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 city’s library branches offer a dizzying array of services, from job-search help to literacy lessons to fiction writers’ circles. But limits on space and money could hamper the systems’ ability to reach potential.
Read key briefing material on the financial situation confronting the city’s research and branch libraries.
The man in charge of the Brooklyn Library’s correctional services talks about the challenges of providing books to an incarcerated customer base.
The author suggests that underutilized hours at branch libraries overlap with times when neighborhood schools could use more and better-equipped space.
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.
Tell us what you think of this list of earth-shattering titles.
In the wake of reports about questionable spending in the Queens system, the comptroller said he wants to check the books of all three library networks.
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