NYC library backers protest nearly $42 million in proposed budget cuts

Some 200 supporters of public libraries protested on the steps of City Hall Monday in opposition to budget cuts they say threaten vital programs and an already underfunded system.

The Adams administration has proposed cutting nearly $42 million, or about 9%, from the library budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

That includes a $20.5 million reduction proposed as part of the administration’s previously announced Program to Eliminate the Gap, which mandates budget cuts of 4.75% for most agencies in the next three fiscal years.

Tony Marx, president and CEO of New York Public Library, told a City Council oversight hearing in December that proposed budget cuts “may push us over the edge,” forcing cuts in staff, hours, branches and programming. Library backers amplified those concerns Monday.

“Now we're seeing cuts to the marrow,” said Councilmember Chi Ossé, chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations. “We cannot defund our libraries anymore.”

Charles Lutvak, deputy press secretary for the Mayor’s Office, said the administration has made “critical investments” in the city’s library systems and values the “vital role” they play.

“In fact, all agencies have been informed since September that any savings initiatives must not affect services or include layoffs,” Lutvak said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate their needs and work with them through the budget process.”

Library supporters at Monday’s protest noted that the more than 220 city public libraries provide key services besides access to books, including free Wi-Fi, computer access and after-school programs. The services reach “every corner of this city within a mile of where everyone lives,” said Brooklyn Public Library president Linda Johnson.

“Anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, regardless of their immigration status, regardless of their race, religion — anyone can come free of charge to learn whatever it is they need to learn,” Johnson said.

Marx told the Monday gathering that the library system has been especially stretched in the last three years, working under pandemic conditions, attending to the needs of an influx of new migrants, and expanding after-school and teen programming.

“These budget cuts put all of this momentum at threat,” Marx said. “And that is just crazy at this moment when New Yorkers need our services, depend on our services even more.”

This article was updated with a statement from a Mayor's Office spokesperson.