New Yorkers Object to Library Cuts

“The recent budget cuts make me upset, disappointed, and angry,” said Renee Rapp, a librarian at The City College of New York. She and other New Yorkers think that Mayor Eric Adams was wrong to close libraries on Sundays to save money. “Closing all libraries on a Sunday can greatly impact a community and already has. Libraries are not just buildings with books,” Rapp said.

In November 2023, Mayor Eric Adams cut the public library budget by $23.6 million, and that eliminated Sunday hours. It also cut money for renovations and new books, and then a $58 million budget cut was proposed for 2024-2025.  City Council members want the mayor to restore the money. “There’s a mental health component to the libraries’ work. It’s a social engine, and in a budget this big and considering how far these dollars go, these cuts have to be reconsidered…” Manhattan Councilperson Carlina Rivera said, according to the NY Daily News.

 In response to criticism,  Mayor Adams said that he would  stop any further budget cuts towards libraries. But under his plan libraries will still be closed on Sundays and that’s part of the continuing budget debate between the council and the mayor. 

At the Hamilton Grange Library on 145th Street, people are on their phones, talking, and using the computers that they have upstairs and downstairs for research. Many use the library’s resources for homework and count on the internet to use their laptops for Zoom and job conferences. Upstairs in the children’s section, five-year-old Madison read a book with her mother. She said, “I like to go to the kids section at the top, because I can get any book I want. I like coloring, reading books, and looking at books. If I want that book, I can grab that book.”

Chieck Niambele also uses the 145th Street library. “Three years ago, the library that I usually go to closed down. I loved going to the 96th Street one,” said Niambele. He’s on the Lower West Side but commutes to the Hamilton Grange Library on 145 Street. “It felt weird having to move and not being able to go to a location that’s close to where I lived,” said Niambele.

Library users worry about the way the proposed cuts will affect them and their communities. On the weekends, Renee Rapp visits the library regularly. “The library branch on City Island is also closed on Sundays and closes early in the evenings. This has impacted my life as a patron, limiting my time to visit the library on Saturdays,” said Rapp

Anyone interested in speaking out and up for the libraries can sign a petition to stop the cuts at https://www.nypl.org/speakout. By signing your name and sending a direct message to Mayor Adams and the New York City Council you can show your concern.