New Yorkers in almost a dozen neighborhoods will now have the opportunity to beat the Sunday scaries by picking up a good book.
Starting this weekend, seven-day service will expand to 11 more public library branches citywide, bringing the total number of libraries open all week to more than 30, according to the New York City Council.
The new hours will be funded by a $2 million investment secured in the city budget and championed by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams following last year’s outcry over threatened library cuts. The funding is on top of a $15 million increase in operating support for the city’s public library systems this next fiscal year, councilmembers said.
Adams has said libraries are “among our most precious public resources” and the money will help residents access more literacy programs, technology classes and career resources.
“Our city’s public libraries aren’t just about books anymore,” Councilmember Justin Brannan of Brooklyn, chair of the Council’s finance committee, said in a statement last month. “They are tabernacles of freedom and democracy. They serve as a lighthouse for kids, parents, new immigrants, and seniors.”
Adams and other councilmembers were scheduled Friday to join leaders from the city’s three library systems — Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Public Library — at Harlem Library to celebrate the expansion.
Here are the branches that will now start offering seven-day service:
Brooklyn Public Library
Bay Ridge
Bedford
New York Public Library
Mott Haven
Baychester
Kingsbridge
Harlem
St. George
Queens Public Library
Glen Oaks
Hunters Point
Jackson Heights
Rochdale Village
