Latest news with #MassachusettsBoardofLibraryCommissioners
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The assault on libraries must end
Great harm will come from the loss of these programs and services. Smaller libraries, which rely most heavily on these funding sources, will be disproportionately impacted; reducing resources in those communities who need them most will continue to widen the gap between wealthy and underserved communities. Advertisement Here in Massachusetts, we understand the power of libraries. The Boston Public Library was the first large free municipal library in the United States, founded on the principle that access to knowledge is a right. Our mission is 'Free to All,' with equal emphasis on both 'free' and 'all.' No one is excluded from the vast resources and opportunities we steward, because public libraries are living proof that the concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion can and do work to build stronger communities. Just ask the 15,000 English language learners who passed through our doors last year. The BPL welcomes more than 2 million visitors annually, and circulates more than 6 million books and digital resources to residents across the Commonwealth. Public libraries across the state play a similarly crucial role: According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, more than Advertisement A view of the grand staircase lions by Louis Saint-Gaudens at the Boston Public Library. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Nationally, libraries have vast, bipartisan support. A And yet, the freedom to read and access information is threatened by an unprecedented wave of book challenges across the country. Libraries are at the forefront of defending these fundamental rights. Programs like BPL's 'Books Unbanned' initiative are critical, ensuring that teens nationwide — nearly 10,000 to date — can access vital information, even in communities where those resources are being restricted. As one teen reports: 'Having this access allows me to broaden my understanding of the governmental system, class struggles, the impact of race in our society, and minority group struggles.' Libraries are sanctuaries of intellectual freedom, ensuring that everyone — regardless of background — can explore the diverse perspectives that strengthen our democracy. While the library is a bastion of intellectual freedom, its value goes beyond supporting noble ideals. For many people, their library is the only place to access the internet, apply for jobs, or to find a quiet space for study and reflection. Libraries also provide essential services to vulnerable populations, offering literacy programs, citizenship classes, and career workshops. They are not just buildings filled with books and big ideas; they are dynamic centers of opportunity, fueled by passionate, skilled library workers who understand and serve the unique needs of their communities. Advertisement Michael Fulkerson, center, laughs with his granddaughter, Hannah Greenwell, while looking through records during the Record Show at the Daviess County Public Library on Apr. 5, 2025, in Owensboro, Ky. Greg Eans/Associated Press An inscription on the facade of the BPL's McKim building in Copley Square reminds us: 'The Commonwealth requires the education of the people as the safeguard of order and liberty.' Weakening libraries means weakening one of the supports of American society — a rare, precious space, open to all, where facts, knowledge, and education are celebrated. Without these vital spaces of learning and access for all, our democracy risks eroding further from within. As the structures that fund and support our libraries are systematically dismantled, we as a society must protect these institutions by championing access to information and fostering inclusion. Without strong libraries, we risk losing one of the last truly nonpartisan spaces where all voices are heard. Now is the time to act — through advocacy and action. Run for your local library board; join your local Friends of the Library group. Advocate for funding at local, state, and federal levels. We must stand up for stronger libraries and a stronger democracy — one based on freedom, not fear. David Leonard is president of the Boston Public Library.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Springfield celebrates National Library Week despite budget challenges
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – On Wednesday inside the Sixteen Acres Library Branch, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno issued a proclamation to mark National Library Week. The theme for National Library Week 2025 is 'Drawn to the Library!' But it's getting hard to observe locally as libraries throughout Massachusetts are facing a budget challenge this year. Hundreds of students attend Skilled Trades Fair in Springfield Massachusetts gets $3.6 million in federal funding for library services, then the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners gives that money to local libraries. That funding was disrupted this week when President Trump ordered the entire staff of the Institute of Museums and Library Services to be placed on paid leave for 90 days, which stopped the processing of grant dollars. Now, libraries across the state are waiting on updates from the library board about potential funding cuts or delays. But staff at the Sixteen Acres Library Branch encourages the public to use their voices to make a difference. 'Think about what's important to you and reach out to your elected officials to let them know that funding that comes to the state has an impact on you,' said Jean Canosa Albano, Assistant Director for Public Services at Springfield City Library. Despite the uncertainty, Springfield libraries will continue celebrating National Library Week with special events. For a list of events, visit WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
03-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
‘Working on hope': Executive order ushers in era of uncertainty for cultural organizations
