“The first of three bills before me today is Introductory Number 59-A, sponsored by Council Members Van Bramer, Brewer, Chin, Dickens, Ferreras, Fidler, Gennaro, Gentile, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Reyna, Rodriguez, Sanders, Williams, Nelson, Lappin, Jackson, Recchia, Cabrera, Rivera, Foster, Crowley, Vann, Ulrich, Halloran, Ignizio, Barron, Vacca, and White.

“Introductory Number 59-A requires the Department of Education to distribute to every Kindergartner, sixth grader, and high school freshman an application for a library card, as well as information about the City’s public library systems.

“Simply put, library cards are passports to the world, providing opportunities for people of all ages to explore the limits of their own imagination.  Ensuring that every student has access to our public libraries is a crucial first step in developing a New Yorker’s lifelong connection with some of our City’s greatest resources. 

“The Department of Education already provides some information about the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public libraries in their Family Guide, which is distributed annually to each of the DOE’s more than 1.1 million students, and the Department plans to expand the current page in the guide to include the application itself. Department of Education staff also may distribute this information electronically.

“I would like to thank Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and his staff and my office of City Legislative Affairs for their work on this bill.  I would also like to thank the City Council for approving this legislation.”