This project not only will need the financial support of the City, but also the state and federal governments and the Port Authority as well as the private sector. While this is a project that speaks to the future, it is terrible and inexplicable that we are here again to fight off attacks on our budget, recalling the bad days of the past. Those were the days when there was no funding for cultural organizations or for library service, when libraries were cutting hours and shutting doors. We are currently engaged in a national and local debate about the importance of education, with elected officials and governments searching for ways to support it. That is a duty we have to our future.
Public libraries are an important part of education, the bedrock of access to information.
If enacted, this would be the single largest funding reduction ever in the history of the Queens Library. It would mean the elimination of staff positions and would force branches to reduce scheduled hours. May. In addition, six-day service would be eliminated in 61 of our 63 community libraries. Even worse, these cuts would force 37 of our branch libraries to be open only four days a week beginning July 1 st . In addition to these proposed cuts, the Preliminary Budget also calls for the establishment of a private partnership fund-raising program.