CITYWIDE — Four days after the Trump Administration issued an executive order targeting library work nationally, the presidents of New York City’s three public library systems called on city leaders to increase funding during a March 18 testimony on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 preliminary budget.
“Your support is needed even more after last week’s White House executive order targeting library work nationally,” said Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) President and CEO Linda E. Johnson in a written testimony. Johnson urged city leaders to establish a new operating budget baseline investment of $45 million and to restore the City Council’s $15.7 million initiative.
Johnson detailed BPL’s role in strengthening New York, its unfunded needs and capital priorities in her testimony to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations.
“The library is committed to serving our communities, and in order to do so, it is crucial that funding keeps pace with rising costs,” said Johnson. “Investing in libraries sustains the programs and resources New Yorkers depend on, protects the thriving democratic spaces we need now more than ever and ensures our institutions can meet the needs of future generations.”
Kristina Minor, a young adult librarian of six years at the Brooklyn Heights branch of BPL, responded to the executive order in a public post on Facebook, writing, “Please support libraries. They are necessary to so many. They are so much more than books.”
Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-33), who has served on the Brooklyn Public Library board of trustees and has been actively involved in branch Friends groups for years, shared in an email to the Brooklyn Eagle that he “grew up running around the stacks of the Brooklyn Heights branch,” and that, “We must invest more deeply in our libraries, so they can continue welcoming, informing, and educating the full diversity of our community.”
There are about 30 Friends of BPL volunteer groups across Brooklyn. These groups support the library by advocating for its services, raising community awareness and fundraising to enhance its resources and programs. Friends of BPL began in May 1937 to help libraries with fundraising and book collection efforts. Today, these groups host events to boost community involvement and support their local branches.
In the Friends of Brooklyn Public Library Handbook, Friends of BPL President Deborah Hallen wrote, “Our Friends group sponsored programs that wouldn’t exist without our support, advocated and received substantial government funding, and successfully fundraised over $200,000 — all on behalf of the neighborhood library we love.”
A 2024 case study by the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that 80% of NYPL patrons who responded to a 2023 survey said libraries had a significant positive impact on at least one aspect of their well-being.
The survey results indicated that patrons benefited across three stages encompassing 20 different well-being factors. These stages include: creating a foundation for well-being, fostering the core elements of well-being and promoting personal development beyond well-being. Factors such as safety, connection and growth fell under these umbrella categories.
“New Yorkers know libraries change lives — and they’re eager to lend a hand, signing up to support their neighbors and help our libraries run while gaining valuable skills themselves,” wrote Johnson. “This year, nearly 1,500 volunteers have led English conversation groups, citizenship coaching, and homework help — a 30% increase over last year.”
During FY 2024, BPL offered more than 73,000 free programs for 816,000 attendees. Books and electronic media were circulated 9.6 million times, and BPL branches welcomed 5.98 million visits.
Gillien Hunte is a nanny to a one-year-old who she brings to the BPL’s Central Library branch and noted that many other caregivers bring children from nearby neighborhoods, especially for the branch’s children’s library. “We basically come here everyday,” Hunte said.
For Hunte, the libraries are not only a recourse for her as a nanny, but also as an individual. In the past, Hunte has signed up for classes at the BPL and used the resources and literature available. “That impacts me as well,” said Hunte.
“New York City’s libraries do so much more than lend books,” said Councilmember Shahana Hanif (D-39). “They serve as vital community hubs where New Yorkers can take literacy classes, enroll for an IDNYC, access free tax preparation and more. Many libraries in my district remain closed on Sundays, and I look forward to the introduction of seven-day library service. As we move deeper into the budget cycle, I’m committed to making sure our libraries receive the funding they deserve.”
In November 2023, library funding was cut, leaving many branches with no choice but to close on Sundays. The NYC budget agreement for FY 2025 included a restoration of operating funding for libraries, and branches are slowly reinstating their original hours of operation. Sunday service will return to the Central and Kings Highway locations on July 14, and to Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Macon, Midwood and New Lots on Aug. 4.
“I was thrilled to hear the speaker detail her $2 million proposal to expand seven-day service to 10 additional branches across the city. For years, Brooklyn Public Library has operated on an essentially flat budget — our city deserves the expanded services this proposal envisions,” said Johnson.
In light of the recent budget cuts and layoffs impacting the Brooklyn Museum just down the street from BPL’s Central Branch, Hunte said she was grateful for the library remaining a resource.
“I’m happy that it’s open,” said Hunte. “We get a little bit of art and culture at the same time.”
Restler also recently introduced the “Librarians Count Bill,” which would require the Department of Education to annually report information on school librarians and library access in all NYC public schools. The bill addresses the decades-long decline in school library staffing. In the past 20 years, the number of school librarians and staff has dropped from 1,500 in 2005 to as few as 260 in 2023.
A petition supporting the bill has garnered 1,468 of its 1,600-signature goal. On April 8, dozens of public school students, parents and librarians rallied at City Hall Park, urging the City Council to pass the bill ahead of a scheduled hearing on education that same day.
“Libraries are essential learning hubs — but their funding is all too often on the chopping block,” said Restler.
