Mayor Adams nixes further cuts to NYC libraries, calling them a ‘great equalizer’

Book lovers rejoice: Public libraries will likely be able to stay open on Saturdays, after Mayor Eric Adams announced they will be spared further fiscal cuts in his upcoming budget. The announcement comes hours after Gothamist reported multiple sources as saying Adams would not seek an additional cut in his upcoming preliminary budget.

“Libraries are a lifeline to countless communities and a great equalizer,” Adams said in a video statement posted to X Sunday evening.

The city’s public libraries were forced to end Sunday service last month as part of a city effort to shave $24 million off the budget. The mayor did not restore any funding to reverse that cut. Additional cuts could have resulted in shorter weekday hours and an end to weekend service altogether at some branches, public library officials cautioned.

“Our administration will not do that,” Adams said in his statement about restoring the cuts. “We are holding our city’s three library systems harmless in this round to prevent further service reductions and protect those vital institutions.”

Last year, Adams asked city agencies to cut their spending by 5% to offset the current fiscal crisis. He later announced that the NYPD and Fire Department would be spared, along with some educational programs, but was initially hesitant to confirm he would be able to provide relief to other agencies.

“The Brooklyn, New York, and Queens public libraries are grateful that Mayor Adams, a longtime champion of our mission, spared libraries from a January cut to our current operating budgets,” the Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public Library systems said in a joint statement. “We deeply appreciate the administration’s recognition of the value of libraries and how much New Yorkers rely on them.”

Adams is expected to announce his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2025 on Tuesday.