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Q&A
Library funding sources and federal funding concerns
0:47:04
ยท
4 min
Council Member Rivera inquires about backfilling cut funds and expectations for state and federal funding. Library representatives discuss their funding sources and express concerns about federal funding cuts.
- Queens Public Library receives about 90-92% of funding from the city, with small percentages from state, federal, and private sources
- Brooklyn Public Library's budget is 85% city-funded, with additional state funding
- New York Public Library receives less than 0.5% from federal sources and emphasizes the need for increased city investment
- All libraries express concern about cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funding
Carlina Rivera
0:47:04
Oh, thank you for that.
0:47:07
I mean, the hiring capital expansion of seven day service, book circulation, circulation.
0:47:12
I mean these are like bread and butter for the library.
0:47:16
Certainly deserving.
0:47:18
Have you been able to backfill the funds that were cut in the pegs and how much state and federal funding does each system expect to receive this fiscal year?
0:47:28
Expect to receive this fiscal year?
Dennis Walcott
0:47:33
I know with Queens, with the feds, we're roughly like one and a half percent, 2% at that level.
0:47:41
So we get special grants that now obviously as Linda indicated in her testimony are threatened and then some other federal grants that we compete for, but IMLS funding has been put on notice as far as not taking place any longer.
0:48:00
And we rely on that as well, and that we've got the state level of funding as well.
0:48:06
So we, for the Queen's, get a small percentage, city is roughly 90 to 92%, and then the difference is split privately, state and fed.
Linda E. Johnson
0:48:21
Yeah I echo what Dennis said about federal funds.
0:48:24
IMLS has been gutted essentially or will be.
0:48:30
And it's not an enormous amount of money relative to the total amount of our budget, but it's symbolic and it's also money that was infused into libraries across the country to really promote innovation in the delivery of library service and to reward excellence in librarianship.
0:48:54
So that was devastating news for all of us.
0:48:58
We've, as Dennis explained, from that pot of money received very specific funding for specific projects.
0:49:10
Our budget is 85% from the city.
0:49:13
We do get state funding and we're all sort of holding our breath to figure out what that will look like depending on what the state's budget looks like from the feds.
Tony Marx
0:49:25
As my colleagues have said, so in the case of New York Public Library, less than half a percent of our budget comes from federal sources.
0:49:36
That's I guess good news, but seeing the IMLS and the investments, generally of this country in learning and opportunity decrease or be evaporated is really hard to watch.
0:49:55
We can absorb it, but we can't celebrate it.
0:50:00
We are really mortified by seeing what's happening.
0:50:07
The state of New York has been incredibly supportive.
0:50:10
It's partly formula and partly beyond, and the governor really has invested in libraries.
0:50:17
That's fabulous.
0:50:20
You know, the city of New York is our central source of support for the branches and for the education programs.
0:50:28
We've again fought back cuts to get to zero.
0:50:33
Now we need an increased investment because it's been a decade of not getting the increases that we need to meet real needs.
0:50:43
I mean, the most obvious one of those is our book budget, which has gone down by millions of dollars because we haven't had the support that we need.
0:50:54
We want you to get every book you want as fast as you want.
0:51:00
We love our independent bookstores.
0:51:03
We love that that's an option.
0:51:06
Not in every neighborhood.
0:51:07
Not in every borough.
Carlina Rivera
0:51:09
Not in every budget.
Tony Marx
0:51:10
Not in every budget.
0:51:12
And that's what we're here for.
0:51:14
And we need your help to restore that.
Carlina Rivera
0:51:17
I know I realize what a privilege it is to spend $18 on a book.
Linda E. Johnson
0:51:22
Yeah.