Panel Discussion on the Future of NYC Libraries May 29

Our allies at the Historic Districts Council have organized a panel discussion on the future of the New York City library systems and their plans to downsize libraries and sell off assets:

Knowledge of the Future: The Changing Face of New York City’s Public Library Systems

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 6pm
Steelcase, 4 Columbus Circle #2, Manhattan
Free. To rsvp, contact hdc@hdc.org. Space is limited.

Despite recent record increases in library attendance usage citywide, the three New York City library systems have been systematically starved for financial resources and forced to make hard choices in their plans for the future.  From the proposed sales of the Pacific Branch Library and Cadman Plaza Library in Brooklyn, to the radical intervention proposed for the 42nd Street Research Library and the recently revealed plans for a smaller library to replace the demolished Donnell Library in Midtown Manhattan, the library system has been radically transforming the use and form of its public property.

Join a panel of experts as they discuss a number of plans currently in the works for New York City libraries, and what it might bode for the future of America’s largest public system. Invited speakers include: Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, Librarian and Urban Historian, John Jay College, Scott Sherman, contributing writer and editor, The Nation, and David Giles, Research Director at the Center for an Urban Future.