaden new visions and learn how to achieve your goals and ambitions. Libraries here in Queens, America’s most diverse county, also bridge the gap for new immigrants to assimilate in a multicultural society, while providing veteran visitors with the tools they need to build a better future for a new generation,” said Borough President Helen Marshall.
