Statement on the City’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget
by Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott,
Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson,
and The New York Public Library President and CEO Anthony Marx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 14, 2019

We are extremely grateful to Mayor de Blasio, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and the entire City Council for investing $33 million in additional expense funding for the City’s public libraries. This crucial support will allow us to continue providing essential services in the face of rising costs, growing footprints, and increased demand.

We recognize the passionate advocacy of Speaker Johnson, Finance Chair Danny Dromm, and Cultural Affairs & Libraries Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, who have prioritized our vital institutions in a difficult budget year. On behalf of our millions of patrons and the hundreds of thousands who signed letters, called their representatives, and attended rallies to fight for their libraries, thank you for standing with us. We also applaud our staff members and union leaders for galvanizing tremendous support citywide.

You have collectively ensured that public libraries—which offer opportunity to all and are the heart of a fair and equitable city—remain strong at a critical time in our history, when New Yorkers, especially the most vulnerable, need them the most.