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New York Post

LIBRARIES: $PEAK UP!

By CHUCK BENNETT

May 11, 2009

Even librarians want you to shout about this: Facing a potential $28.2 million funding cut in Mayor Bloomberg's budget, the book lenders of the New York Public Library are protesting.

"These cuts are potentially worse than the fiscal crisis of the 1970s," said spokeswoman Deanna Lee. "If we don't get restoration, we are looking at severe layoffs [as many as 435 staffers] and at having to cut up to 20 hours per week [of accessibility to the public] Six or seven days of service will go down to four or five days a week."

Branches in Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island have set up tables -- complete with sample letters -- for library users to fire off missives to Bloomberg and the City Council, asking them to reconsider. Stamps are included.

The library hopes at least 22,000 letters will be sent.

And visitors to the library's Web site are greeted with a pop-up ad that helps generate a protest e-mail.

"Users sent 1,500 e-mails in the first three days," Lee said a week into the campaign.

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