And on the sixth day . . . the city shut the libraries.
Faced with widespread budget cuts, City Council members believe that public libraries will open only five days a week — possibly four in a worst-case scenario, The Post has learned.
“It’s the consensus of many that six-day library service will be a casualty of this budget process,” one council member said. “It’s a sad commentary, but it’s the budget reality that we all face.”
Another source said, “Six days is gone It’s safe to say [the cuts] would bring most library branches to four or five days a week.”
Council members have been meeting privately since last week to determine what service cuts they will be able to restore from Mayor Bloomberg’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1.
Under the mayor’s spending plan, libraries are facing a $77.9 million cut. The council will restore some of the money from funds it controls, but that won’t be enough to cover the costs of opening libraries six days a week, sources said.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn successfully pushed to keep libraries open Monday through Saturday in past years. She is under pressure this year to keep open fire houses, and several sources said it is doubtful she will get enough money to do both.