New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and leaders of the city’s three public library systems announced that more than 30 public library branches across the five boroughs will begin seven‑day service, an expansion speakers said is funded in part by a $2,000,000 City Council investment and a $15,000,000 increase in operating support for the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Library and The New York Public Library.

Adams, speaking at the Harlem Library on Fourth Street, said the change will make library services — including internet access, job resources and community space — available on Sundays to New Yorkers who work weekends or juggle multiple jobs. “Libraries are essential to our amazing communities here in New York City,” Adams said. “We know the value they provide to New Yorkers.”

Why it matters: Library leaders and elected officials said extended hours will help address the city’s digital divide and expand access to programs and services for children, seniors and job‑seekers. Council members and library executives linked the hours expansion to recent budget agreements that they said restored and increased operating support for the systems.

Speakers gave several related figures during the event. Multiple speakers said “more than 30” branches will be open seven days a week. Leaders also said the announcement includes five additional New York Public Library (NYPL) branches opening on Sundays, and other speakers referred to “11 additional branches” citywide; the numbers were presented at different points by different speakers. Dennis Walcott, president of Queens Library, said the Sunday expansion will add "55 more hours" of open service across the systems and cited roughly 27,000,000 visits across the systems in the last fiscal year.

The libraries and branches named during remarks included Harlem Library (Manhattan), Jefferson Market, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, Washington Heights, Mott Haven, Kingsbridge and Baychester branches in the Bronx, and the St. George Library Center on Staten Island. Officials also noted openings or expanded Sunday service at Bedford and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn and at multiple Queens branches, including Rochdale Village, Glen Oaks, Hunters Point and Jackson Heights.

Library leaders at the event praised the council’s role in securing funding. Linda Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, thanked elected officials and residents who sent tens of thousands of written requests to keep library funding. Tony Marks, representing The New York Public Library leadership at the event, said libraries are “not a luxury, but an essential civic infrastructure.” Walcott said the council’s $2,000,000 investment would translate into additional weekly hours and programming across Queens branches and named specific Sunday openings in Queens including Rochdale Village.

Speakers emphasized access and equity. Council Member Yusef Salaam said the expansion is “about equity” and that keeping branches open Sundays will help people who work nontraditional hours access services. Council Member Eric Dinowitz said Sunday hours will be “transformative” for neighborhoods such as the Northwest Bronx, where residents previously lacked Sunday access.

No formal vote or ordinance was presented at the event; the announcements were public remarks and implementation details will be handled by the three library systems and city agencies. Speakers said the expanded hours will begin "starting this weekend," with some branches opening the coming Sunday and others phased in, and noted scheduled opening events such as a Sunday program at Rochdale Village.

Details still not specified in the remarks included a full list tying each newly seven‑day branch to the precise funding timeline, and which specific branches beyond those named will shift to seven‑day schedules on each date. Officials gave overlapping numerical descriptions during remarks; the article reports those statements as they were presented at the event.

Looking ahead, library leaders said they will continue to develop programs made possible by the extra hours, including children’s activities, digital literacy programs and increased public‑access computing. Adams and library executives urged New Yorkers to visit local branches and to watch system websites for precise opening dates and program schedules.