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New city budget would cut Queens Library staff

New city budget would cut Queens Library staff
By Anna Gustafson

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s latest budget plan would eliminate $17 million in city funding for the Queens Library, which a library official said could force the country’s busiest library system to reduce its workforce by 31 percent and sustain major service cuts.

“Someone said to me the other day that this is the worst idea to cut library service at a time when the economy has suffered its worst collapse in a generation,” said James Van Bramer, Queens Library’s chief external affairs officer. “These institutions are free and open to all, regardless of income or job status, and they are desperately needed to help provide people hope and an opportunity to get a job.”

The 2010 executive budget Bloomberg presented Friday could make layoffs inevitable, Van Bramer said.

“If we see no restoration of funds, that would mean a 31 percent reduction in our workforce,” Van Bramer said. “Every community library would be closed all weekend and we’re looking at the potential for half of our libraries to be open only two or three days a week.”

There are 62 libraries in the Queens system, which lent 22 million items last year, and is the busiest in the nation.

Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Bloomberg, said “we’re still maintaining strong support for the library system, but no entity is immune from having to find ways to be more efficient.”

“Every city agency is being asked to reduce spending from police and fire to education and social services,” LaVorgna said. “Everybody is being forced to do more with less because of the impact of the financial crisis.”

Van Bramer said he fears borough residents who have been laid off will have a tougher time trying to find a job if the library has limited weekday hours and is not open at all on weekends. He added that the library has seen about 50,000 people turn to the library for rÉsumÉ and job help in the past year.

“The numbers of people coming in to work on applications and get help with their job searches are high and are growing,” Van Bramer said.

Van Bramer said more than 60,000 individuals have signed petitions in support of the library, and the savequeenslibrary.org Web site has gotten many hits.

The library is planning two events in May to protest budget cuts. Borough President Helen Marshall and the Queens Civic Congress will lead a rally May 18 outside the Flushing Library and library supporters will advocate for libraries at City Hall May 28.

The library system has already swallowed $5 million in cuts during this budget cycle, which forced the group to eliminate its book mobile service and close its art gallery that once brought about 50,000 visitors to the Central Library in Jamaica.

Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e−mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 174.