The little-known agency awarded $8.5 million to Massachusetts institutions in fiscal year 2024 — supporting everything from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Museum of African American History to local historical societies and Zoo New England. Advertisement The full extent of the order remains unclear, but on Monday the IMLS placed nearly all of its roughly Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Massachusetts library and museum leaders said lack of clarity has thrust their organizations into a state of profound uncertainty. Grant recipients say they're unsure whether they'll receive the rest of their awarded funds, which often come as reimbursements, making it difficult to chart a course forward for critical programs and initiatives, many of which they've already launched. 'There's a lot that we just don't know,' said Noelle Trent, president and chief executive of the Museum of African American History, with locations in Boston and Nantucket. The museum, which Trent said has an annual operating budget around $3 million, landed a $500,000 IMLS grant last year, its largest federal award in recent memory. Advertisement The grant was intended to help fund four full-time positions that would develop field trip offerings, outreach, and programming at the museum's historic sites. The Museum of African American History is one of numerous Massachusetts-based cultural organizations that may be affected by President Trump's changes to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/file 'It's daunting because we're not sure if we will receive the remainder of the money,' said Trent, whose organization received a tranche of the grant prior to the executive order. 'Our intention is to move forward, because this was the linchpin to our growth as an organization.' The state's largest single IMLS grant recipient — at $3.6 million last year — is the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The MBLC uses the funds to support a variety of statewide programs, including research databases, the interlibrary loan service, and the ebook platform LEA. MBLC director Maureen Amyot said cuts to its IMLS funding 'would be felt across the entire state.' 'These services are so heavily used by residents that cuts to the funding would have an impact on every single community,' she said. 'These are services that it would be really difficult for us to absorb into our budget.' Barb Fecteau, a librarian at Beverly High School, said nearly every one of her students uses the research databases the Board of Library Commissioners provides with IMLS support, calling them 'paramount.' 'This is something that's available to every kid in the state,' said Fecteau, who is also president of the Massachusetts School Library Association. She added that most districts wouldn't be able to afford the databases on their own. 'It's just a huge amount of resources we'd be losing.' Advertisement An MBLC spokesperson said Thursday that while some states have received letters to inform them their IMLS grants are terminated, 'we have not received ours yet.' She added that the state agency is planning to cut some services, though the reductions will not immediately affect interlibrary loans, research databases, or the ebook platform. Established in 1996, the The executive order has been criticized by numerous national library and museum groups, which have urged the administration to reconsider. In a statement immediately following Trump's order, the American Library Association called the order ' The agency's board has also weighed in on the matter, stating in 'All such statutory obligations may not be discontinued or delayed under an Executive Order or other executive action,' wrote the board. The IMLS did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Following his installation last month as IMLS's acting director, Sonderling said the agency would 'focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country's core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.' Changes to the IMLS come as President Trump has sought greater influence in the cultural sphere, taking particular aim at 'wokeism.' He seized control of the Kennedy Center in February, and last week he signed a separate Advertisement Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, executive director and chief executive of the Peabody Essex Museum, said the IMLS has awarded the Salem institution more than $2.4 million over the past 25 years, including two recent grants totaling $500,000. 'IMLS funding plays a crucial role in supporting PEM's mission,' Hartigan said in a statement to the Globe. She added that the awards have gone toward things such as public accessibility and educational programs for area students. 'Without this support, museums like ours — and many others across the country — could face challenges in maintaining the high standards of care, scholarship, and accessibility that our visitors rely on.' Sebastian Belfanti, executive director of the West End Museum, is concerned about a $75,000 award from the IMLS. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Any potential loss of funding would be particularly hard for smaller organizations, some of which rely on IMLS grants to finance staff positions or implement growth-related programs. Boston's West End Museum received a $75,000 grant last year, a sizable award for the neighborhood museum with an annual operating budget of around $500,000. Executive director Sebastian Belfanti said the grant, which funds numerous pilot programs, is key to the museum's long-term growth plan. 'They're not programs that we have any intention of canceling,' said Belfanti. He added that he received notice late Wednesday night that the NEH had terminated a separate $25,000 award to the museum. Belfanti said if the IMLS award doesn't come through, he'll be in the difficult position of having to fund-raise once an event or program has ended. 'We are just working on hope,' he said. 'It isn't a viable strategy to stop.' Advertisement Malcolm Gay can be reached at
