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At a time when demand for books in the NYPL system is at an all-time high, the removal of three million books from the 42nd Street library, and numerous books from the Science Industry and Business Library and the Library for Performing Arts, has diminished these formerly first-class research libraries. Many of these books have been exiled… Continue reading Let’s Make NYPL Great Again

A big thanks to everyone who braved the elements to attend our Valentine’s Day rally outside the 42nd Street library yesterday! It was great to see so many dedicated individuals show their support for the defense of public libraries. Although it was bitterly cold, Rev. Billy warmed our hearts with his fiery oratory. Framed by Edward Potter’s Patience and Fortitude, library… Continue reading Library Lovers Converge On 42nd St. for Valentine’s Day

  On Valentine’s Day, show some love for the 42nd Street Library.  Tell NYPL:  Return the books to the stacks and reopen the Rose Main Reading Room ASAP!   Join Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir outside the 42nd Street Library this Saturday at noon to ask, Why is it taking so long to reopen the Rose Main Reading Room?  When will the books… Continue reading On Valentine’s Day, Show Some Love for the 42nd St. Library!

We’d like to thank everyone who attended last week’s City Council hearing. Below you can read a copy of the testimony we submitted before the Council. We are sending out copies to elected officials, and you can too! We recommend sending a polite email to City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov), Chair of the… Continue reading Essential Reforms Needed at NYPL – Share Our City Council Testimony With Elected Officials

At 1:00 pm on December 10th, the NYC Council Committee on Cultural Affairs and the Sub-Committee on Libraries will hold a hearing on capital needs in the Council Chambers in City Hall (see attached). Charles Warren has been invited to testify on behalf of the Committee to Save NYPL. New York Public Library President Anthony… Continue reading Join Us As We Testify at City Hall on Wednesday

Appearing to engage library users, the New York Public Library has circulated an online survey to measure how the public uses their libraries. The results will inform their decisions about renovations to the Mid-Manhattan and 42nd Street libraries. Although the multiple choice format constrains complex answers, we recommend responding in ways that encourage the NYPL to return… Continue reading NYPL Survey Seeks Public Feedback

Jorge Luis Borges famously described paradise as a kind of library, but recently the New York Public Library has seemed more purgatory than paradise for its many users. Over the last few months, the Rose Reading Room has remained shuttered after a portion of the ceiling crashed to the ground. Can there be any more fitting… Continue reading What Will NYPL Trustees Do Now?

NYPL has just created this bizarre simulacrum of the Main Reading Room on the plaza outside the 5th Avenue  entrance to the 42nd Street Library.  According to NYPL,  The project, called “The Library Inside Out” encompasses many elements of the beloved Rose Reading Room with some new features. Well, yes, if the you think the key… Continue reading NYPL Unveils Brand New Reading Room!

This hasn’t been a good week for library trustees. Yesterday, as outraged protestors led by Citizens Defending Libraries rallied outside Brooklyn Public Library shortly before a trustees meeting, Governor Cuomo signed into law a bill (S.6893-B) that will significantly reform operations of the Queens Public Library Board of Trustees. Introduced by Assembly member Jeffrion Aubry… Continue reading No Trust for Trustees: New Law Reforms Queens Library Board

              Our allies at Citizens Defending Libraries have a new petition demanding full funding for New York City libraries. The petition has already earned over 500 signatures in just two days. We endorse increased funding and advocate that it be accompanied by greater transparency and accountability. We’d like to… Continue reading New Petition Urges Mayor to Fund Our Libraries