7/28/2019 Letter to Mayor Bloomberg on Proposed Changes at New York Public Libraries

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July 12, 2013

Hon. Mayor Michael R. BloombergCity Hall

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I am writing to express my deep concern over the proposed changes to the Citys library systemsin Manhattan and Brooklyn. I am calling on the City to halt the New York Public Librarys plansat the Central Library, and for a thorough, independent cost audit and review of the proposed

project. In addition, I am calling for a reconsideration of the Brooklyn Public Librarys plans for the Brooklyn Heights and Pacific branches until a similar review can be completed.

The Citys three public library systems ar e critical public cultural institutions and have servedour City well supporting scholars and independent researchers, providing resources andservices for immigrants and job-seekers, and serving as an intellectual home and refuge for life-long learners and avid readers. Over the past 12 years, these institutions have faced budget cutsand public divestment, struggled to meet operating costs, forced to reduce hours and services,and suffered from hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance on aging air conditioners, boilers, computers and roofs. But these fiscal challenges are not a rationale toengage in drastic measures if anything, they underscore the need for prudence, frugality andcaution.

The Central Library Plan, which involves a $ 150 million in dedicated City funds, would closeand sell off the Mid-Manhattan Library and the Science, Industry, and Business Library,consolidating operations at the crown jewel of the New York library system the Fifth AvenueCentral Library of the New York Public Library. The plan involves a dramatic alteration byarchitect Norman Foster and the relocation of a substantial portion of the sites distinguishedresearch stacks.

The NYPL claims this renovation would cost $300 million and save the system substantial fundsin the long run. But recent testimony by Tony Marx, President of the New York Public Library,suggested this estimate has not been corroborated by independent sources, and that the figure is

preliminary. Outside critics have identified the substantial engineering challenges associatedwith the proposed renovation and are skeptical that the plans $300 million price tag wouldntgrow much larger, potentially catastrophically so. The City should immediately halt all plans tosell Mid-Manhattan Library and the Science, Industry, and Business Library to developers until athorough, independent, and publicly disclosed assessment is completed. This review shouldevaluate the complete financial risks associated with the current plan, and seriously consider alternative ways to use City funds to ensure the preservation of the NYPLs valuable collectionstored at the Central Library and preserve the Mid-Manhattan branch as a functioning library. Inthe words of the New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, the last thing

7/28/2019 Letter to Mayor Bloomberg on Proposed Changes at New York Public Libraries

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[library officials] want to be remembered for is trashing their landmark building and digging amoney pit.

Similarly, the Brooklyn Public Library system has explored the option of selling the BrooklynHeights and Pacific Street branches to developers in order to raise money to support the system

and alleviate the need to make repairs at those sites. These sales which would turn over publicland permanently to private parties should not be rushed through in the waning days of theBloomberg administration. The Brooklyn Public Library needs money, and a reasonable andsensitive plan involving the retention of community library space and partial redevelopmentmight be worth consideration. But a much more thorough review is needed. We need to ensurewe are driving the hardest bargain possible with the developers and maximizing the publicsreturn on the land.

Thank you for your attention in these matters,

Bill de BlasioPublic Advocate for the City of New York

Cc: Tony Marx, President and CEO of the New York Public LibraryLinda Johnson, President of the Brooklyn Public Library