“Right now, our libraries are not able to give New Yorkers the full benefit of what we have to offer. The lack of reliable capital budget support has limited our ability to provide the level of services we know is needed and could deliver if our basic capital needs were met in a way that allows us to plan effectively,” said Quinn-Carey.

She shared updated figures from the Center for an Urban Future’s “Re-Envisioning New York’s Branch Libraries.”  According to this report, in the five boroughs, there is more than $1.1 billion in unmet basic capital needs, with the Queens portion exceeding $400 million. The average branch library is 61 years old, with a full quarter of the branches built over a century ago.

In addition, New York public libraries are heavily used. According to Quinn-Carey, more than 35 million people visited their public library last year, creating a great deal of wear and tear. The vast majority of these libraries aren’t configured to meet the demands of the digital age—with too few electrical outlets, too little space for classes, or no spaces for individuals working on laptop computers.

“As you know, many of the city’s libraries are simply too small,” said Quinn-Carey in her address to the Finance Committee. “In Queens, 41 of our 65 service locations are less than 10,000 square feet. It is impossible to squeeze full-service library programming, classes and collections into these spaces.”

She went on to explain that demands on and for library space will continue to grow. The City projects that the population of Queens will increase by more than 300,000 people by the year 2030.

“Areas in Queens that have traditionally been industrial space are now becoming newly residential, and there is no library nearby. We need to serve those new communities,” she said.

Over a ten-year period from 2016 to 2025, Queens Library seeks to enhance and enrich its library infrastructure by making capital improvements to 60 of its library locations, allocating over $418 million over the course of the plan. This will require approximately $41 million in capital funding per year.  The plan includes two new libraries in emerging communities; six replacement buildings; four building expansions; indoor and outdoor renovations; new heating and cooling systems, and other environmentally-friendly innovations; and expanding technology services. An average of $24 million a year will be spent on the development of building expansions, replacements, and new facilities; $17 million a year will be spent on necessary reconstruction and ensuring a state of good repair; and $25 million over ten years will be allocated for technology.

By Forum Staff

Cagri (l.) and Gozde Aksay, husband and wife founders of LIC-based Salaryfairy.com. Photo Courtesy of Cagri Aksay.

A new report by an information technology industry trade association ranked New York State third in the nation for tech jobs held, totaling 346,500 in 2014.

The report, released earlier this month by the Computing Technology Industry Association, said that the state’s tech industry added 5,700 jobs between 2013 and 2014, ranking New York as having the third most tech workers in the nation.

The report examined tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors by state.

“As the third largest tech industry employer in the nation and four years of continuing tech industry employment growth, New York is a critical part of our nation’s most innovative industry,” said Kevin Callahan, director of state government affairs for TechAmerica, the public policy division of CompTIA.

Callahan added that NY’s tech industry, from IT firms in Silicon Alley to the state’s nanotechnology hub in Albany, contribute nearly 9 percent to the state’s economy and more than 7 percent of the state’s overall private sector employment.

And, while the report did not break out specific tech job numbers for Queens, there are numerous indicators that the borough’s tech sector is also experiencing significant growth.

“Long Island City is very attractive to startups because it’s one subway stop from Midtown Manhattan, yet it offers cheaper rents and – very important – large industrial spaces for offices,” said Rob MacKay, a spokesman for the Queens Economic Development Corporation.

“I would also praise the Coalition for Queens, which promotes tech businesses in the borough. The coalition hosts periodical meet-ups during which tech enthusiasts come together to network with experts or maybe even watch a video.”

In addition, Digital.NYC, a unique public/private partnership between the mayor’s office, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, IBM, and at least a dozen NYC-based technology and media companies, has helped to grow New York City’s startup and technology ecosystem by bringing together companies, startups, investors, workspaces, and tech incubators throughout the five boroughs.

In fact, next month, the tech partnership is hosting a five-borough tour that will stop in Queens and enable the city’s leading entrepreneurs and investors to discuss startup life in the borough and NYC.

Turkish immigrant Cagri Aksay and his wife Gozde have jumped in feet-first to the borough’s tech scene with their founding last year of Salaryfairy.com, a Long Island City-based company that addresses the issue of salary inequality in the workplace.

“We help our users discover their true value in the job market. We currently have 17,000 users and we continue to grow,” said Cagri, via email.

Asked why he chose the borough as his company base, Cagri said, “I believe Queens is a great place to found a new startup, particularly because of its proximity to the NYC startup ecosystem, its relative affordability, and the diverse workforce.”

He added, “I expect Queens’ tech sector will see an even bigger growth in coming years.”

Other prominent Queens-based tech and other startups include Altanova energy, founded in 2006 in Long Island City, which specializes in energy and sustainability consulting to industry; and Freshdirect, an online, LIC-based startup, founded in 2002, that delivers fresh foods and groceries to city residents by way of online ordering.

The CompTIA report also found that tech industry workers earned an average wage of $102,000, 59 percent more than New York’s average private sector wage.

In addition, the state also ranked third in electronic components manufacturing employment, with 10,800 jobs; third in internet services employment, with 32,500 jobs, and fourth in computer systems design, with nearly 104,700 jobs.

Reflecting on Queens’ future tech sector prospects, Mackay noted, “So, through concerned efforts and organic growth, a very hospitable tech ecosystem has popped up in Queens. “

And, he said, “All signs point to the fact that it will only get bigger, better, and more influential.”

 By Alan Krawitz

More than 1,800 computers were unaccounted for or missing entirely, and nearly 400 laptops and tablets were found unpacked and unused in 10 DOE locations, raising concerns that millions in computer equipment may be lost citywide, according to an audit of DOE’s inventory control over nearly $200 million in computer purchases released on Tuesday by Stringer’s office.

The audit findings included missing computers and “grossly inaccurate records.” According to Stringer, DOE was unable to identify the location of 1,817 laptop and desktop computers that were supposed to be at the 10 sites—1,090 that were listed as “asset location unknown” or were no longer listed at all at Bronx PS 168 and 727 that were not physically found at nine of the locations. The department spent nearly $200 million during Fiscal Year 2012 and Fiscal Year 2013 on computers and tablets, “yet does not maintain a centralized inventory system to make sure they are sent to the right places.” The four Queens schools that have been affected are PS 152 in Woodside, JHS 217 in Jamaica, PS 165 in Flushing, and Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows.

The audit also found that nearly 400 devices had gone unused and unopened at eight school sites.

Stringer’s recommendations included creating a centralized inventory system; revising DOE’s procedures; finding every computer identified as missing; and reporting any evidence of crimes.

The DOE disagreed with the audit’s findings and with most of the recommendations. The agency maintains that Stringer “did not investigate DOE’s actual inventory process and as a result the audit provides an incomplete and uneven account of the location of equipment purchased by the DOE.”

Additionally, the DOE questioned the auditors’ methodology and asserted that “an audit with the stated purpose of seeking all items listed in the [Asset Management System] is incomplete without reviewing the purchase orders to identify the delivery location.

The “flawed methodology” presented the audit team with a number of hurdles that led to “incomplete information” being included in the final report. The DOE also stated that it “does not agree that a single centralized inventory system is cost effective or practical.”

By Michael V. Cusenza