MBLC May 2 Update

Dear Colleagues,

I’m glad to be able to start this update with some good news. Last night, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that resulted from President Trump’s Executive Order 14238. We’re working to determine how this will impact our ability to access IMLS funds.

In the meantime, with FY2026 rapidly approaching, the MBLC continues to navigate and plan for staff and services in a rapidly changing environment. Some states have received IMLS reimbursements (including us—more information below) and there are reports that funds for FY2026 are coming. On the surface these sound like positive developments. However, with little to no staff at IMLS (the majority of IMLS employees were placed on a 90 day leave at the end of March) and what appear to be new requirements to receive funding, questions remain about IMLS as a reliable source of funding.

Some quick background:  Prior to President Trump’s Executive Order, IMLS required the MBLC to submit a five-year plan that sets broad strategic direction for the use of federal funds, and after five years there is an evaluation. Plans and evaluations are on the MBLC website.

Now, compliance with other executive orders filed by President Trump may be part of the process to receive IMLS funding. In late April, the MBLC received the email below from IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling asking the MBLC for the following information:

From the Sonderling email:
Pursuant to 20 USC § 9134 and your obligations under the Grant Award Guidance and Statement of Assurances and Certifications, please provide IMLS with the following information:

  1. Whether and how federal taxpayer dollars provided to you under the Grants to States program have been used, or are still being used, to subsidize programs that conflict with government policy as found below:

Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and

Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, and

Executive Orders 13899 and 14188, Combating Anti-Semitism and Additional Measures To Combat Anti-Semitism, and

Executive Order 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, and

Executive Order 14202, Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias, and

Executive Order 14190, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, and

  1. How federal taxpayer dollars provided to you under the Grants to States program are being used to facilitate access to resources that cultivate an educated and informed American citizenry, and
  2. How you plan to involve your agencies in the upcoming celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America?

The MBLC is responding with the requested information. That said, the MBLC remains committed to serving everyone—it’s what we have done since 1890 and it’s what we will continue to do.

In terms of reimbursements, as a sort of trial run, the MBLC submitted a small reimbursement to IMLS on April 6. Nearly a month later, we received notice that reimbursement is being processed. Before President Trump’s Executive Order, turnaround time for reimbursements was a few days. This lag time may be indicative of the ongoing challenges of trying to run IMLS with little to no staff.

Both the instability at IMLS and the Sonderling email serve as indicators that at this point, federal funding remains uncertain. This places the MBLC in the position of planning for FY2026 without federal funding. The broad effect of President Trump’s Executive Orders, impacting more than libraries, and creating funding challenges across the state, means that the state budget cannot make up the total loss of the $3.6 million in IMLS funds the MBLC receives.

At yesterday’s MBLC board meeting, I called the situation dire. For example, the state House Ways and Means budget, which level funded all MBLC budget lines, leaves us short in our agency line, 7000-9101. Without the increase of $415,000 to this line as requested in the FY2026 Legislative Agenda, and in spite of cutting absolutely everything possible from that line, the MBLC cannot cover the basic costs for the agency – salaries and the lease on our office space. There isn’t any place else within our budget lines that funding for agency operations can come from.

In terms of MBLC staff, we’re already lean—having gone from a staffing high of 38 in previous years to 23 current staff members. To provide the services required in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 78, we need every single person we currently have on staff. If we cut staff, we will have to cut services, and that would put us out of compliance with state law.

For FY2026, we continue to work on plans and are in constant communication with the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) and vendors as we figure out funding levels that would allow us to continue as many services as possible with the funds we have left.

Our efforts now turn to the Senate which will release its budget proposal this month. It is crucial that progress is made towards the funding requested in the FY2026 Legislative Agenda, especially budget line 7000-9101, Board of Library Commissioners.

Sincerely,

Maureen Amyot

Director, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Policy: Meeting Room Use

If your library offers space that outside groups are permitted to use (either for free or as a rental), it’s extremely important that you have a solid, actionable meeting room policy and regularly communicate the requirements of that policy, even with the regular users. Though you are under no obligation to do so, welcoming the public to use a space within the library can be a valuable community asset, providing an opportunity that may otherwise be inaccessible to bring people together for a common goal.  

The safety of your staff, yourself, your community and your spaces depends upon a policy that sets clear expectations and guidelines that fit within the constraints of the library’s regular responsibilities. There are a few additional benefits to having a solid, actionable meeting room policy that is regularly reviewed including:  

  • Guidance for those unfamiliar with your policy to understand whether or not your meeting space is a good fit for their purposes, or if you will be able to accommodate them at all (ex. expected group size may exceed room capacity) 
  • Familiarity with your own policy minimizes the amount of time spent reviewing the policy if someone contacts you with questions 
  • Policy that explains your requirements clearly will save time for you and those wanting to use the room 

When you start to review this particular policy, there are a few items that are somewhat idiosyncratic to this particular type of policy.  

Before I begin, a quick disclaimer: many of the recommendations for meeting rooms have been determined through court cases. This information is publicly available should you wish to dig deeper. You can find some starter information here. However, I am not a lawyer. I have no intention of interpreting these cases for you nor should the information I’m passing along be considered legal advice. As I’ve mentioned before, any policy that you consider ratifying through your Board of Trustees should be reviewed by an attorney (counsel for your municipality is usually a good place to start) to ensure that you are compliant with the most current decisions and are protecting yourself and your library.  

