New York City Council Members, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the Queens Public Library (QPL), New York Public Library (NYPL) and advocates rallied on Sunday to call on Mayor Eric Adams to fully restore $58.3 million in funding for all three library systems in the fiscal year 2025 city budget.
The Walt Whitman branch in Fort Greene, where one of the rallies took place, will likely end Saturday service if funding is not restored in the budget due on June 30, according to a news release from the City Council.
Libraries "are tabernacles of freedom and democracy," said Council Member Justin Brannan, chair of the Committee on Finance.
Elected officials and advocates must fight for funding because libraries are sacred spaces that serve New Yorkers of all ages, all backgrounds, at every income level with literacy programs, language classes, technology classes, homework help, adult education, career help, reading programs for kids and workforce development services, Brannan continued.
" ... Oh yeah, you can find great books to borrow, too," he said.
The council members had two rallies on Sunday, including one at the Flushing branch in Queens.
Many libraries are also part of the city's cooling centers, but were closed on Sunday due to past budget cuts.
The City Council and mayor are currently negotiating the fiscal 2025 city budget, as the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
