On May 19, representatives from New York City’s three public libraries will host story time for toddlers on the steps of city hall. This event was coordinated as part of the Keep Investing in Libraries campaign.
During the event, the presidents of the New York Public Library, the Queens Library, and the Brooklyn Public Library will speak about how an increase in funding would be used to boost after-school programs, launch STEM educational classes, and expand literacy services. The participants behind this movement hope to compel Mayor Bill de Blasio and local city council members to increase funding for these libraries.
Here’s more from the press release: “Story times are just one of many early literacy programs that libraries provide, offering parents and children access to quality offerings that close the word gap and prepare all children for success. Citywide, library story time attendance has risen nearly 28 percent from 399,751 people in Fiscal Year 2013 to 510,367 people in fiscal year 2015. Many branches – such as the New Amsterdam Library around the corner from City Hall, which will participate in the pop up story time – have lines for their story time programs, and even have to give out tickets to manage crowds.”