On Politics: Eric Adams' library cuts would sever a vital lifeline

One of the great embarrassments of New York, the richest city in America, is how money can’t be found to keep public libraries open every single day.It is, truly, a matter of priorities. Other far-reaching, progressive policy proposals can come with enormous upfront costs — municipal or statewide single-payer healthcare comes to mind — but there’s really no reason why the city can’t pay to keep libraries open every Saturday and Sunday.Mayor Eric Adams, in his executive budget, has proposed to keep the cuts to the library system that he ordered starting last year. If he has his way — and given his deteriorating relationship with the City Council, he might not — the library system will lose $58.3 million. If the cuts go through, library service citywide would be curtailed to five days a week, according to the presidents of the Brooklyn, Queens, and New York Public Libraries.Since 2015, when Bill de Blasio boosted funding to the library system, six-day service has been the norm. This is not ideal, but it is better than five, which would see crucial weekend service evaporate entirely. Most library branches in the city are already closed on Sunday. Thanks to midyear budget cuts in November, seven-day service — available sparingly before then — is gone. The cuts would also mean delaying the renovations of certain branches.Democrats in the City Council might successfully oppose Adams. This dynamic recalls the “budget dance” that was common during Michael Bloomberg’s mayoralty.... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2024-04-29 15:50:14 UTC ]

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France signs library ebook loan charter

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ASCEL: 'public libraries can help children with digital'

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crowd-funded A to Z promotes diverse role of libraries

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aspen Institute Report Urges Public Library Transformation

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Pew Report Explores Young Americans' Library Habits

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Graphic are These Novels?

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VfL celebrates 50th anniversary of Public Libraries Act

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Working-class fiction has been written out of publishing

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[ The Guardian | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries' economic contribution 'can only be measured long-term'

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram Beefs Up MyiLibrary

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smashwords, OverDrive Ink Distribution Deal

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tips for Librarians: Spanish Books Spring 2014

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“What Does All This Have To Do With Libraries?”

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pew: Americans are ‘Actively Engaged’ with Public Libraries

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anne Frank books vandalised in Japan

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[ BBC News | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA 2014 Preview: Cut to the Core: On the Front Lines of the Common Core Rollout

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York City Has An Internet Inequality Problem

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[ Fast Company | 2013-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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African-American-Interest Collection Development for Libraries

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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