Crains New York - November 12, 2012 - (Page 26)

Balancing the books Continued from Page 25 SOURCE COCKTAIL: BOB TURNER by Chris Bragg Johnson faces are similar to those at the Queens and New York public libraries. Each of those is undergoing major renovations and looking at ways to serve the needs of its population better at a time of major funding cuts. In Queens, for example, there is a major effort to create special places for teens. Ms. Johnson has developed an agenda, as well as a new logo, to reflect the shifts in the community of library users and in the publishing world, such as the introduction of e-books. She is working toward a host of goals, including opening two smaller branches next year that will focus more on technology than books, populating the main library with a special teen section and training residents to take their GEDs online, as will be required by the state. She is also putting a new twist on a library standard: storytelling. Librarians will continue to regale youngsters with tales old and new. However, the library will also offer courses in digital storytelling as part of a new communications center that will open next year. Ms. Johnson has years of experience in the field, which should help her achieve her lofty goals. She was appointed interim executive director of the library in July 2010 and was officially awarded the top spot in August 2011. The 53-year-old was formerly head of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and had also led the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. Quest for donations All she needs now is funding. “The library is a work in progress,” said Domenic Recchia, a Brooklyn City Council member. “Linda has great ideas, but we have to raise more money than ever before.” ‘We have to figure out how to raise more money’ Indeed, Ms. Johnson will try to expand her mission despite budget cuts of 17% over the past six fiscal years, to $73 million. Even more daunting, the ax is expected to fall again this year, at a time when the library has $230 million in deferred maintenance costs. Fundraising surged 45% last fiscal year,to $4 million, thanks mostly to one large gift, but it remains below 2008 levels. Donations will have to jump even higher for Ms. Johnson to reach her goals, a greater challenge in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. She recently hired a new head of development and plans to bring on someone to specially raise money from Brooklyn-based companies. Ms. Johnson also has reached out to Russian billionaire and Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who recently donated $1 million to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has yet to receive a response. “We have to figure out how to raise more money,” she said. “This isn’t Manhattan, but there is a lot of wealth here.” She has already tapped the writing community. At this year’s fundraiser, the library was set to honor three of Brooklyn’s literary set: Greg Clayman, publisher of News Corp.’s online-only publication The Daily; Bruce Norris, the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Clybourne Park; and Colson Whitehead, the acclaimed author of such novels as Sag Harbor. Next year, the library plans a series of tributes to the late Brooklyn legend Maurice Sendak. Ms. Johnson doesn’t want to divulge specifics, but it’s likely that the beloved characters from his Where the Wild Things Are will be dancing above the library’s new logo at some point during the festivities. The logo will be revealed in the next few months. I Congressman hit by Sandy, Barack Do you wish you had evacuated instead? GOING HIGH TECH IN BROOKLYN THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY is clearly not your father’s (or mother’s) institution. Cardholders are increasingly using the library’s technological tools when they visit. Wi-Fi usage sessions jumped 88%, to 206,184, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, downloadable checkouts (video, music, audiobooks and ebooks) more than doubled, to 326,000, during the same time period. From July through October, the library recorded more than 150,000 downloadable checkouts. —THERESA AGOVINO Joint venture Part of the library’s new strategic plan is establishing programs to foster new talent. Ms. Johnson wants to create writers’ rooms that would allow aspiring authors to keep their belongings at the library. But there is a whole program to allow Brooklyn’s creative class to express themselves beyond the written word. Along with BRIC Arts, another Brooklyn nonprofit, the library will offer classes on digital photography and digital storytelling through podcasting. The classes will be given at a new communications center that will open at the main branch next year and will include 25 computer stations, a recording studio and six meeting rooms. It was made possible by a $5 million donation from a foundation. “There is so much pressure on nonprofits not to duplicate services, so joining together was a great idea,” said Leslie Schultz, president of BRIC, which will provide the programming. She said the two organizations may expand the program to other branches in the