This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers’ lives.<\/p>\n
Sign up<\/a> to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a new radical group of activists at City Hall. Their demands? Don\u2019t just save libraries, boost them up.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, many New Yorkers breathed a sigh of relief when Mayor Zohran Mamdani decided to reverse budget cuts<\/a> he made to libraries.<\/p>\n For the New York Public Library Action Network (NYCPlan), the mayor\u2019s move presented an opportunity to press him for more. Immediately after Mamdani released his revised budget that touted an additional $31.7 million for libraries, the group issued a statement<\/a> saying that libraries were \u201cstill underfunded.\u201d<\/p>\n The group has been lobbying on the system\u2019s behalf since 2024. It wants the mayor to commit to his campaign pledge of allocating a 0.5% of the city budget to the public library system \u2014 an idea modeled after the 25-year-old \u201c1% for parks\u201d campaign. Keeping that promise would mean another $97 million to library branches.<\/p>\n Speaking at a rally at City Hall on Tuesday, Anastazia Neely, one of the group\u2019s members, quoted the mayor himself talking about his own budget earlier this month.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is evidence of a new era,\u201d Neely said. \u201cOne that understands that when working people organize, they can fundamentally change what is politically possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, here we are. We’ve organized,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe will not accept austerity.\u201d<\/p>\n She also compared Mamdani to his predecessor, Eric Adams. Under Mamdani\u2019s current proposal, libraries would receive 0.42% of the total budget \u2014 or 42 cents out of every $100.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Eric Adams’ budget, libraries got 45 cents out of every $100,\u201d she said, referring to the 2026 adopted budget<\/a>. \u201cIf you let him out-swag you on this, we will never hear the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The group \u2013 which counts around 40 members made up of patrons and library staffers \u2014 says that at their current funding level, libraries still need more capital and programmatic support. Many branches aren\u2019t open seven days a week. The New York Public Library, which runs 88 branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, estimated that only around a dozen of its libraries are open on Sunday.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson and Queens Public Library President Dennis Walcott joined New York Public Library President Anthony Marx in saying that Mamdani\u2019s latest budget proposal had \u201cestablished a new funding floor.\u201d Without additional funding, branches \u201cwill be stretched further on collections, programming, and essential public services,\u201d the leaders said.<\/p>\n \u201cNow is the time to build on that toward a future in which libraries are fully funded,\u201d they said in a statement.<\/p>\n Asked about the activists\u2019 campaign, a City Hall spokesperson said the mayor \u201cis committed to continuing to work with advocates and the City Council toward a total commitment of 0.5%\u201d but did not specify a timeline.<\/p>\n Mamdani has previously said that reaching 0.5% was something he would \u201caccomplish by the time that I’m done being the mayor of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Abby Emerson, an NYCPlan member, called that distant promise \u201cfrankly not good enough for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Some government experts question the goal of setting aside a fixed allocation to libraries every year given the city\u2019s changing fiscal picture and priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cLibraries are deserving, the question is how do we provide more,\u201d said Mitchell Moss, an urban planning professor at NYU. \u201cThere is competing pressure for public funds.\u201d<\/p>\n But after public backlash from cuts in recent years, library activists believe they can make the case. A New York Times survey last year showed that libraries, along with parks, rank as top priorities for New Yorkers<\/a>.<\/p>\n NYCPlan said that 11 city councilmembers have signed on so far to its campaign to commit 0.5% of the budget to libraries. The group says it won\u2019t stop until it gets the mayor on board, too.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know he believes in this,\u201d Emerson said.<\/p>\n Listen hereWe want to hear from you<\/p>\n This week, we\u2019re wondering: Is a presidential seal<\/a> with President Trump\u2019s name at the entrance to a new, improved Penn Station a dealbreaker for you?<\/p>\n We’ll share responses in next week’s newsletter. (Sign up<\/a>!)<\/p>\n This week in New York politics<\/p>\n Renderings of the winning plan to overhaul Penn Station include a presidential seal bearing Trump\u2019s name. Here are more images.<\/a><\/p>\n Mayor Mamdani promised to bring a new approach to public safety. But public defenders and police reform advocates say he\u2019s falling short of that pledge five months into office. Here\u2019s why.<\/a><\/p>\n The Mamdani administration is also facing some pushback from Brooklyn residents over its plans to open two temporary homeless shelters inside hotels in Brooklyn. Here are the details.<\/a><\/p>\n The man whose secretive transfer between ICE detention centers over the holiday weekend sparked a tense standoff between protestors and federal agents in Newark has filed an emergency petition for release. Here\u2019s more on his case.<\/a><\/p>\n Under New York state\u2019s budget bill, New York City is set to see short-term pension costs drop. But they will go up again. Here\u2019s why.<\/a><\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s new housing plan will include $75 million in loans to help 300 renters turn apartments into co-ops over the next two years. Here\u2019s what else is in the plan.<\/a><\/p>\n Backlash against the AI-driven development boom is widening in New Jersey and around the country. Here\u2019s what Gov. Mikie Sherrill is doing about it.<\/a><\/p>\n The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating World Cup ticket pricing. Here\u2019s how much the average seat costs.<\/a><\/p>\n In the deep blue confines of Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District, four men are usually considered the leading contenders to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Then there’s Nina Schwalbe.<\/a><\/p>\n Ask Governor Sherrill: June 3 on WNYC<\/p>\n The World Cup comes to MetLife Stadium in just weeks, protests and a hunger strike have made Newark\u2019s Delaney Hall a flashpoint of immigration detention debates, and data centers are popping up all over New Jersey.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have your chance to ask New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill about those and more at 7 p.m. June 3, when she returns for the second installment of \u201cAsk Gov. Sherrill,\u201d hosted by WNYC\u2019s Michael Hill and broadcast from studios at Montclair State University. The governor also joins us as she and legislators work out the first budget of her administration \u2014 with consequences for education funding, the state\u2019s fiscal health and your taxes.<\/p>\n Get your questions in now<\/a>. Tune into WNYC or listen on the WNYC app<\/a> June 3 at 7 p.m. Call in at 844-745-8255 to ask your question live on the air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-246759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}