OPINION: Shrinking the library system is a loss for New Yorkers
The usage of New York City’s libraries is way up: 40 percent programmatically, nearly 60 percent in terms of circulation. The public demand for physical books is up too. More people visited public libraries in New York than every major sports team and every major cultural institution combined. Why then are we selling city libraries and shrinking the library system? Why are libraries being underfunded, when we know the they cost a fraction of the city’s budget to fund them.
How much are we shrinking the library system through sell-offs? The first hints at an answer come to light with the city’s proposal to “redevelop” libraries to include market-rate housing (plans that generally would require the demolition of historic spaces). In theory, such a plan would seem like a fair middle-ground between retaining library space and bringing additional funding to the system. In reality, handing over public space to private developers does not guarantee that new library spaces will be comparable in size or otherwise remain fully-functional.