Free access to technology, help for immigrants, a safe space for kids. Branch libraries play an increasingly important role. But funding hasn’t kept up. Will the lack of support undermine a critical civic resource?
The city’s four library systems had hoped for a $65 million addition to the baseline budget. They instead received a more modest increase.
The city’s three library systems promise to hire nearly 800 people, expand hours and introduce new programs if the city boosts their funding by $65 million over what Mayor de Blasio has proposed.
The mayor’s executive budget does not include massive increases for the city’s library system, as City Limits previously reported.
The proposed city budget includes more than $500 million in capital funds for the city’s library systems. But with dozens of aging buildings in the branch network, the needs go deeper.
The modest growth in the city budget proposed by Mayor de Blasio encompasses the ups and downs that individual departments face. This story has been corrected.
The man in charge of the Brooklyn Library’s correctional services talks about the challenges of providing books to an incarcerated customer base.
A look at how the New York, Queens and Brooklyn systems compare to other major library networks.
Many of the city’s branch libraries feature half-empty shelves, reflecting budget constraints more than changing readership demands.
A baselined budget doesn’t mean there aren’t big challenges for the city’s three systems.