Brooklyn Public Library’s 20th Annual Gala Draws Robust Community Support
BPL Board, Staff Plan Expansion of Services to Public
ABOVE: Pictured at the gala are Susan Marcinek, Nina Collins, Peter Aschkenasy, Robin Shanus and Michael Liburd (left to right). INBrooklyn photo by Andy Katz By Andy Katz
Special to INBrooklyn
In a time when Google, Kindle and Wikipedia threaten to render the venerable public library obsolete, it was heartening to witness Brooklyn Public Library’s drawing power as its 20th Annual Gala unfolded within the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's classically elegant interior, now the Weylin event space. Half-a-dozen City Councilmembers mingled with major league developers, attorneys, philanthropists and business leaders in a cocktail reception before heading upstairs to the main dining room to fete this year’s honorees — Peter Aschkenasy and Anna Deveare Smith. Despite an ongoing controversy over what critics characterize as the “sale and shrinkage” of library resources, speakers emphasized the increasing availability of existing branches. “We are now open six days a week,” CEO Linda Johnson told the audience. Library board trustee and Treasurer Peter Aschkenasy credited the financial leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Eric Adams with permitting the library to extend its hours and provide greater resources to users. Addressing controversy over the sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library branch for development by the Hudson Companies (whose CEO, David Kramer, sat at a table a few feet away), Aschkenasy pointed out: “The branch was old and poorly designed ... The sale would provide a surplus that will fund state-of-the-art facilities in less affluent neighborhoods.” Continued on page 3INB
2INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 4-10, 2017