NPR – “A new campaign, Invest in Libraries, puts forth that in the past 10 years, the city government has reduced funding for public libraries by nearly 20 percent and 1,000 workers or so have been trimmed from the payroll. The campaign calls on the city to increase its support in various ways, such as restoring $65 million in operating funds. The New York Times reports that “the city’s three public library systems — the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Library — are seeking $1.4 billion in city funds over the next decade to bring all 217 public library branches up to modern building standards. Notable, really, because last week marked the 114th anniversary of steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s gift of 60 library branch buildings to the New York Public Library. The library recently mounted an exhibit showcasing Carnegie’s largesse that will be up through May 10. Carnegie’s generosity, says Tony Marx, president of the New York Public Library, “allowed a public library in almost every neighborhood; a safe, oasis where people could learn, improve themselves, and by extension, improve their communities. That grand tradition continues today.”