The recent announcement of a $5.9 million mid-year City budget cut has necessitated service reductions by The New York Public Library at two-thirds of its locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.
The Library has developed a detailed plan to bridge its Fiscal Year 2010 budget gap (intensified by the loss of $900,000 in State aid), carefully reviewing branch locations, peak hours, and demographics to determine cuts that, while difficult, will be minimally disruptive to the communities it serves.
In the end, the Library has been left with little choice but to reduce service to an average of 45 open hours per week for its neighborhood sites, down from an average of over 51 hours. For Fiscal Year 2010, six-day service will be maintained at all of its locations. While Sunday service will be discontinued at five of nine sites, at least one location in each borough will remain open on Sundays.
“We have worked very hard to maintain as many services as possible in these tough economic times," said New York Public Library President Dr. Paul LeClerc, “and are struggling to sustain the high level of service our patrons have come to expect.
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