NYC libraries could cut weekend service if Mayor Adams’ budget cuts go through

A fresh round of budget cuts from Mayor Eric Adams could bring an end to six-day service at the New York Public Library and its counterparts in Queens and Brooklyn, library leaders are warning.

Scores of patrons and families who have come to rely on libraries being open on Saturday or Sunday may be shut out, according to a letter sent to staff by NYPL President Anthony Marx and obtained by Gothamist. He warned that the new round of cuts could leave the system with a $23 million deficit .

“This would result in the elimination of Sunday service at all eight current locations, the reduction of hours, and moving to a five-day service schedule at a majority of locations,” Marx wrote in a letter, adding that vacant positions would be eliminated and people who leave of their own volition would not be replaced.

The library system would also slash its collections budgets and hold off on certain repairs at facilities, in addition to delaying reopenings for recently renovated locations, resulting in “fewer available programs,” Marx wrote.

“All of this is, of course, truly awful to even contemplate, and we still hope, and will do all we can, to avoid these cuts,” Marx wrote.

Marx said that layoffs were not currently part of the plan. But he added that if the proposed cuts became a reality, “we will work to ensure that staff are not stretched beyond limits and that we can continue to deliver the best service we can to our communities under the circumstances.”

Officials at the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Public Library confirmed they would also be facing the prospect of cutting weekend service if the cuts go through.

The Queens Public Library system stands to lose $15 million under the proposed cuts. Sunday service would also end at locations that offer it: the library's central branch in Jamaica and the Flushing and Kew Gardens Hills branches.

Adams' office said it was working with libraries to help them meet the needs of patrons.

“This administration has made critical investments in the city’s three library systems and recognizes the vital role they play in our communities," said mayoral spokesperson Jonah Allon. "We have asked agencies to achieve savings in response to fiscal and economic conditions, including a projected $4.3 billion in asylum seeker costs, slowing tax revenue and potential cuts and cost shifts from the state."

At Macomb’s Bridge Library in Harlem on Friday, a small, colorful room was filled with the sounds of toddlers playing. They had just finished storytime, which the library hosts several days a week as part of its programming for kids and families. As the tots milled about, parents and guardians in the room asked what the cuts would mean for their families.

“It would be a loss, for sure,” said Harlem mom Elizabeth Stanley, whose daughter Soulvie was in the mix with the other kids. Stanley said libraries were a "lifesaver" for people constrained to small apartments or those who lack daycare as an option.

Maglisa Wilson, another visitor at the Harlem library, said she cares for a young boy who is autistic, and that the cozy, safe space at the library has helped him adapt to being around other kids.

She was concerned that the cuts would hit low-income parents especially hard.

Not every parent can afford an iPad for a kid to learn.

Maglisa Wilson, nanny

“Not every parent can afford an iPad for a kid to learn. Libraries offer books that you can borrow and return, which will help parents that can’t afford to buy books,” she said.

Libraries are regularly targeted for budget cuts, drawing vigorous objections from supporters who insist they are vital to surrounding communities as conduits for social services. Adams added to critics’ anger around earlier cuts across city government by ordering another round of belt-tightening this month.

Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé, who also chairs the Council’s committee on libraries, said he’s been “disappointed” in what he described as the Adams administration’s apparent disregard for libraries as public spaces that serve a multitude of needs.

“They’re a trusted resource for people all across this city and the fact that they’re potentially going to be hit with cuts will be damaging to these public spaces,” Ossé said.

Libraries have accounted for historical precedent by operating with as few expenses as possible — and “any further cuts would be detrimental,” Ossé said.

“Of course, the Council has the power to make sure that this budget comes into fruition or not,” he added. “I think that power needs to be utilized in order to leverage a refunding of our libraries.”

This story has been updated with comment from the mayor's office.