By Steven Cohen, Ph.D., Director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program, School of Professional Studies
When I was growing up on East 59th Street in Brooklyn, the Mill Basin Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library was around the corner from us on Avenue T, and when I wasn’t at school or playing ball somewhere, you might find me sitting at a table in the library reading. Sometimes on weekends, my brother and I, along with some friends, would climb onto the Flatbush Avenue bus and travel to Brooklyn’s cathedral of libraries, the “main branch,” as we called it, at Grand Army Plaza. I was convinced that it was the largest library in the world; it was certainly “grand” to me. For a kid in Brooklyn, libraries were a sanctuary where I could read in peace and quiet and learn about people I didn’t know and places I’d never been.
The other morning, I was listening to WNYC and heard a report on the incredible variety of special events in the city’s three library systems. We listeners were promised monthly reports on these events. According to Alec Hamilton, reporting a sample of July events in the Gothamist:
“If you're looking to find some new reads this summer, or maybe pick up a new hobby or perfect a new skill, New York City's libraries have you covered. The city's three library systems — the Brooklyn Public Library; the Queens Public library; and New York Public Library, which serves Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island — are a treasure trove of ongoing classes in things like language and job skills, or computer and financial literacy. They also offer packed calendars of free events… There’s a lot of focus this month on America 250, and the World Cup. One branch in Brooklyn is even giving away 3D-printed top hats in red, white and blue. At its main branch, the New York Public Library is hosting a viewing of a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. It's what's called a "fair copy," handwritten by Thomas Jefferson, after the original draft had sections removed before it was ratified, including a long condemnation of the slave trade. In Queens you can celebrate the World Cup in a number of ways: Kids can learn to code soccer-playing robots in Woodhaven, Ozone Park, or Bayside; you can make your own World Cup pinata in Flushing; or you can even learn to design a soccer stadium in Long Island City. And the Brooklyn Public Library is hosting two talks at the Center for Brooklyn History in Brooklyn Heights. One, on July 9th, focuses on the history and future of disability rights, and the other, on July 22, looks at mass incarceration and democracy in the US…In Brooklyn, every Tuesday, the Arlington Library in Cypress Hills does what they call the "People’s Kitchen," where people gather to cook and share food and organize around food insecurity in East New York… All three offer tons of meetups and sing-alongs and story times, and the Brooklyn and New York Public libraries also have regular opportunities for kids to read to a therapy dog.”
This is a simply amazing array of programming and events in every borough at these impressive community resources. The libraries play an important role in enhancing the lives of everyday New Yorkers. These programs are designed to attract the community and respond to neighborhood needs. During heat waves, libraries provide an air-conditioned place to find relief from the heat, along with a place for parents to bring their children without paying for activities or resources.
It is difficult to know how many people use New York’s libraries. We know that the New York Public Library has nearly 2.4 million cardholders or members, Brooklyn has close to 2 million members, and Queens serves about a million cardholders. Some of those who attend programs at libraries do not have cards, and some may not even be residents of New York City. But it is clear that a majority of the people living in New York City use its libraries. Like the parks, they are democratizing features of our city that provide resources that are free and open to all. There are no dues, and there is no initiation fee. Even if you can’t visit a library, you can still borrow e-books online.
Library funding comprises less than half of one percent of the city’s budget, and, like the Parks Department, they often face budget uncertainty and a budget dance that typically results in restoration after cuts are proposed. Often at risk are weekend hours, book acquisition, special events, and capital spending. This pattern appeared to be repeated in cuts in the mayor’s preliminary budget in March, but by mid-May he changed course. According to a press release on May 15:
“Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget permanently baselines $31.7 million for New York City's three public library systems: the Queens Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library… The Executive Budget adds $31.7 million in permanent funding to the City's library baseline, bringing total library funding to nearly $530 million — up from $491.4 million in the Preliminary Budget… New York City's three library systems serve more than 37 million visitors annually across more than 200 branches. Libraries provide free internet access, job training, early literacy programs, ESL classes, cooling centers and critical social services — often serving as a neighborhood's primary public institution.”
The libraries of my childhood were not community centers; they were places where books, newspapers, magazines, and journals were available to be read. They have evolved and play an essential role in communities throughout America. Libraries and librarians have been attacked by ideologues hoping to censor the materials they lend, but here in New York, the libraries have resisted that onslaught and are valued as a product of the First Amendment and as a precious place of gathering and neighborliness. In New York City, they are part of an ecosystem that makes the economy available to those with few resources. The city’s mass transit system makes it possible for newly settled New Yorkers to get to work without needing to own a vehicle or possess a driver’s license. The libraries provide free internet access, free computer access, and free printing. A job search becomes possible with those resources, and their availability throughout the city should never be minimized. Imagine trying to find a job without the ability to apply electronically. Those of us who almost live on our screens understand the importance of internet access. When we lose electricity or internet access, our sense of disconnection is profound. The libraries democratize connectivity. The sense of community that the world saw when the Knicks won the championship is built on the community infrastructure that includes our libraries.
When my father attended Stuyvesant High School and City College in the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of his many part-time jobs was to retrieve books for researchers from the stacks of the 42nd Street Main Branch of the New York Public Library. This landmark, forever guarded by Lion statues, was renamed in 2008 for Stephen Schwarzman after he donated $100 million to the New York Public Library. I have always felt an emotional connection to New York City’s libraries, and I think it probably started with my dad’s stories about hunting through the Dewey Decimal System in the stacks of the library at 42nd Street. I deeply admire the work done by our libraries to remain relevant when mass media and social media began competing with print media for our attention. Their embrace of community events, the internet, and non-print media has enabled them to evolve with the times. Their ability to garner political support even during budget crises is a testament to their continuous and self-conscious adaptability. We New Yorkers are fortunate that these institutions have been created and should all admire their leadership, persistence, and accomplishments.
Views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Columbia School of Professional Studies or Columbia University.
About the Program
The Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management program offered by the School of Professional Studies in partnership with the Climate School provides students cutting-edge policy and management tools they can use to help public and private organizations and governments address environmental impacts and risks, pollution control, and remediation to achieve sustainability. The program is customized for working professionals and is offered as both a full- and part-time course of study.
