A scathing indictment from Jim Dwyer at the New York Times this week accuses city leaders of depriving funding from the library system, and its mayors of holding the NYPL hostage for leverage in budget negotiations. As Dwyer points out, city libraries draw more annual visitors than the museums, sports stadiums, and performing arts institutions combined—and the funding just doesn’t add up. Dwyer puts some striking numbers on the table, including the city’s commitments to sports stadiums which, through allocations and subsidies, are nearly double those of capital funds for libraries. Give it a read, and pass it along to an elected official if you’re so moved.
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