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Updated 03/18/2010 03:53 PM

New York Public Library Opens Green Library in Battery Park City

By: Roger Clark

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The New York Public Library is opening its latest branch, with an environmentally-friendly touch.

Today is the grand reveal for a new $6.7 million facility in Battery Park City.

The 10,000 square foot library houses 24,000 items, three-dozen computers for public use, and has separate reading areas for children, young adults, and adults.

The building, which is on North End Avenue off Murray Street, is the library's 88th branch.

Library officials say it brings a much-needed service to the community.

"This is a growing community," said library manager Billy Parrott. “It’s changed a lot over the past couple of years, and now they finally have a library."

"It's new to this community, which is even more thrilling to us, for all these new patrons down in the Battery Park City community," said Anne Coriston, vice president of public service for the NYPL.

It also boasts low-energy heating, cooling and lighting systems and carpets made from old truck tires.

"A lot of thought went into the materials, so it's less of a carbon footprint on the environment," Parrott said.

The branch is scheduled to be open six days a week, but that could change in a matter of months. The NYPL faces a $33 million cut in city funding in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st. Officials say the consequences could be severe across the system.

"We will be reducing our days of service to three and four days a week," said Coriston. “Unfortunately there will be a loss to our collections budget as well. We will no longer be able to purchase as many items that we have available, and it will be a potential loss of staff."

Overall under the mayor's plan, $68 million in funding would be chopped from the budget for the city's three library systems.

"This is a preliminary budget that the mayor has put forward," said City Councilman Vincent Gentile, chair of a select council committee on libraries. "He has an executive budget that comes out at the end of April, so we are hoping that budget shows better numbers, and that we won't have to restore as much money that is being proposed now."

Less city funding has already forced the New York Public Library to make some tough choices. A mid-year cut of $5.5 million resulted in Sunday hours being cut at five locations.

For more information, go to nypl.org.