Petition to Expand Hours at NYPL

This week we are launching a petition to expand the hours at the 42nd Street Library. Please join us in calling on library leaders to make longer hours a critical component of their 42nd Street Library Master Plan. Sign and share our petition with friends and colleagues:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/Expand-Hours-at-the-42nd-Street-Library

We call on the New York Public Library to return the hours at the 42nd Street Library to previous norms, so that the landmarked Rose Reading Room is open later in the evenings. Library leaders should increase hours to 9 or 10 PM on all weekdays, and stop closing the library on Sundays during the summer.

Every year over two million readers visit the 42nd Street Library. Unfortunately, reduced hours dating back to the 1970s have damaged the library’s mission.

The library was once open 87 hours per week. Now it is open just 56. Shorter hours hurt those who can use the library only on weekends or evenings.

Expanding hours at the NYPL’s largest and most central library remains the simplest and most effective means for improving library service. The cost of the current “Midtown Campus Renovation” is $317 million, yet NYPL refuses to spend smaller sums to increase hours and expand services – something researchers and the public have repeatedly requested in surveys and meetings.

At a time when library usage is skyrocketing and NYPL’s endowment stands at a record $1.3 billion, NYPL must keep up with demand. Increased hours mean more opportunities for students to study for exams, writers to work on books, and freelancers to meet deadlines.

Tell NYPL leadership to help more people use the 42nd Street Library: Restore Sunday and evening hours!