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New York City Council
Oversight - Telling Our Stories: Examining the Research Collections of New York City’s Public Libraries
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Council Staff instructs attendees to fill out witness slips, prohibits eating or drinking, and asks that no one approach the dais. They also remind attendees to silence cell phones and electronic devices.
Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams welcomes attendees to the oversight hearing 'Telling Our Stories: Examining the Research Collections of New York City's Public Libraries.' She introduces herself as Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Relations.
Chair Williams announces the four resolutions to be heard: Res 27 on purchase of claims, Res 28 on ending the Financial Oversight Board, Res 372 on repealing Act 22, and Res 494 on stopping Project Esencia. She notes the serendipity of hearing them at the Schomburg Center.
Chair Williams explains that the Schomburg Center is named for Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican writer and activist who amassed a collection of 10,000 items. She notes the center now holds over 11 million items preserving Black history and culture.
Chair Williams reads from and discusses the book 'There Was a Party for Langston' by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jerome and Jared Pumphrey. She connects it to the Schomburg Center's role in preserving the works of Langston Hughes and other Black writers.
Chair Williams describes the research collections of the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library's Center for Brooklyn History, and Queens Public Library's Black Heritage Reference Center. She highlights the staff and funding required to support these collections.
Chair Williams thanks an anonymous donor for a $60 million gift to the NYPL for the Performing Arts. She emphasizes the committee's role in examining how libraries manage public trust and resources.
Chair Williams notes this is the first off-site City Council hearing since COVID. She shares her mother's Harlem roots and highlights the Schomburg Center's 100th anniversary and its historic significance.
Council Member Alexa Aviles thanks the committee and introduces the four resolutions on Puerto Rico. She connects the hearing to Arturo Schomburg's legacy of fighting for Puerto Rican and Cuban independence.
Aviles describes Puerto Rico as the world's oldest colony, controlled by the U.S. government and Wall Street. She criticizes predatory debt practices, La Junta, and projects like Project Esencia that displace Puerto Ricans.
Aviles declares that New York City is home to the world's largest Puerto Rican population and stands in solidarity with the island. She concludes with 'Puerto Rico no se vende. Puerto Rico se defiende.'
Chair Williams invites Council Member Justin Sanchez to speak. Sanchez shares his grandfather's migration from Puerto Rico and his work as a cab driver and presser, connecting his family's story to the Puerto Rican dream.
Sanchez argues that the American dream must evolve into a Puerto Rican dream. He criticizes Act 22 for promoting relocation of individual investors while denying Puerto Ricans the opportunity to build their island.
Chair Williams invites Council Member Yusef Salaam to offer welcoming remarks. Salaam welcomes attendees to the Schomburg Center and Harlem, noting the center's Puerto Rican roots through Arturo Schomburg.
Salaam provides an overview of Resolutions 28, 372, 494, and 27. He explains their focus on ending the fiscal board, repealing Act 22, stopping Project Esencia, and restricting predatory debt practices.
Salaam emphasizes that the stories of Puerto Rico and the African diaspora are connected. He thanks the committee and concludes his remarks.
Chair Williams speaks about the importance of preserving history, especially in the current political climate. She acknowledges Assembly Member Jordan Wright and thanks colleagues who traveled to Harlem.
Chair Williams acknowledges several council members. Assembly Member Jordan Wright thanks the committee for holding the hearing in Harlem and speaks about the importance of preserving Black history and the Schomburg Center's role.
Chair Williams thanks her staff, council staffers, and the Schomburg team. She then gives instructions for public testimony, including filling out appearance cards and limiting testimony to two minutes.
Chair Williams calls the first panel of library representatives. Joy Bivens, director of the Schomburg Center, introduces herself and begins her testimony on NYPL's research centers.
Bivens explains that NYPL's research centers include the Schomburg Center, the Schwarzman Building, and the Library for the Performing Arts. She emphasizes that research fuels discovery and deepens human understanding.
