NYPL Thanks City for Restoring Majority of Funding Cut

June 28, 2012 - The New York City budget for Fiscal Year 2013 was approved on Thursday, June 28. The City’s three library systems will receive an $89.5 million restoration to the $96 million cut proposed to libraries. The adopted city budget restores $39.6 million of the $42.6 million proposed cut to The New York Public Library. Below is a statement from The New York Public Library about this restoration:

"Over the past five years, libraries have faced significant economic constraints, which have strained the resources we are able to offer our patrons. With this year's budget, we expect that all of our libraries will provide a minimum of five-day service and The New York Public Library will continue providing our communities with free essential services such as books, access to computers and the Internet, workshops and programs, job search resources and more. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our patrons for sharing the love they have for their libraries and making their voices heard. We also thank Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and the City Council for their support of New York City’s libraries and our services, which offer education and inspiration for all New Yorkers."

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 91 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org.