The $31.7 million baseline, Hizzoner said, seeks to no longer treat the New York, Queens and Brooklyn Public Libraries as a “bargaining chip” in annual city budget negotiations that leave the systems’ ability to hire staff and operate in limbo.
“For too long, library funding has been treated like a political bargaining chip and fought over every single year,” said Mamdani during a May 15 press conference at the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. “That cycle ends with this budget. Libraries are where New Yorkers study, look for work, learn to read, cool off during heatwaves and build community. By baselining this funding, we are giving every branch in every borough the stability to plan ahead, hire staff and serve New Yorkers without wondering if the money will disappear next spring.”
The baseline funding brings the total funding for all three New York City public library systems to just over a half-billion dollars — nearly $530 million, up from the $491.4 million allocated in the preliminary budget.
The adjusted number represents a little under 0.5% of the $124.5 billion executive budget that Mamdani announced earlier this week. As a candidate for mayor last year, Mamdani pledged to dedicate a full 0.5% of the budget for libraries. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The adjusted number represents a little under 0.5% of the $124.5 billion executive budget that Mamdani announced earlier this week. As a candidate for mayor last year, Mamdani pledged to dedicate a full 0.5% of the budget for libraries.
Asked about the gap between what he promised and what he allocated, Mamdani expressed confidence that the city could still reach a 0.5% overall budget guarantee for the libraries down the line.
“We want to have a conversation about how to go beyond what the status quo is,” the mayor said. “This is an incredibly difficult year where we have faced what was, at its beginning, a $12 billion fiscal deficit. And even in that year, we wanted to make sure that we found a way to raise that floor.”
The executive budget is not final; the mayor and City Council must negotiate a final budget before the mandated June 30 deadline. In the Council’s preliminary budget, which City Council Speaker Julie Menin presented in April, it sought to restore $30.7 million in funding that Mamdani had omitted from it in his preliminary budget, which had sought to close a $5.7 billion budget gap.
The budget deficit was resolved in the executive budget Mamdani announced on May 12, thanks, he said, to a combination of new savings found, assistance from Albany, and an easing of state funding mandates.
More than 37 million people visit the more than 200 library branches across the five boroughs every year. Libraries provide far more than books to lend; they also serve as community centers with free internet access, job training, early literacy programs, ESL classes and other cultural programs for the communities they serve.
The presidents of the three library systems — Linda E. Johnson of Brooklyn, Anthony Marx of New York, and Dennis Walcott of Queens — issued a joint statement lauding Mamdani’s move to baseline library spending in the city budget, calling it “a win for all New Yorkers.”
“Preserving these funds makes it possible for the city’s public libraries to maintain the vital services and programs New Yorkers want and need,” they said. “We’d also like to thank the City Council for being our tireless champions and long-time advocates. We are proud to have city leaders who recognize the importance of libraries.”