You Did It, NYC! Library Budgets Have Been Saved

GREAT NEWS FOR NEW YORK!

It's official: funding for New York City libraries is being fully restored. Brooklyn, Queens, and New York Public Libraries are thrilled that the City’s 2025 fiscal year budget agreement includes the full restoration of $58.3 million in funding for public libraries—a resounding victory for all New Yorkers.

What does this mean? It means we are able to continue the vital programs, initiatives, and hours of operation that New Yorkers want, need, and deserve. The funding also allows us to continue universal six-day service in all our locations, which New Yorkers have enjoyed for nearly a decade. Additionally, we will resume Sunday service at the locations that lost it due to November 23 cuts. On July 14, Sunday service will resume at Parkchester Library, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), and Todt Hill-Westerleigh Library. On August 4, Sunday service will be restored at Bronx Library Center, Grand Concourse Library, Jefferson Market Library, and Washington Heights Library. Additionally, starting August 4, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building will be open on Sundays. Learn more about Sunday service on our website. 

We deeply appreciate Mayor Adams and his administration for restoring library funding in the FY25 budget. We are profoundly grateful to City Council Speaker Adams and her leadership team for their unwavering commitment to libraries. Special thanks to Finance Chair Justin Brannan, Libraries Chair Carlina Rivera, the Budget Negotiating Team, and the entire City Council who prioritized library funding throughout the budget process. Without their support, this outcome would not have been possible. Read our full statement online.

AND THANK YOU, NEW YORKERS!

When we needed you, you answered the call. Across the city, you sent a record 174,000 letters of support to City Hall. You wrote more than 1,000 sticky notes sharing your love of libraries and the impact they have on your lives. You shouted your support on social media and shared and boosted our posts (and memes!)—#NoCutsToLibraries trended nationally on June 12’s Day of Action. Every letter signed and post shared, and every visit to a branch to check out books, attend programs, and use computers demonstrated how much New Yorkers love and need their libraries. 

Libraries truly make New York City stronger. Thank you, New York, for the overwhelming show of support on behalf of public libraries! Join us in thanking City leaders for funding public libraries.