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.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Citizens Defending Libraries Issues New (Updated) Petition Asking Mayor De Blasio and Other Electeds to Rescue Our Libraries

Time brings changes!. . .

. . .  Keeping up with the product of its own successes Citizens Defending Libraries has today issued a new (updated) petition asking Mayor De Blasio and our other electeds to rescue our New York City libraries from the program of sales, shrinkage and removal of books launched by the Bloomberg administration:

    •    Mayor de Blasio: Rescue Our Libraries from Developer Destruction

The previous Citizens Defending Libraries petition addressed to Mayor Bloomberg (Save New York City Libraries From Bloomberg Developer Destruction- itself still available for signing) garnered over 17,000 signatures (mostly on line) and helped persuade candidate de Bill de Blasio take his position calling for a halt to New York City libraries, which, in turn, helped lead to abandonment of the NYPL Central Library Plan.

Here is the petition statement:
Mayor de Blasio: Rescue Our Libraries from Developer Destruction

    We demand that Mayor de Blasio, all responsible elected officials, rescue our libraries from the sales, shrinkage, defunding and elimination of books and librarians undertaken by the prior administration to benefit real estate developers, not the public. Selling irreplaceable public assets at a time of increased use and city wealth is unjust, shortsighted, and harmful to our prosperity. These plans that undermine democracy, decrease opportunity, and escalate economic and political inequality, should be rejected by those we have elected to pursue better, more equitable, policies.
For more information about the new petition (including all those to whom it is addressed) and to sign it click here (or past the url below in your browser).

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/mayor-de-blasio-rescue-2?source=s.tw&r_by=5895137

(In addition, if you are a member of an organization that would like to join with others that express support support for the proper and sufficient funding  for libraries, for not selling and shrinking them or getting rid of books and librarians, please contact us at Citizens Defending about providing a letter that expresses this support and affinity for the cause.)

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