Library Now Closed on Sundays; Kids Read Internet Instead

Back in November I attended the Brooklyn Public Library’s annual fund raising gala and talked to the library’s benefactors and patrons about how potential budget cuts might adversely effect the library’s operations.

I hadn’t heard anything about it until yesterday, when a friend told me that he tried to go to the library on a recent Sunday and found it closed. I emailed the library’s spokesperson to confirm, that yes, the central branch is now closed on Sundays.

Yes, unfortunately the loss of Sunday hours is due to budget cuts. For the remainder of our fiscal year (now through June 30), we have to cut $2.2 million from our budget. Eliminating Sunday hours due to time in a half pay ensures we are able to keep every library open six days a week.

And while cutting hours is never an easy decision, we know that many people are taking advantage of our services 24/7 via our website, including placing books holds, conducting research, learning new languages, getting homework help, renewing books and downloading eContent.

What will Brooklyn’s kids do on Sunday now? Read the internet? That is, if they have computers at home.

There are still plenty of events six days a week at the central branch, and all previously scheduled Sunday programs at central library’s Dweck Center will take place as scheduled.