Thursday, December 13, 2007

Queens Library wasted money

Thousands of glossy fliers packed with color photographs of elected officials that were paid for by the Queens Library are drawing criticism from those who say the public library system should be using its limited resources to buy books and pay librarians, not to promote politicians.

Library's Fliers Criticized as Promoting Politicians

The four-page fliers distributed earlier this month thank Mayor Bloomberg; the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, and 17 other council members for restoring funding for six-day library service in the city's budget this year. Of the library's 16,000 fliers, 9,000 were mailed to library supporters. The rest were spread out among library branches.

The executive director of Citizens Union, Richard Dadey, said that when compared to other newsletters thanking donors or elected officials for their work, the Queens Library flier "takes the cake."

Ms. King would not say how much the library paid for the production and dissemination of the fliers, but cost estimates from printing companies and the United States Postal Service show that the total cost could have been around $7,000.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look like the typical Queens cultural institution, the library is a haven for developer types.

Once mentioned to the head of the library (will not mention names here) that they should take a page from Carnegie, and get after the fat cats in real estate to DONATE back to the communities they suck dry.

He changed the subject.

georgetheatheist said...

That's it!! I've had it!! NO MORE!! Enough!

Please join me today in forming a posse to arrest these sons (and daughters) of bitches. The whole stinking, festering lot of them! I'll meet you all in the parking lot by the Home Depot. The chains, locks, and shovels are on me!!!

Anonymous said...

The new libraries in LIC take playgrounds away from children. No need to deny developer opportunities.

After all, the developer types infest their board. How about the one well connected fellow that destroyed Astoria's namesake, the 1828 Astoria Institute for a senior warehouse he manages?

That sends a nice message, eh?

Anonymous said...

I like their celebration of the
100th Anniversary of the Library -- twice!

Ten years ago, then today.

Anonymous said...

Well, if we are exposing dark secrets, how about that special collection of historic documents spirited away one night from a certain historic house, delivered to the library where they reside in some dark chamber.

Understand that a certain historian at a certain institution appriased, and got the tax deduction for the donation!

Ah, Queens. Dontcha luv it?

Anonymous said...

This news doesn't surprise me. The suburban libraries have far better resources (for English speakers anyway) than the Queens Library, which really has become a backwater for the politicans and their tweeded serfs.

Anonymous said...

In what universe is this a problem? The library depends on the politicians to provide funding. Funding means they can open the doors and put books on the shelves. It's simple quid pro quo.

Anonymous said...

In this case I have to agree with anonymous #5. Alot of non profits rely on their local politicians for funding. Maybe they went a little overboard with the flier, but I don't see how thanking them for the funding should be an issue. Lot's of non profits thank their donors publicly.

Anonymous said...

In what universe is this a problem? The library depends on the politicians to provide funding. Funding means they can open the doors and put books on the shelves.

----------

Why is everything funded by politicians where our culture, like a ball and chain, has to drag along their agenda?

Again, how about some public pressure on all those bigshots sucking the vitality out of our communities - if they can afford lavish tasteless lifestyles the least they can do is make a public show of giving back to the community that sustains them.

Anonymous said...

Take the Flushing Library, for example,
Snoring snoozers
and loungers are hogging that place.

I've actually witnessed the guards
having to wake up some people....
who were catching some Z-Z-Z-Zs.

Not that I'm against anyone grabbing a quick nap
but not in a public library.

Not when I'm there to do research!

That's what community centers are for....
eh....C.M. Liu !