Keywords
Citation
Fitzsimmons, E. (1999), "From the Big Apple", The Bottom Line, Vol. 12 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.1999.17012aab.014
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
From the Big Apple
From the Big Apple
Keywords: Donations, Fundraising, Public libraries, Refurbishment, USA
The week before the Rose Main Reading Room of New York Public Library's Center for the Humanities officially reopened after being closed for refurbishment for the last year, two celebrations were held that drew more than 1,000 people and brought in $1.7 million in donations. A formal Elizabethan-style, $1,500 per plate dinner party attracted several hundred attendees, including such notables as former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, George Plimpton, and Bianca Jagger. Originally completed in 1911, the room was recently renamed in honor of Sandra and Frederick Rose, who gave the library $15 million for the rehabilitation in 1995.
On November 17, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani agreed to release some $130 million that his administration had withheld from nonprofit groups since last July. This included $22 million for library programs. This ended a five-month standoff between Giuliani and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone. The $22 million for libraries was part of the budget that the city council approved in June, which restored the $12.9 million for libraries the mayor had cut and added another $7 million in additional enhancements for libraries. This appears to be the first time in history that the council rejected the mayor's budget plan and developed its own.