libraries
Impact - June 2017
CUF Research Influences City’s 2018 BudgetCUF has long studied the importance of New York City’s public libraries and the challenges facing the city's seniors. Mayor de Blasio and the City Council's 2018 budget followed our recommendations to include infrastructure investments for branch libraries and increased support for the city's aging population.
Data - June 2016
Libraries Teach Tech: Building Skills for a Digital WorldThis new data brief finds that NYC’s public libraries are playing an increasingly important role in helping New Yorkers develop the technology skills needed in today’s economy. It shows that the city’s libraries provided tech training to more than 150,000 New Yorkers in 2015, an 81 percent increase from just three years earlier.
Data - March 2016
Library Times Are A-Changin'Our second annual assessment of library hours in New York shows that 40 percent more branch libraries in NYC are open at least six days a week than this time last year. But while city libraries are open an average of 4 hours more per week than a year ago, they still lag behind many of the largest library systems in the state and nation in hours of operation.
Impact - July 2015
CUF research paves way for huge budget victory for NYC librariesIn the city's FY16 budget, our research helped lay the groundwork for an enormous win for NYC's libraries: the largest ever increase in combined operating and capital funding for public libraries.
Data - June 2015
NYC Libraries by the NumbersDespite declining funds and limited hours of service, New York City’s public libraries are seeing a surge in users and uses. Below we show where the growth is happening and how funding cuts in recent years have affected performance, and provide the city’s first branch-by-branch accounting of book circulation, program attendance and visits.
Impact - April 2015
CUF Influences City Council Response to 2016 BudgetEarlier this week, the City Council issued its response to Mayor de Blasio's preliminary budget. We are heartened that many of the proposals outlined in the response—from opening libraries six days a week to creating a year-round youth employment program—follow a number of our reports' recommendations.
Data - April 2015
Library Funding is Behind the TimesThough visits, book circulation and program attendance are on the rise, New York City’s public libraries are open fewer hours than the state’s largest counties and trail behind cities throughout the nation.
Impact - December 2014
CUF Prompts City Council Hearing on Capital needs of City's Public LibrariesPrompted by our Re-Envisioning New York's Branch Libraries report, City Council organized a hearing to discuss capital needs and planning for the city's public library systems.
Data - September 2014
Data from Re-Envisioning New York's Branch LibrariesCharts and tables from our Re-Envsioning New York's Branch Libraries report which found that while more New Yorkers than ever are using the city’s public libraries, a significant share of the branches suffer from major physical defects and are poorly configured for how New Yorkers are using libraries today. The report provides a comprehensive blueprint for bringing these vital community institutions into the 21st Century.
Impact - June 2013
CUF Influences Full City Restoration of Library FundingFor the first time since Fiscal Year 2008, Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council approved a city budget in which New York City's three public library systems did not lose any funding. The decision to fully restore the libraries’ budgets—after the mayor initially proposed a $106 million reduction in funding—was influenced by our groundbreaking study about New York’s three public library systems.
