David I.

Weprin
State Assembly - 24th A.D.
for

205-07 Hillside Avenue, Hollis, NY 11423 ♦ (718) 465-8202

For Release
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Contact: Corey Bearak

(718) 343-6779/ cell: (516) 343-6207

David Weprin, Advocates, Civics: Keep Libraries Open

Former NYC Councilman David Weprin, joined by Council Member Mark Weprin,
advocates and civic leaders, including Queens Civic Congress Vice President Harbachan Singh,
urged all concerned residents to speak out, testify and rally against service cuts to Queens
libraries. At a 12:00 noon, Sunday, January 24, 2010 news conference outside the Windsor Park
Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library, in Hollis Hills, Queens, the Democratic nominee
for Assembly from the 24th A.D. also pressed City Hall and urged residents to make plain their
support for libraries in calls to the Mayor.

As Chair of the City Council's Finance Committee from 2002 through 2009, David
Weprin always believed in the primacy of preserving core services: “I recognize the difficult
times facing our city and the critical choices before our public officials. City Hall must make it a
priority to fully support core services; that includes our libraries. This means making our branch
libraries true community resources by ensuring these signature facilities open SEVEN (7) DAYS
a week and eight to ten (8-10) hours per day. That ought to be the goal.”
 “Instead, we come together here outside the Windsor Park Branch Library, slated to lose
weekend [Saturday] service on February 1, in common cause to ask City Hall to simply sustain
the existing service levels,” stated Councilman Weprin. “Everyone recognizes how the role of
the public library branch in Queens has changed considerably since I was a young student user.
As you see by those joining us here today, people of every religion, ethnicity and background use
its facilities. The Queens Borough Public Library may serve only one county in New York, but it
continues to gain renown as the largest-circulating system in the world. Thus, we can only
surmise the deleterious impacts of the 13 other branch closings such as Kew Gardens Hills on
Sundays which offers the largest collection of Judaic literature.” 16 additional QBPL branches
face a loss of weekend service absent the allocation of additional funds, effective July 1, 2010.

“Queens libraries offer much more than books and periodicals. Each serves as a
multimedia center and a place of community gathering and activity. This includes poetry
readings, lectures, puppet shows, adult literacy and English as a second language programs, as
well as free use of computers that provide opportunities for online research and communication,
including free e-mail. It also serves as a zero cost to the city after-school and latchkey program.”

“Each branch library serves as a vital component to a community, serving from the
wealthiest to the poorest residents. Thousands of residents live within walking distance of their
nearest library branch.”

“While our legislators do their part, mayors and governors should provide more funds in
their budgets. Our mayor needs to get over an atrocious annual act that severely impacts and
really kills service when most of our kids are out from school. When mayors — no matter their
politics — submit preliminary and proposed budgets with cuts in library service, the QBPL (and
its sister New York and Brooklyn systems) must take immediate actions to conserve its
resources. Annually, this means fewer summer hours. By the time the Council’s restoration in
June takes hold, the summer is over.”

“That's why I urge every concerned resident to call 3-1-1 to urge the Mayor to restore the
funding so the Queens Borough Public Library can maintain weekend service at current levels,
including Saturday service here at the Windsor Park Branch.”

Other community leaders attending included Democratic District Leader Martha Taylor
(also Community Board 8 Vice-Chair), Democratic State Committee Member Kay Glover, Marc
Haken (Hilltop Village Cooperatives, Community Board 8 Youth and Libraries Committee
chair), Steven Behar (Democrats for New Politics), Jagir Singh Bains (Sikkh community,
Community Board 8), Mike Sydell (Community Board 8), Tammy Osherov (Meadowlark
Gardens, Community Board 8), Cathy Cahn (PS205Q PTA), Cheryl Fruchter (Windsor Park
Cooperative Board of Directors) and many concerned community members affected by the
service cuts.

-30-