Sunday service is back at some of New York City’s public libraries, nearly eight months after budget cuts ordered by Mayor Eric Adams forced branches across the five boroughs to cut back on hours of operation.
New York Public Library President Tony Marx welcomed New Yorkers back to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library branch in Midtown on Sunday — and said public pushback prompted lawmakers to reverse Adams’ cuts. The city budget approved by the mayor and City Council last month restored $58 million in funding for the library systems that had been stripped away.
“Come on in to the library, we’re open for business,” said Marx. “It’s cool inside and there’s cool things to do.”
Seven branches across the city’s three public library systems reopened on Sunday. By August 4, officials said they plan to bring Sunday service back to all the locations where it was previously offered, including NYPL’s main branch next to Bryant Park.
“We just need a few weeks to be hiring people and reassigning people and getting this to work. It’s one of the reasons why we don’t like budget cuts because it keeps us from being able to invest and have the staff ready,” Marx said. “Now we can do all that again. It’s a great day.”
Dozens of New Yorkers waited in a line outside of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on Sunday, eagerly awaiting for the branch to open at 10:00 a.m.
One of the people in line was Tamara Simpson, a doctor from the Upper East Side who said she only has free time on Sundays to use the library. She scored a free tote bag and other NYPL merchandise, and said the library is a sacred space for her.
“This is the place where you can just reconnect with yourself,” she said. “You can just be alone and nobody really pays attention to you and then just reading and going into a world of a book … Here it just feels so tranquil.”
