Why Is New York City Planning to Sell and Shrink Its Libraries?

Defend our libraries, don't defund them. . . . . fund 'em, don't plunder 'em

Mayor Bloomberg defunded New York libraries at a time of increasing public use, population growth and increased city wealth, shrinking our library system to create real estate deals for wealthy real estate developers at a time of cutbacks in education and escalating disparities in opportunity. It’s an unjust and shortsighted plan that will ultimately hurt New York City’s economy and competitiveness.

It should NOT be adopted by those we have now elected to pursue better policies.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Smorgasbord- Helpful List Of Open Letters, Letter Exchanges, Support Resolutions, and Handy Resources Concerning Libraries

Here are links to help you find some things you never thought you might want to look for. . .

Open Letters From Citizens Defending Libraries

    •    Tuesday, April 8, 2014- April 8, 2014 Open Letter from CDL To Brooklyn Public Library Trustees Delivered At Trustees Meeting- Plus Information About the Meeting

    •    Thursday, October 9, 2014- Open Letter To Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson

    •    Friday, February 6, 2015- Open Letter To Brooklyn Public Library Trustee Peter Aschkenasy Re Commitment to Provide Information About Library Sale

    •    Thursday, February 5, 2015- Open Letter to Brooklyn Community Board 2 Regarding Libraries

    •    Monday, February 29, 2016-  Letter to Borough President Eric Adams Requesting Insistence on Transparency and Full Investigation Into Cooked Books and Rigged Bidding Before Calendaring Brooklyn Borough Board Vote On Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Sunday, January 31, 2016- Open Letter To Councilman Steve Levin About His Letter To Brooklyn Public Library Demanding Transparency About Library Sales

    •    Monday, November 3, 2014- Proposed Statement of Principles Concerning Any Possible Redevelopment of Library-- Sunset Park Branch -

    •    Support and Sign-On Letter: Full and Adequate Library Funding, A Growing System, Transparency, Books and Librarians

    •    Thursday, February 27, 2014- February 27, 2014 Open Letter from Carolyn McIntyre To Brooklyn Heights Association Delivered At It's Annual Meeting That Day

    •    Saturday, September 12, 2015- Open Letter To The Brooklyn Heights Association: Stop Supporting The Sale and Drastic Shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library And Start Opposing It.

    •    Saturday, September 12, 2015- Open Letter To Saint Ann’s School: Please Oppose the Sale and Drastic Shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Saturday, September 12, 2015- Open Letter To The Fifth Avenue Committee: Stand on The Side Of Protecting The Community And Our Public Assets

    •    Monday, August 3, 2015- Conflicts of Interest Inquiry- Inquiry Submitted To The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board Respecting Brooklyn Community Board 2 and The Proposed Sale and Shrinkage of Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Friday, October 30, 2015- Letters To New York City Planning Commissioners Requesting Recusals With Respect To Vote on Proposed Sale and Shrinkage of Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Friday, October 30, 2015- Open Letter To NYC Planning Commissioner Cheryl Cohen Effron Respecting Her Vote About Selling & Shrinking the Brooklyn Heights Library, Other Libraries The Revson Foundation, Center for an Urban Future, And More

    •    Wednesday, August 12, 2015- Open Letter To New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan Regarding Non-disclosures By Ginia Bellafante and the New York Times In Connection With Article About Proposed Sale And Shrinkage of Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Friday, July 10, 2015- Open Letter and Invitation To Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders For Event About Protecting Public Assets At Tillary Clinton Library

    •    Friday, July 10, 2015-  Open Letter and Invitation To Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton For Event About Protecting Public Assets At Tillary Clinton Library

    •    Tuesday, June 2, 2015- Our Public Assets Under Attack- A Calamity of the Commons Unfolding That We Must Act Collectively Against- How best To Express It?

Letters Objecting To Library Sales From NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and NYC Public Advocate Tish James

    •    Wednesday, December 9, 2015- NYC Comptroller's Office Letter to Deputy Mayor Glen on the Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Thursday, December 10, 2015- Tish James, Public Advocate To City Council: "Supporting affordable housing and preserving public assets like libraries must not be competing imperatives."

Resolutions Supporting Citizens Defending Libraries' Fight Against Library Sales

    •    Thursday, April 23, 2015- Resolutions About Library Sell-offs and the Future of the Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Heights Branch & Business Library adopted by Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats on April 23, 2015

    •    Thursday, April 16, 2015- Resolution on Future of the Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Heights Branch & Business Library Adopted by Independent Neighborhood Democrats on April 16, 2015

    •    Thursday, February 5, 2015- Resolution Respecting the Brooklyn Heights Library Adopted by the Independent Neighborhood Democrats Executive Board

Letters Between Others Respecting Central Library Plan, Mid-Manhattan Library and SIBL
    •    New York Public Library Staff Update: "Frequently Asked Questions" Respecting Changes Entailed With Its Abandonment of Its Central Library Plan

    •    Thursday, April 3, 2014- March 25, 2014 Letter From Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to NYPL President Anthony Marx About NYPL’s Proposed Central Library Plan
 
     •    Wednesday, December 10, 2014- Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer Exchanges Correspondence With NYPL President Anthony W. Marx About Sale of SIBL, (And Emails Constituents About It DURING City Council Hearing)  

Open Letter From Councilman Steve Levin About The Brooklyn Heights Library

    •    Monday, December 28, 2015- “An Open Letter Regarding the Brooklyn Heights Library Project”- Obfuscation From Councilman Steve Levin Concerning His Betrayal of The Community By Approving The Sale and Shrinkage of Our Library

Handy Resources

    •    Thursday, January 1, 2015- Partial List of Successes of Citizens Defending Libraries (founded early 2013)

    •    Friday, January 1, 2016- Brooklyn Public Library Trustees- Identified + Biographical and Other Information Supplied

    •    Friday, January 1, 2016- Why Nonprofit Boards May Stray From Their Core Missions And Obligations To the Public- Considered Generally And Particularly With Respect To Libraries


    •    Floor Plans of the Brooklyn Heights Library Considered In Light of the Library’s Proposed Sale and Shrinkage 

    •    Wednesday, June 3, 2015- In A Closed Library, A Tour of Much The Public Doesn't Get To See- Don't Let Them Close This Library, The Brooklyn Heights Library On Cadman Plaza West, Corner of Tillary & Clinton
    •    Sunday, June 14, 2015- It's Marvelous To Have Books!- Indeed, But Architect Jonathan Marvel Designs a Library Seemingly Oblivious To The Tradition of Finding Books In The Library

    •    Physical Books vs. Digital Books

    •    Wednesday, March 9, 2016,  WBAI Reporting About The Sale and Shrinkage of NYC Libraries- “Behind News,” "The Morning Show," Plus News Reports

    •    Occupy Alternative Banking: Listen to Citizens Defending Libraries - Feb. 1st Talk, Josh Snodgrass, Posted on February 1, 2015

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