Who was up bright and early for a bus ride to Albany? Our dedicated library supporters, that’s who!
Over 100 patrons, staff members, and Friends of the Library joined us at the break of dawn on Wednesday, March 1 to travel to the state capital and tell their elected officials, in person, to continue supporting Queens Library.
Dressed in their special t-shirts, our advocates spent the day walking the halls of the New York State Capitol building, stopping by the offices of 25 members of the Senate and Assembly to share their stories about Queens Library and its positive effect on their lives. They also joined library supporters from around the state, including the New York Public and Brooklyn Public libraries, for a passionate mid-day rally.
Queens Library’s Assistant Director of Government and Community Affairs, Camille Barrett, led a group that met with Assembly Member Ronald Kim and Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “Assembly Member Kim expressed admiration for the work of the Flushing Adult Learner Center. He also talked about the many ways the library makes an impact on the community, and how he wants to get funds to do more,” Camille reported.
“Senator Stavisky, after greeting us and taking a few group photos, paused to go to her bag to show us her library card, which she uses most often at the Mitchell-Linden Community Library. Upon learning that our group was made up of both Flushing and Central Adult Learning Center students, she spoke of the Centers’ great programs and services. The group discussed the need for all our libraries to be accessible to seniors and people with disabilities and their desire for more libraries to look like Elmhurst Community Library.”
We thank our advocates for their time and enthusiasm, and for traveling with us on Library Day. We also thank all the representatives who took the time to meet with us and show support for our libraries: Assembly Members Jeffrion Aubry, Brian Barnwell, Edward Braunstein, Vivian Cook, Michael DenDekker, Andrew Hevesi, Alicia Hyndman, Ronald Kim, Michael Miller, Francisco Moya, Catherine Nolan, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Nily Rozic, Michael Simanowitz, Aravella Simotas, Michele Titus, Clyde Vanel, and David Weprin; and Senators Joseph Addabbo Jr., Tony Avella, Leroy Comrie, Michael Gianaris, Jose Peralta, James Sanders Jr., and Toby Ann Stavisky.
Contact your state representative to tell them how much the library means to you! Click on their name above to get their contact information.
Advocacy season is just starting, and if you couldn’t make the trip upstate, our first library rally at City Hall will take place on Wednesday, March 8.
Queens Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott will testify with his counterparts from the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library before the New York City Council, talk about the increasing demand for library services, and ask City Council members to continue their support of New York City’s libraries as they set their budgets for the next fiscal year. Join us on the steps of City Hall and tell your legislators to continue investing in libraries!
