NYC Public Library Action Network

New York City Public Library Action Network Newsletter, Issue #7

Brown background with a photo of Mayor Mamdani imposed over it. It has text overlaid which reads "Mayor Mamdani did not honor his commitment to allocate 05% of the city expense budget to NYC public libraries in his preliminary budget." At the top, it says "NYC PLAN Public Library Action Network" and, at the bottom, "Visit nycplan.org for more information"

The Mayor’s Preliminary Budget is Terrible for NYC Public Libraries

Last April, then-candidate Zohran Mamdani pledged to commit 0.5% of the city’s budget to public libraries. This funding increase is the core demand of NYC PLAN, and it wouldwill help ensure that every branch has the staffing and resources to provide robust services to their communities. He reiterated his commitment on December 27 at Greenpoint Library

And as recently as his budget discussion video1 released on Jan 30, he reaffirmed the importance of library funding.

Unfortunately, Mayor Mamdani has broken this promise in his preliminary FY27 budget, released yesterday. In it, he allocated 0.39% of the city’s expense budget to NYC public libraries for FY 27, which starts on July 1, 2026.

This amount is well below the 0.5% of the city’s expense budget that he promised during the campaign and reaffirmed after his election. In fact, at 0.39% of the expense budget, he has actually allocated LESS than Eric Adams did in his FY 26 preliminary budget proposal.

Photo of three pay phones hanging on a wall
Photo Credit: Pavan Trikutam, Unsplash

But we’re not giving up

After hearings and other steps, the City Council votes to approve the final budget this June, and we have until then to convince each and every member that our public libraries deserve a raise. If the mayor won’t hold himself accountable to his word, then we certainly will.

We’re asking you to reach out to your council member as frequently as you can to get them aligned with our goal – 0.5% for Libraries, this and every year. Please also reach out to everyone in your network who lives in NYC and ask them to do the same.

Click here to sign and send a letter to your council member, or click here to find their phone number and give them a call. We’ve provided a call script here. Lastly, please forward this newsletter to anyone you know who loves libraries so they can take action themselves.

Send a letter!
  1. Mamdani, Zohran. “The City’s budget is our future. And you should know how it works.” Uploaded by NYC Mayor’s Office. 30 Jan 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIopO7Ysm8
A flyer with an image of a library nestled in a tree throwing down roots as books fly off on a stream of energy. The text reads: "Do you love your library? Join NYC Public Library Action Network for A People's Assembly! - Meet your neighbors and library defenders! - Learn how to advocate for your local library! - Discover all the ways libraries improve our city! Saturday, March 21 12:45pm Make the Road NY 104-19 Roosevelt Avenue Corona, NY 11368"

Join us for our Queens People’s Assembly in March

Our next NYC Public Library People’s Assembly is coming up on March 21st in Queens!

Join us from 12:45 to 4:30 at Make The Road in Corona to discuss how every single New Yorker can take action to support NYC’s public libraries, how to keep pushing for 0.5% of the budget for libraries, and connect with your fellow library defenders.

Don’t miss your chance to meet local library workers and union reps, connect with other lovers of radical access to education and good information, and put pressure on YOUR elected officials.

It’s free (including the food!) and we’d love to see you there! Click here for more details.

Upcoming Free Events at NYC Libraries

Our New York libraries host exciting, free events for people of all ages every day.

Here are a few coming up in December that we recommend:

Want to know more about NYC PLAN?

Image of a flow chart, titled "How can I get involved?" It describes four tiers of involvement, depending on how much capacity you have to work, stay informed, or contribute resources. The tiers are: "Ally! - Connect with "for the people" - Subscribe to our newsletter" "Sponsor - Contribute space, print materials, or offer other resources - Donate funds to our work" "Network supporter - Attend meetings occasionally - Pitch in for time-sensitive actions like signing letters, attending hearings - Assist with events or campaigns when possible" "Active member! - Attend 4 all-hands meetings each year - Join & participate in a working group - Get involved in 1 time-bound event per year - Contribute sliding scale dues as able"

If you want to get more involved with NYC PLAN, we’d love to see you at our next meeting on November 16 from 1:30 to 4:15 pm in Brooklyn! Email info@nycplan.org and we’ll get back to you with more information.

P.S. – If you’re reading this within a week of us sending it, the polls are open in New York City! Please vote for candidates who will fund and strengthen our Lib