Bivens describes NYPL's 55 million items, 300 databases, and partnership with RECAP. She highlights that anyone with a library card can access the collections, which are open to all New Yorkers.
Bivens details the Schomburg Center's founding in 1925, its 11 million items, and its divisions: art and artifacts, Jean Blackwell Hudson Research Division, Manuscripts Archives and Rare Books, Moving Image and Recorded Sound, and Photography and Prints.
Bivens highlights the Schomburg's centennial exhibition '100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity' and a new exhibition on Black women artists. She also describes the Junior Scholars Program and Scholars in Residence fellowship.
Bivens concludes her testimony and introduces her colleague Roberta Pineda, Executive Director of NYPL's Library for the Performing Arts.
Roberta Pineda introduces herself as the first Latina Executive Director of the Library for the Performing Arts. She describes LPA's 15 million items, hybrid research and circulating model, and collections like the Theater on Film and Tape Archive.
Pineda highlights LPA's free public programs, including exhibitions on Martha Graham and 'Unleashed: Pets of the Performing Arts.' She notes the 60th anniversary celebration with 18 free programs and over 12,000 attendees.
Pineda describes LPA's Dance Research Fellowship and Across the Crowded Room Fellowship. She emphasizes that all materials are accessible to anyone with a free library card and that the library provides welcoming spaces for all New Yorkers.
Pineda introduces her colleague Julie Golia, Director of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
Julie Golia thanks the committee and introduces the Schwarzman Building as NYPL's most recognized location. She notes it welcomes 3.8 million visitors a year and supports researchers across 11 reading rooms.
Golia details the Schwarzman Building's collections, including 350,000 rare books, nearly half a million maps, and the Polonsky Exhibition of Treasures. She highlights exhibitions like 'Declaring America' and 'Wepa' on Puerto Rican comics.
Golia describes the 'Live from NYPL' series and 'Library After Hours' events. She also highlights the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities, which offers scholar residencies and fellowships.
Golia reports that NYPL research libraries circulated 444,000 items and received 4.3 million visitors in FY26. She notes that 63% of the research libraries' budget comes from private funding, 29% from the city, and 8% from the state.
Golia emphasizes that NYPL's research centers are freely accessible to all New Yorkers. She outlines future plans to expand digital access, improve research experience, and increase preservation efforts, calling for increased investment.
Shakira Smalls introduces herself as Executive Director of Queens Public Library's Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center. She describes QPL's 50 digital research databases and specialized print collections.
Smalls details the Langston Hughes Community Library's founding in 1969 and its Black Heritage Reference Center. She highlights collections including the Langston Hughes Collection, Art Collection, and Adele Cohen Music Collection.
Smalls describes the Black Heritage Video Collection, Amistad Research Center Microfilm Collection, and Black Newspaper Microfilm Collection. She also discusses the weekly Sankofa series that explores Black culture topics.
Smalls outlines QPL's Central Library archives, including 36,000 books, 4,500 maps, and 105,000 photographs. She also describes the Carter G. Woodson Reference Collection, Augusta Baker Collection, and International Language Collection.
Smalls explains how QPL's research collections provide context for contemporary events like flooding in Southeast Queens. She thanks the City Council for its support and emphasizes the importance of diverse collections.
Natiba Guy-Clement introduces herself as Director of Special Collections at the Center for Brooklyn History. She shares that she started her career at the Schomburg Center as a library page over 25 years ago.
Guy-Clement explains that the Center for Brooklyn History was formed in 2020 by merging Brooklyn Public Library and the Brooklyn Historical Society. It holds tens of thousands of books, 1,600 archival collections, and hundreds of thousands of photographs.
Guy-Clement describes collections including Revolutionary War artifacts, Brooklyn CORE civil rights materials, and the Greenpoint Environmental History Project. She also discusses digital collections and community-donated yearbooks.
