Jeff Mkt. Library closing; Ottendorfer reopens
BY GABE HERMAN
The New York Public Library sent
an e-mail notice on March 9 to
Jefferson Market branch users
that it would be closed for three months
starting April 1 for the start of renovations.
In the notice, Dawn Chance, associate
director for the Lower Manhattan
Neighborhood Library Network, said
Jefferson Market would reopen this
summer, though with limited access to
areas still under construction. The $10
million renovation project is scheduled
to be completed in summer 2020.
The project includes reconfi guring
the library’s front entrance at Sixth
Ave. between W. Ninth and W. 10th
Sts., including cleaning and restoring
masonry; adding an accessibility ramp
at the building’s rear along W. 10th St.;
upgrading the elevator to service all
fl oors and remove the need for platform
and stair lifts; reconstructing ADA accessible
bathrooms; adding more public
space in the lobby; and improving the
building’s IT wiring and equipment.
“To best accommodate patrons during
Jefferson Market Library’s temporary
closure, the Hudson Park
branch will have extended hours
and will manage Jefferson Market
Library’s DVD collection,” the
notice added.
All items on hold at Jefferson
Market after April 1 will be
available for pickup at the Hudson
Park branch, at 66 Leroy St.
in the West Village.
Jefferson Market’s temporary
closure was originally planned for
this past winter, but was pushed to
the spring due to community feedback,
according to an N.Y.P.L. spokesperson.
The nearby Ottendorfer branch reopened
March 11 after a six-month
renovation that installed a sprinkler
and fi re alarm system. Located at 135
Second Ave., between St. Mark’s Place
and E. Ninth St., it’s the library system’s
oldest branch, dating to 1884.
To celebrate its reopening, the Ottendorfer
branch hosted a series of events
PHOTO BY JONATHAN BLANC / N.Y.P.L.
Anthony Marx speaking at a March
11 City Hall rally for library funding.
on March 14, including an opening reception,
a teen video game tournament
and coloring for adults.
On March 11, the city’s three public
library presidents — testifying at a
preliminary budget hearing at City Hall
— requested increased funds to maintain
current services and meet growing
library needs.
The hearing concerned the 2020 fi scal
budget, and the presidents included
Anthony Marx of N.Y.P.L., Linda Johnson
of Brooklyn Public Library, and
Dennis Walcott of Queens Library.
They said they plan to ask for $35
million in additional funding for
2020, and $957 million over 10
years for technology upgrades,
renovations and needed maintenance.
City funding for the
libraries in recent years has hovered
around $370 million annually.
The three library presidents also
rallied outside City Hall, joined by
supporters, including City Council
Deputy Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and
Christian Zabriskie, executive director
of Urban Libraries Unite. The group
launched a campaign called Invest in
Libraries: Libraries Make NYC Stronger,
which includes a letter-writing
campaign at investinlibraries.org.
“As we do more — because we are
asked to do more and because we must
do more — the foundation we are building
on is cracking, especially in the face
of rising costs,” said Marx. “We know
times are tough and budgets are tight.
But libraries are uniquely positioned to
strengthen New York City by providing
vital support to the city’s broader efforts.
They cannot be replaced, and they
are not a luxury. Now is not the time to
put libraries on the back burner.”
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