The state Senate has voted in favor of a bill that would allow the three public library systems in the city to become eligible for a grants program that encourages local governments and other entities to explore cooperative projects aimed at improving services and controlling government spending.
Established in 2005, the Local Government Efficiency initiative, according to the New York Department of State, provides technical assistance and competitive grants to municipalities for the development of projects that will achieve savings and improve efficiency through shared services, cooperative agreements, mergers, consolidations and dissolutions.
The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach), is now under review by the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.
“When this program was created, public libraries and association libraries were included among the organizations eligible to apply for LGE grants, but public library systems were inexplicably left out,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Libraries. “My bill simply offers the Queens Borough Public Library and the many other public library systems throughout New York a chance to pursue state funding to help them develop innovative new methods to better serve the public while reducing costs.”
Interim Queens Library President and Chief Executive Officer Bridget Quinn-Carey praised the legislation.
“Queens Library continually looks for innovative and productive ways to offer more to the community by making optimal use of our resources. We appreciate Sen. Addabbo’s efforts to make public libraries eligible for more state funding to further that goal,” Quinn-Carey said in a statement to The Forum.
The borough’s public library system serves 2.3 million people at 62 branches.
By Michael V. Cusenza
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