Guy-Clement explains that CBH provides access through the Othmer Library, public programs, and off-site exhibitions. She notes that CBH lacks dedicated city operating funding and has absorbed $2.6 million in operating costs.
Guy-Clement calls for sustained public investment to help CBH collect a more representative record of Brooklyn. She thanks the committee and her fellow panelists.
Chair Williams asks how many people use the research collections each year and whether they have disaggregated data. Julie Golia, Natiba Guy-Clement, and Shakira Smalls provide usage statistics and discuss challenges in categorizing researchers versus general visitors.
Chair Williams jokes about walking and chewing gum, then transitions to the Puerto Rico resolutions. She introduces Senator Adrian Gonzalez Costa, who is joining from Puerto Rico on Zoom.
Senator Gonzalez Costa explains that Project Esencia raises concerns about privatization of coastline, protection of natural resources, and displacement of Puerto Rican communities. He argues development cannot come at the expense of beaches, ecosystems, and archaeological heritage.
Senator Gonzalez Costa criticizes the Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (La Junta) as an unelected body with extraordinary powers. He argues Puerto Rico's future must be decided democratically by Puerto Ricans themselves.
Senator Gonzalez Costa says Act 22 provides extraordinary tax advantages to wealthy individuals while ordinary Puerto Ricans face displacement and economic insecurity. He opposes an economic model where benefits are privatized and costs are socialized.
Senator Gonzalez Costa highlights the deep historic relationship between New York and Puerto Rico. He concludes that Puerto Rico is not a commodity, its land is not a tax shelter, and its democracy should not be governed by an unelected board.
Chair Williams asks whether the public is sufficiently aware of the research collections and how word should be spread. Roberta Pineda, Shakira Smalls, and Natiba Guy-Clement describe outreach efforts, social media, school partnerships, and capacity challenges.
Chair Williams asks what significant parts of New York City's history are inadequately represented in the libraries' holdings. Joy Bivens, Natiba Guy-Clement, Shakira Smalls, and Julie Golia discuss gaps in women, LGBTQ, indigenous, disabled, and other communities.
Chair Williams asks whether the city budget provides sufficient support for research centers and what percentage of each library system's city budget goes to research collections. Joy Bivens, Shakira Smalls, and Natiba Guy-Clement provide funding details and needs.
Council Member Crystal Hudson asks what percentage of research collections are fully cataloged and digitized, and how they decide what gets digitized first. Julie Golia, Roberta Pineda, Shakira Smalls, and Natiba Guy-Clement explain their processes and challenges.
Hudson asks who decides what the library acquires, whether they have a written collecting policy, and how community members inform those decisions. Joy Bivens, Natiba Guy-Clement, and Shakira Smalls describe their collection development policies and community input.
Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry asks about capital funding lead times for library projects. Julie Golia, Roberta Pineda, Natiba Guy-Clement, Joy Bivens, and Julie Golia discuss the complexities of the capital process and the need for reform.
Thomas-Henry gives a point of privilege to praise the Langston Hughes Library and Cultural Center in her district. She shares personal memories and highlights its role as a cultural institution and the largest Black history reading collection in NYC.
Chair Williams asks whether the research centers are designed truly for the public or if they see more use from scholars and researchers. Julie Golia, Roberta Pineda, and Natiba Guy-Clement discuss efforts to make spaces welcoming and the challenges of historic buildings.
Chair Williams asks whether staffing in the research centers is sufficient and what credentials the staff have. Natiba Guy-Clement, Julie Golia, and Shakira Smalls describe their teams, including archivists, librarians, catalogers, and the page program.
Chair Williams asks if there is anything else the panel wants to share or anything the council can do outside of funding. Joy Bivens responds simply: 'Come visit us. And tell people about us.'
Chair Williams thanks the library panel and announces that the committee will now hear from individuals joining from Puerto Rico on Zoom. Maria del Mar Rosa-Rodriguez introduces herself as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and president of the Puerto Rican Association of University Professors.
