New York City’s public libraries may have to cut staff, hours, branches and programming as they face potential multi-million-dollar budget cuts in Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to curtail city spending.
Under the administration’s so-called Program to Eliminate the Gap, city libraries could face a total of $13.6 million in reductions for the current fiscal year (ending in June 2023) and $20.5 million in each of the next three fiscal years… “We have become more efficient. But at some point you get to the bone,” said Tony Marx, president and CEO of New York Public Library at a City Council oversight hearing on libraries on Thursday. “This may push us over the edge.”
Library leaders argue that their institutions provide vital services – free books, Wi-Fi, computer access, online content and educational programs, among others – in 200 neighborhoods across the city, including in underserved communities…
