Brooklyn Public Library seeks input on Brooklyn Heights location

Libraries are an important bridge across the digital divide, but the heavy use takes its toll on their very analog facilities.

The Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is $9.2 million behind on capital improvements and 50 percent of its space is inaccessible to the public. The library wants to sell its land (which is on a hot piece of property) to a real estate developer, with a requirement that whatever they build on it includes a plan for a library that they will then sell back to the system for $1.

The library argues that they can come out with a much better library and turn a nice profit that will benefit the borough’s whole system. Many people in the community wish that they would just fix the existing library, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

The library invites public comment now on its website.

Interestingly, the library set forth a number of requirements in its Request for proposals. Two of which required that the plan called for at least 20,000 square feet with no more than 5,000 square feet below grade. That’s exactly what every single one of the proposals provides, save one, which offers 31,000 square feet, with 10,000 below grade.

Don’t get too excited, though. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.