Rosa-Rodriguez describes the University of Puerto Rico as the only public university in the archipelago, with 11 campuses. She notes that 75% of all research in Puerto Rico happens at the UPR and that it is the main provider of health services.
Rosa-Rodriguez says the UPR has suffered unsustainable budget cuts since La Junta arrived in 2016. She argues La Junta acts above the law and supports Resolution 28 to end the fiscal oversight board.
Cristina Miranda Palacios introduces herself as founding executive director of La Liga de Ciudades de Puerto Rico. She supports all four resolutions and describes her organization's vision of a municipalist Puerto Rico.
Miranda Palacios says PROMESA was a perverse imposition and supports ending the board. She explains that eliminating the equalization fund would leave 43 of 78 municipalities with budget cuts of 30-60%, rendering them fiscally unviable.
Miranda Palacios expresses support for Resolution 372 to repeal Act 22, Resolution 27 to stop predatory debt practices, and Resolution 494 to stop Project Esencia. She concludes with 'Puerto Rico ni se vende ni se regala.'
Rosa Segui Cordero introduces herself as a spokesperson for the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana. She expresses support for Resolutions 27, 28, 372, and 494.
Segui Cordero notes that this year marks 10 years since PROMESA imposed the Financial Oversight and Management Board. She criticizes the board for exercising authoritarian control, cutting essential services, and prioritizing payments to vulture funds.
Segui Cordero opposes Project Esencia for its environmental and community impacts. She also supports repealing Act 22, noting that more than $20 billion in funds are lost due to tax privileges for the wealthy.
Chair Williams introduces former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Mark-Viverito introduces herself as a former speaker born and raised in Puerto Rico and a member of the diaspora.
Mark-Viverito quotes Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley on the underdevelopment of Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America as a child of the colonial experiment. She says Puerto Rico has not yet freed itself from that experiment.
Mark-Viverito says the resolutions are interwoven by extractive settler colonialism. She connects Act 22 to displacement and overdevelopment, Project Esencia to environmental destruction, and La Junta to anti-democratic control.
Mark-Viverito quotes bell hooks: 'What we can't imagine can't come to be.' She imagines a self-sufficient, thriving Puerto Rico and calls on the council to pass the resolutions as a statement of values.
Chair Williams thanks Mark-Viverito and officially opens public testimony. She reminds the public of decorum rules and calls the first panel of Queens folks: Wendy, Jason, Regina, and Joette.
Jason Antos, Queensborough historian, testifies about his experience using the Queens Library archives since age 19. He advocates for continued support of local history research collections.
Wendy Pellot, co-vice chair of the Library Action Committee, testifies about growing up near the Langston Hughes Community Library. She highlights its role as a community hub and its circulating Black heritage collection.
Regina Bain, director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, testifies about the museum's 60,000-piece Armstrong archive. She emphasizes the importance of preserving and sharing collections for future generations.
Sharanya Ramakrishnan, director of the Corona Collection and Oral History Project, testifies about documenting the lives of neighbors who knew Louis and Lucille Armstrong. She highlights partnerships with Queens Public Library and the Langston Hughes Community Library.
Wyatt John, a senior at Thomas A. Edison CTE High School, testifies about his experience in the Sankofa series at Langston Hughes Library. He describes studying Black history and teaching younger students what he learned.
Chair Williams thanks the panel and asks Wyatt John how he found out about the Sankofa program at Langston Hughes. She appreciates his testimony.
Chair Williams calls the NYPL panel. Jasson Daniels testifies about his experience in the Junior Scholars program at the Schomburg Center, which influenced his career as a writer and producer.
Jaylen Daniels, Jasson's sister and a Junior Scholars alumna, testifies about the program's impact on her education and career. She discusses the current epistemic crisis and the importance of preserving rare books and archives.
Brent Edwards, professor at Columbia University and director of the Scholars in Residence program at the Schomburg, testifies about hosting 129 fellows. He emphasizes the Schomburg's role as the preeminent repository for African diasporic life and culture.
