Quote:
Originally Posted by alee
Library tax? Not for the NYPL, BPL or QPL. NYC's contributions to them are whatever the city council and mayor decide to put in the annual budget, with stability coming mainly from tradition and the likelihood of parents protesting large cuts. The city money comes with many strings attached, such as the city telling them how many hours a week the local branch libraries should be open, but their heads aren't chosen by anyone in government, and they don't seem to get any of the legal benefits of being considered part of the government, unlike the schools or public universities.
On the original subject of this thread, the public library systems in NYC all provide ebooks that are under copyright through Overdrive, like most public libraries in the US seem to, however close or distant their ties to government.
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My city's property tax bill separates the tax rate into its various components. The city sets its rate, the library sets theirs, the school theirs and finally the county. Failure to pay any of them will result in a lien placed on my home. NYC may do it differently due to its size although they must list expenditures in a report somewhere and the library portion can be calculated if it isn't already.
The separate private non profit designation protects the city from certain liabilities. May offer the library tax exempt status and inclusion in pension funds and health care.
In any case, the Internet Archive has the same status as the NYPL and seems to be able to digitize its collection despite copyright.