Cuomo: Restore $2M NYPL – CUNY Library Funding

GovCuomoGovernor Cuomo’s 2014-2015 budget proposal cuts $4M library funding for New York State, a 4.7% cut from last year’s enacted budget. Cuts to NYPL-CUNY Library Funding directly impact CUNY graduate students and faculty.

State funding for NYPL on behalf of CUNY has declined 17% since 2007, even while CUNY collaboration with NYPL has intensified. Last year 36% of scholars using NYPL’s Wertheim study were CUNY affiliates and 45% of the NYPL’s  MaRLI borrowers were from CUNY. New York State has funded NYPL’s book budget on CUNY’s behalf since 1968.

Sign the New York Library Association petition to demand full funding for New York State Libraries. Restore the NYPL-CUNY book budget to $2M.

New York State Aid to NYPL for CUNY Materials Reported by NYPL

2007-8 $2.000M  full funding
2008-9 $1.943M
2009-10 $1.724M
2010-11 $1.673M
2011-12 $1.563M
2012-13 $1.599M
2013-14 $1.678M  revised down from $1.732M
2014-15 $1.652M Jan 2014 estimate

CUNY deserves fuller funding. And NYPL deserves full funding for the support the library offers CUNY.  

Act now. Find your elected officials email address here.

Cut and paste sample text, and send:

I write to ask you to support public higher education, particularly CUNY, and New York Public Library funding on behalf of CUNY.

CUNY needs additional state support of $7.5 million for STEP increases provided for in CUNY’s faculty contract. These funds have not been reflected in the executive budget for the last two years. We request an additional community college base aid increase of at least $250 per FTE in order to strengthen academic programs and student support services programs such as ASAP, CUNY START and Single Stop.  There are also critical capital needs at CUNY.  We need $211 million for new buildings at the senior colleges and $34.5 million for new buildings and upgrades at the community colleges.

We also ask that the legislature restore the state budget for CUNY-NYPL funding to at least $2M.  State funding for NYPL on behalf of CUNY has declined 17% since 2007, even while CUNY collaboration with NYPL has intensified. Last year 36% of scholars using NYPL’s Wertheim study were CUNY affiliates and 45% of the NYPL’s  MaRLI borrowers were from CUNY. New York State has funded NYPL’s book budget on CUNY’s behalf since 1968.  This is not the time to undermine the CUNY-NYPL collaboration, it is time for New York politicians to back it.

Sincerely,

CUNY & NYPL Constituent

About the Author

Prof. Polly Thistlethwaite is CUNY's Interim University Dean for Library Services.