Bill Goldstein, a writer and lifelong New Yorker, testifies about how NYPL's research libraries enabled his books on Virginia Woolf and Larry Kramer. He notes that most New Yorkers don't know these archives are available to the public.
Key Choi, a retired art dealer pursuing a PhD, testifies about using the New York Public Library and the Vartan Gregorian Center for his research on French artists and Asian art. He emphasizes the importance of open access to knowledge.
Chair Williams asks Jasson and Jaylen Daniels about their current work. Jasson works in TV and film, and Jaylen founded an ed tech startup that makes buried archives accessible.
Chair Williams thanks the NYPL panel and moves to the final Zoom panel from Puerto Rico. Julio Lopez Varona, from the Commission for the Audit of Public Credit, testifies in support of Resolutions 28 and 27, describing the human consequences of austerity.
Cristian E. Martinez, security director of Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, testifies in support of Resolution 28. He describes how the fiscal board has cut pensions and prioritized payments to Wall Street bondholders.
Renalise Vasquez, environmental planner and Sierra Club Puerto Rico chapter director, testifies in support of Resolution 494. She details Project Esencia's water demands, environmental threats, and tax credits.
Eva Prados, executive director of the Puerto Rico Citizen Commission for the Audit of Public Credit, testifies in support of Resolution 28. She discusses the commission's report 'A Lost Decade' and the board's failure to address structural causes of the fiscal crisis.
Suheili Serrano Marrero, a municipal legislator from Vega Baja, testifies in Spanish in support of Resolutions 28, 372, and 494. She describes the impact of austerity on municipalities and opposes Project Esencia.
Chair Williams calls the Brooklyn Public Library panel. Stacey Bell, president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, testifies about using the Center for Brooklyn History to research her family history and the importance of preserving these records.
Ayanna Deleuze, a master's student at CUNY, testifies about visiting the Center for Brooklyn History and learning about its exhibition on the Battle of Brooklyn. She highlights the center's inclusive research library and upcoming exhibition on Puerto Rican Brooklynites.
Dominique Jean-Louis, chief historian at the Center for Brooklyn History, testifies about the urgent need for conservation funding. She notes that some materials, like a rope used in the draft riots, cannot be digitized due to wear and tear.
Chair Williams thanks the panel and discusses the recent council bill on the draft riots. She notes the importance of connecting with CBH to mark this dark time in New York City history.
Chair Williams calls the next panel. Minerva Diaz testifies about her exhibition inspired by the song 'Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii' and draws parallels to displacement in Puerto Rico and San Juan Hill in Manhattan.
Yesenia Aviles testifies about the need for reliable water, electricity, and affordable housing in Puerto Rico. She opposes construction on public beaches and calls for protecting the environment and communities.
Nilsa Aviles, co-founder of Ignite and Rise, testifies about her aunt's anxiety due to unreliable water and electricity in Puerto Rico. She argues that basic services must be reliable before approving massive developments.
Madeline Jackson testifies about how the library system educated her on local history and displacement. She highlights the research libraries' role in providing access to information and calls for expanding resources to Weeksville.
Donald Clayton, executive director of the Harlem International Museum of Black History and African Culture, testifies about the museum's 50-year history. He requests city partnership and investment for a permanent home in Harlem.
Chair Williams thanks Donald Clayton and calls the next panel. Jerry Maldonado testifies in support of all four resolutions, connecting Puerto Rico's debt crisis to New York City's own history of austerity.
Jarabel Arroyo, a Puerto Rican in the diaspora, testifies about Project Esencia's threat to Cabo Rojo's environment and communities. She asks the council to pass Resolution 494 to stop the project.
David Galarza Santa, a Puerto Rican New Yorker, testifies in support of Resolutions 27, 28, 494, and 372. He emphasizes that New York City has a responsibility to act because many financial institutions involved are based there.
