Citizens Defending Libraries, June 1, 2013
On Monday, June 3, from 10:00-11:30, are the City Council Budget Hearingsfor the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries. Libraries are first on the agenda. Come to the Steps of City Hall between 9:15-10:00 AM on Monday and join us in giving flyers and letters to the City Council members as they walk into the building. We spoke at the last hearings but may not be given the opportunity this time. Michael White and others will be on the steps of City Hall with copies for you.
The following letter adapted from a written by Greg Homatas is a good letter that addresses the issue of library sell offs and the BPL refusal to fix the AC at the Brooklyn Heights Library. I recommend you read, personalize it if you want, sign and email it to the City Council members before Monday’s City Council budget hearings. The following are members of the committee on libraries:
Dear City Council memberJimmy Van Bramer, Stephen Levin, Domenic Recchia, Leroy Comrie, Inez Dickens, Daniel Dromm, Elizabeth Crowley, and Andy King,
The New York Public Library leadership, NYPL, is considering selling off or closing parts of the public library systems in the five boroughs of New York City at a time when library usage is up 40%. The hit list includes some of the most well used and historic libraries including the Mid Manhattan (the most well used library in the country), SIBL at 34th Street and Madison, Pacific Library and Brooklyn Heights Libraries. We ask that you halt the sale of any public libraries and require that funding be restored to the levels prior to the defunding which started at the beginning of Mayor Bloomberg’s third term in 2008.
I would like to urge you to add an agenda item in the City Council consisting of a Capital Budget request to fix or replace the air conditioning system in the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at Cadman Plaza. There will be curtailed hours of service this summer due to the lack of AC causing hardships on those patrons that need these services the most during our hottest season. I think it is ludicrous that they are considering the sale of the library which is a beautiful art deco structure to a developer to erect a luxury high rise because they don’t have the money to fix or replace the air conditioning system.
I want to urge you to support the efforts made by a new group called Citizens Defending Libraries who has the following website:
As a voting resident, I would like you also to sign this petition at the following website and urge your colleagues to do the same:
Thank you,
Next Saturday, June 8, canvass your local libraryto inform library users of the sell offs happening.
From 11:00-1:00 we will be in front of the Brooklyn Heights Library and from 2:30 until 4:00 we will be in front of the PacificLibrary. Contact Eric Schtob, eshtob@gmail.com, and he can email you copies of flyers or if you need copies made, you can pick them up from him.
Thursday, June 6, 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Common Cause--Mayoral Forum (Manhattan), Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York "This year New York City will elect a new Mayor for the first time in 12 years. You can help determine the most important issues facing the city today. Common Cause/NY has partnered with CBS 2 News, WCBS Radio 880, 1010 WINS, El Diario La Prensa, & CUNY to host town hall meetings in each of the five boroughs so you can weigh in on what matters and help decide what to ask the mayoral candidates. Sign up to attend here:http://newyork.cbslocal.com/nyc-debates-2013/ You must sign up to attend in person, or you can watch each hour-long meeting online live as they happen."
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, attacks NYPL: 'Luxury Condos Would Look Wonderful There'
I understand that it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the money and power working to sell off the libraries. By taking action and protecting the libraries as well as other public resources that are being exploited for private gain, the politicians will have to see that greed doesn't always succeed and that the good will that carefully built the libraries should be respected and preserved. Please join us in having a voice and let people know what is happening.
Thank you, Carolyn McIntyre
