NYPL: Reopening of newly renovated, $20M Port Richmond Library at risk due to proposed NYC budget cuts

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The reopening of the landmarked Port Richmond branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL) after a seven-year, $20 million renovation is in jeopardy as a result of proposed city budget cuts, library officials said this week in a plea to the City Council to restore funding.

NYPL President Anthony W. Marx detailed that threat and many others, including an additional reduction in service hours throughout the city, during a City Council budget hearing Tuesday. He was joined by the presidents of the city’s two other library systems — the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Public Library.