Advocates rally for restoration of Queens library funding
/
Library advocates in Queens called for the city to restore funding for the Queens Public Library on Thursday. Photo via Borough President Donovan Richards/Facebook
By Ryan Schwach
Queens officials and library advocates rallied in Forest Hills last week to call for the full restoration of funding for the Queens Public Library after the mayor in his most recent budget proposal made a number of cuts to the city’s libraries.
Under Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget, the city’s public library systems would face $58.3 million worth of cuts, which the systems say would severely limit resources and services.
In a recent email to members, QPL said the cuts would lead to Queens libraries eliminating weekend service entirely, and would reduce spending on books, technology and programming.
Under the proposed budget, which is currently under negotiation between the mayor and the City Council, Queens’ libraries would see a $17 million cut, or a full 12 percent of QPL’s operating budget, according to Queens Borough President Donovan Ricahrds.
“We shouldn't have to be defending something as integral to our libraries from budget cuts,” Richards said on Thursday. “Our libraries are the heart and soul of our community. They are where people of all ages, and all walks of life come to read to learn, to connect and, of course, to grow.”
“I can't stress the importance of having each institution open seven days a week on our city streets,” Richards added.
CEO of the QPL and Southeast Queens native Dennis Walcott stressed that cuts to the libraries would massively affect the services and programs the library provides.
“These are not made up stories that we're talking about,” he said. “These are real things because we have a responsibility to manage our budget, and if there are fewer dollars in our budget, that means there are fewer services going to the public. That means there are fewer books that are being afforded by the library. That means we're not laying off people, but hiring has slowed down because we can't fill those positions.”
Walcott said it could be the end of the six-day service for nearly all of Queens’ library branches, and that the cuts could even delay the reopening of libraries at Broadway, Bay Terrace and Hillcrest, which are all currently under renovation.
“That's going to be impossible if we don't have, not just the money restored, but you have the money baseline and are quite frankly adding more money on top of that because we're always running,” said Walcott.
Cuts to the libraries, advocates say, would greatly hurt members of the community to rely on its resources.
Wanda Best, from the Friends of the Cambria Heights Library, said the libraries are often a sanctuary for members of the community, particularly for women. Richards made a similar point, saying that libraries can be a source of respite and a safe space for kids and teens to escape crime and other negative circumstances.
“We must continue to encourage our communities to strive for better and dream big, and our libraries are where they can start to do just that,” Richards said. “We hope the city will do right by libraries and restore the funding.”
The most recent cuts are nothing new to the borough’s library system. Libraries have been routinely on the chopping block dating back to the early 2010s when the libraries experienced the harshest cuts they had seen in decades.
“It's so disappointing that we have to be here every year,” said John Hyslop, the president of the Queens Library Guild. “It's very important that we, all of us, tell our mayor that he needs to support us.”
Cuts in recent years have led to the slashing of library staffing. Since the month before the pandemic began in the spring of 2020, the union has lost 100 members.
“That's a loss of 100 librarians, clerks, custodians, drivers, IT workers, HR, people in finance,” Hyslop said. “Unfortunately for us, the mayor expects the same number of hours open that we had before the pandemic that has put a lot of stress and strain on our library systems.”
At the Forest Hills Library, there is only one custodian for the entire library because they can’t afford to hire more, Hyslop added.
Although the budget is still being negotiated, the Queens advocates have the City Council in their corner, since the Council called for the full restoration of the $58 million in their budget response last month.
“Libraries have an essential presence in every neighborhood of New York, providing indispensable services in a safe and reliable space for youth, seniors, immigrants and other New Yorkers,” the council said in its budget response. “Along with the increased cost of programming and circulations, the systems have also experienced a rise in the cost of materials, staff, and operating expenses. These additional funds are needed to help maintain our city’s libraries.”