future. Ms. Johnson added that the library is getting close to opening two smaller branches where people could gain access to technology even though there might not be shelves and shelves of books. In fact, the last thing the library needs is more large branches, as Ms. Johnson searches for ways to use the library’s real estate more effectively and efficiently. She has floated the idea of selling or redeveloping some branches, but there are no concrete plans for that yet. “We need to figure out how to reduce our overhead,” she said. n 2011, Rep. Bob Turner, RQueens/Brooklyn, shook up the New York political world when he ran for the seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. The straight-talking retired television executive, responsible for creating The Jerry Springer Show, turned his congressional campaign into a referendum on President Barack Obama’s support for Israel and became a hero to conservatives nationwide. Mr. Turner’s seat was eliminated this spring, however, during redistricting, and he made an unsuccessful Republican primary run for U.S. Senate, ending his short political career. Then, during Superstorm Sandy, Mr.Turner’s house was one of about 130 in Breezy Point, Queens, that burned down. In an interview at a campaign party on election night in Rego Park, Queens,Mr.Turner was clearly more upset about Mr. Obama’s winning another term than about his smoldering home. Do you have a new place for the moment? The events wouldn’t have changed. I might have been a little drier. But I’m not poorer for the experience. What’s it like to lose your home? We built that house about 22 years ago. It’s a great place. A nice view of the ocean, very comfortable. We’re going to have to rebuild as a community, because we can’t have 131 individual contractors working.The type of house I have, I probably won’t be able to do. I’m sure we’ll have a nice place, but not quite what we had. Republican Senate candidate Wendy Long, your former primary opponent, lost by a historic margin tonight. In Kew Gardens, we’re renting a nice-size house. And I went and got a suit. I bought two actually. And I think I’ve got another two in Washington. When did you and your wife get out of your house during Sandy? It was absolutely essential for a credible campaign, and somebody who had enough name recognition and enough media credibility, and the finances. But it winds up as a little power play between upstate and downstate. They get their candidate and then leave her alone. No money, no media credibility, no organization. And JOE just, “OK, kid, it’s yours.” ABBRACCIAMENTO WHERE THEY DRANK RESTAURANT 62-96 Woodhaven Blvd., Queens (718) 478-6463 AMBIENCE: An extremely oldschool Italian restaurant, filled with reporters and weary volunteers for Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich’s campaign for state Senate. (He lost.) You came into Congress because of former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal. It seems like quite a ride the past couple of years. The house we had was equipped to handle a severe hurricane. We’ve had 22 years there now, a good deal of experience, and we opted to ride it out. At the WHAT THEY height of the storm we DRANK: Diet Coke were upstairs, each with Gin and tonic Actually, did you see Fox News our respective Kindles, just called Ohio for Obama? and candles, reading. I noTAB: Open bar for Fox News? Then it’s over. ticed the fire in an adjacent Mr. Ulrich’s camNo, I didn’t hear that. My home. I knew with that paign, but Crain’s left a $5 tip whole purpose in Conflame that it would be here gress was for a victory in just another moment. We evacuated and went toward tonight, and to get this country back my daughter’s house. Water was up on track. It appears we’re not. And to our shoulders, flames overhead, that is very, very disheartening. The sparks, embers. Acrid smoke. The America I knew, I would like to prewater was ferocious, and it was fairly serve. I don’t want to see us becomstraining.The decks and other debris ing a semi-socialist operation like had collected, so you had to negoti- France. I think it’s a betrayal of our ate your way through that. It took heritage and our grandchildren’s fuabout a half-hour to get through,and ture. I’m taking this very seriously, in case you didn’t notice [chuckles]. it was only about 500 yards. I ran because I saw how we’re handling the regulatory problems in this country. As a businessman, this was the stupidest situation I could ever imagine. I’ve been dedicated to trying to make a difference. The culmination of that, we’ll see tonight. Real soon. newscom INSIDE TIP: Mr. Turner, with Mr. Ulrich’s support, has expressed a desire to become the Queens Republican Party leader. 26 | Crain’s New York Business | November 12, 2012 http://www.rooms.It http://www.out.At

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - November 12, 2012

THE INSIDER
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
OPINION
GREG DAVID
REAL ESTATE DEALS
REPORT: HEALTH CARE
THE LIST
CLASSIFIEDS
SMALL BUSINESS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - November 12, 2012

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