New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s current proposed budget calls for the closure of 14 libraries and for 412 layoffs in the borough of Queens alone.  In all the cuts amount to more than one third of library employees in Queens.  Libraries in Manhattan and Brooklyn would also face steep cuts. 

The Queens Library system has seen its budget shrink by $28 million since 2008.  Budget hearings will take place before the end of June and supporters of the libraries will have a chance to make their case to the mayor. 

“These budget cuts,” said Christian Zabriskie, deputy coordinator for youth services at Queens Library, “will destroy the public libraries in this city as we know them, marginalize our impact on our communities and deprive our citizens of information culture and entertainment.”