Local leaders concerned for the state of the city's decaying libraries took a tour Wednesday to see firsthand what work needs to be done.

City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, who is also the Library Committee chair, was joined by Councilwoman Inez Barron to inspect the city's libraries. One stop was to the Brooklyn Public Library on New Lots Avenue.

Barron says money is needed in Brooklyn because the library is widely used.

Legislators hope to secure $1.1 billion in capital funding to enhance library programs and services.

Bramer says it may seem that fixing up libraries is obsolete, but he says there are still many New Yorkers who don't have the Internet and must rely on libraries.