QUEENS, NY — A library in Queens soon will be the only branch in the entire city open Sundays, thanks to controversial mid-year budget cuts from Mayor Eric Adams.
Seven-day service will end for all libraries in the city’s three systems by Dec. 17, except for the Kew Gardens Hills branch, according to Queens Public Library’s site.
“Without sufficient funding, we cannot sustain our current levels of service, and any further cuts to the Libraries’ budgets will, unfortunately, result in deeper service impacts,” representatives for New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library said in a joint statement.
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The Sunday service cuts came after Adams administration officials said nearly two weeks ago that a mid-year budget cut was necessary for libraries and other city services to cover a $7 billion budget gap.
The math — and justification — behind the cuts has been controversial, to say the least.
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And, arguably, the end of seven-day service at most libraries will be the most visible impact for everyday New Yorkers.
Sunday was the last day that New York Public Library and Queens Public Library branches would offer seven-day service. Brooklyn Public Library’s branches will stop being open Sundays after Dec. 17.
When that happens, only Kew Gardens Hills will be open on Sundays.
But the branch won’t be open seven days a week.
A spokesperson for Queens Public Library told Patch the branch isn’t open Saturday for Shabbat.
Many people in the surrounding community are Jewish and observe Shabbat on Saturdays, meaning the library stays open Sundays to serve them, the spokesperson said.
Most Queens library branches, including Kew Gardens Hills, have been open six days a week.
The only two that were open seven days a week — the Central and Flushing branches — will shift to six days after this past weekend, the spokesperson said.
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