Hours Reduced At NYPL Branches, But Six-Day Service Preserved

August 24, 2010—The recent announcement of a $10 million City budget cut has necessitated service reductions by The New York Public Library at its locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.

On average, locations will be open 46.6 hours a week – an 11 percent reduction from the 52.7-hour average in September 2009.

All sites will continue to offer six-day service

however, with four sites open seven days.

In order to keep these service levels, the Library offered voluntary separation and early retirement programs to reduce staff, resulting in nearly 100 workers stepping down. Remaining staff will be working hard to ensure a high quality of service.

"Access to information is central to the Library's mission, so maintaining six-day service was a priority in these difficult economic times,” said NYPL President and CEO Paul LeClerc. “The staff worked diligently to find ways to keep library doors open so New Yorkers can continue to utilize the critical services that they depend on now more than ever. Unfortunately, the reality is that difficult choices had to be made, and many branches will operate with very limited staffing. We ask the public – which fought so persistently and passionately earlier this year against even greater budget cuts – to be patient with us as we work through these issues."

Library schedule changes were determined based on a variety of factors, including attendance, proximity to other branches and peak hours, all to make cuts minimally disruptive. For example, on Staten Island, Sunday service was moved to the Todt Hill-Westerleigh Library because of its central location and extensive parking.

The new hours will go into effect on Sept. 7. Go here for a complete list of new schedules.