Gabriel Fantacone, deputy director at Churches United for Fair Housing, testifies in support of Resolution 27 and the Champerty Bill. He explains how vulture funds profit from distressed sovereign debt and calls for its repeal.
Chair Williams announces that the committee must leave the space in an hour and apologizes in advance if they have to enforce time limits strictly.
Alicia Nascimento, political director at New York Communities for Change, testifies in support of Resolution 27. She explains the history of the Champerty loophole and how it allows vulture funds to profit from debt-distressed countries.
Jorge Lopez Martinez, on behalf of the Defiende a Cabo Rojo Coalition, testifies in support of Resolutions 494 and 28. He describes Project Esencia as a neocolonial settlement that would steal water and destroy ecosystems.
Chair Williams thanks the panel and calls the next panel. Nduja Nitri, of Victory in Puerto Rico, testifies about the impact of La Junta and the importance of supporting the resolutions to preserve Puerto Rican culture and land.
An unnamed speaker testifies about Project Esencia's threat to Cabo Rojo, citing scientific studies and the project's potential for ecocide. They criticize the governor's visit to Wall Street and call for passing the resolutions.
Jose La Luz, a lifelong labor organizer, testifies about the need to end the fiscal control board. He argues the board has failed to restore economic growth and has imposed draconian austerity measures.
Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez testifies about her family's history of public service in Puerto Rico and the impact of austerity measures. She calls for approving the resolutions to end colonization and austerity.
Ramon Cruz, external affairs coordinator for Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, testifies in support of the four resolutions. He asks who decides how Puerto Rico's resources are used and who benefits from those decisions.
Council Staff calls the next panel. Alberto Urbina, co-founder of Daughters and Sons of Borinquen, testifies in support of all four resolutions, criticizing Wall Street's predatory practices and the Essencia project.
Yvette Aguirre testifies about her experience owning a condominium in Puerto Rico and seeing Puerto Ricans bought out by investors. She supports the resolutions, particularly Resolution 372 to repeal Act 22.
Angel Garcia, a resident of the South Bronx born in Cabo Rojo, testifies in support of all resolutions. He focuses on Resolution 494 and calls on the City Council to investigate JPMorgan Chase's role in funding the project.
Alan Aja, chair of the Department of Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies at Brooklyn College, testifies about the historical context of the resolutions. He calls for massive reparations and political and economic sovereignty for Puerto Rico.
Helen Colon, from El Puente, testifies about the organization's analysis of Project Esencia's environmental impacts. She supports all four resolutions and highlights the project's threat to vulnerable species and habitats.
Council Staff calls the next panel. Elba Montalvo, founder of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, testifies in support of all four resolutions. She discusses the impact of U.S. laws on Puerto Rican families and children.
Council Member Aviles moves to a Zoom panel. Antonio Rosario, a proud Boricua with family in Cabo Rojo, testifies in support of Resolution 494. He describes the water and infrastructure challenges facing the island.
Calvin Yohannan, board member of Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora, testifies in support of Resolutions 494, 27, and 28. He connects the Puerto Rican diaspora's history to the island's colonial status.
Freddie Recio, a second-generation Puerto Rican, testifies about the water demands of Project Esencia and the need to disband La Junta. He shares his personal experience distributing water during outages.
Jose Gonzalez, senior director at New York Communities for Change, testifies in support of Resolution 27. He explains the history of champerty and how the bill would reinstate protections against predatory creditors.
Council Member Aviles calls the next panel. Christopher Leon Johnson testifies in support of Puerto Rico's independence, criticizing the governor and urging council members to continue the fight.
Raul Rivera testifies about Puerto Rico but is repeatedly warned by Council Member Aviles to stay on topic. He criticizes Aviles for not defending Puerto Rican symbols in Brooklyn, and his mic is eventually cut.
Chair Williams thanks everyone for standing up for Puerto Rico and for their testimony. She notes that written testimony can be submitted within 72 hours and adjourns the hearing.