[title]
No more standing outside your local library on a Sunday, wondering why the doors are locked.
Thanks to New York City’s new $115.9 billion budget, 10 more public library branches across the five boroughs will now be open seven days a week. The move restores weekend access for readers, researchers and kids hunting down graphic novels, after a rollercoaster few years of cuts, closures and clawbacks.
RECOMMENDED: The most gorgeous libraries in NYC, from the NYPL to Jefferson Market
The win comes thanks to a $32.7 million infusion for New York City’s three public library systems—$30.7 million in operating support, plus $2 million earmarked specifically for expanding seven-day service. That means, instead of tiptoeing around limited weekend hours, book-loving New Yorkers can breathe easy and browse freely on Sundays again.
As Gothamist reported back in March, just 21 out of the city’s 200-plus libraries offer seven-day access. This expansion, long championed by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, will increase the number to 31, a small but significant step toward a more literate and equitable city. “At a time when libraries across the country are under threat, New York City has once again safeguarded our vital institutions,” said the city’s three library presidents, Linda Johnson (Brooklyn), Tony Marx (NYPL) and Dennis Walcott (Queens), in a joint statement.
The funding reverses a much-lamented 2023 decision by Mayor Eric Adams to slash $58 million from library budgets, which had ended Sunday service. After fierce public outcry and steadily rising attendance numbers (8 million visitors in 2024, up 10% year-over-year), the funding was restored in 2024, and now it’s baselined. In plain terms: There will be no more annual “will-they-won’t-they” budget drama over basic library access.
Beyond libraries, the new budget includes sweeping investments: $70 million for immigration legal services, $125 million for preschool special education and $3 billion in capital funding to expand affordable housing. There’s also a new Department of Sustainable Delivery to tame the city’s e-bike chaos and a pilot for universal infant care.
But for many New Yorkers, this particular victory hits close to home—and bookshelf. Seven-day library access means more kids in reading rooms, more job seekers getting resume help and more seniors joining book clubs.
As for the 10 newly expanded branches? The full list hasn’t dropped yet, but keep your library card ready.