Limited Public Forum

If your library opens your meeting room to outside groups, it will likely be considered a limited public forum. This means anyone using your room must abide by open meeting laws. If a group is using the room, anyone walking by has the right to sit in on their meetings, which should be open-door at all times. Staff have the right to sit in and ensure policies are being followed. This should be clearly spelled out so that the group understands the possibility, however unlikely, that someone will wander in, sit down and listen in.  

Equitable Use

Article VI of the Library Bill of Rights states, “Libraries which make… meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.” Provided they agree to all of the terms and conditions in your meeting room policy, a group that may be personally disagreeable to you or your staff likely has the right to use the room. For example, they may have said that meetings of a political nature were not permitted in the library’s meeting room, regardless of the alignment of the politics being discussed. This seems neutral on it’sits surface (the library isn’t allowing ANY type of politics in its meeting room, not just politics with views that may be disagreeable or controversial), but the courts have found that the argument doesn’t really hold in practice.  

If you are going to limit use of your library’s meeting room, it must be done based on “reasonable content-neutral time, place or manner restrictions” (Pfeifer v. City of West Allis, 91 F. Supp. 2d 1253 [E.D. Wis. 2000]). If you’ve been to one of the webinars that the MBLC, MMA or several other organizations have hosted on this and similar subjects, you’ll have heard this phrase. While this limits the library’s  in it’s ability to limit users of your public meeting room space, that does not mean that you need to endorse the use.  

Endorsement Not Required

If an outside group books a meeting room for any purpose that is permitted by your library policy, that does NOT mean that it is a library program. You are within your rights to have your policy clearly state that use of your meeting room facilities does not imply endorsement by the library. The ALA has the suggested wording: “Libraries do not advocate for or endorse the viewpoints expressed in meetings by meeting room users, just as they do not endorse the viewpoints of works in their collections,” but you can decide the most effective way to express this. You may also want to consider making it clear to anyone wishing to use your meeting room facilities that the library may NOT be listed as anything but a location for that particular meeting. Library staff should NOT be collecting registrations or answering questions for any outside group. You are under no obligation to post an outside program on your public calendar. If your calendar program has a private staff view, you can keep your staff informed to make the appropriate arrangements in the room being used, and you can state very clearly on the event post that this is not a library-affiliated program and the library does not endorse the program in any way. If that’s the case, remember that this disclaimer must be used for every program regardless of whether or not it’s a program that the library may consider booking as a library program at a later time. Be upfront with those viewing your calendar and follow through on your policy which has made promises to the meeting room user for every booking.  

Usage

You are well within your rights to :

  • reserve meeting space for library use first 
  • reschedule, cancel, or change a meeting if you need to use that room for a library program or special event. From a public service standpoint, a library should do its best to accommodate a new option for someone booking the room for a conflicting date, but that doesn’t mean that once a group has booked a room, you are prevented from having your own library event or offering services in that room if it’s necessary for essential library functions. 
  • define how much any one organization or individual may use a room in a 12-month period, and how far in advanced a room may be reserved 

This ensures that the room is available for use to your entire community without any groups monopolizing its use. You can look at the meeting room policies in your area and/or libraries that are similar to you in size, staffing, and meeting room usage. I’ve seen several policies that restrict to 1x/month, no more than 12 uses per calendar year, and no bookings more than 3 months in advance. Ultimately, you know how much your community requests the use of your meeting rooms so it will be up to you what limits are reasonable and will not create an undue burden on your facilities and staff. 

You are under no obligation to offer use beyond the space itself. For example, if your meeting room has AV equipment or other technology, art installation options, unusual furnishings (beyond what someone might reasonably expect in terms of a table and chairs), you can make it clear in your policy that these amenities are for library use only and outside users are permitted to use the space, not the equipment. 

If you decide to offer the use of certain equipment in the meeting space, make sure you’ve fully considered and outlined in your policy what is and is not available. If tech is available, will you require them to use their own cables, or replace any cables, dongles, or attachments that may be unaccounted for after the meeting? Will you request that your custodians or other library staff set up the room to the group’s specifications, or will you require that, if the group needs to arrange the furniture to suit their needs, that they also return the room to its original configuration? As always, you know your patrons and your community best and you can determine the best ways to accommodate them without placing an undue burden on your staff or your facilities.  

You are well within your rights to consider these questions, balancing the needs of the community and the needs of the library. Don’t forget that the needs of the community include the members who do not need or choose not to use your meeting room and how they may be affected and, most importantly don’t forget to factor in the needs of your staff. Once you’ve decided, make sure you outline those determinations in your policy so that everyone has clear expectations and knows exactly what will happen when the meeting room is booked for outside use.  

Just like there is more than 1 facet to patron rights and responsibilities and collection development policies, meeting room policies are similar in this regard. Next week, I’ll go in the to agreement and accountability side of meeting room policies. I hope you’ll join me! 

Policy: Child Safety  

If you read the past blog entries on patron rights and responsibilities and the associated rights and responsibilities for employees, especially if you have experience as a children’s or youth librarian, they may have left you wondering “but what about children in the library?” As someone who spent years of her career as a children’s librarian, I felt that children’s behavior and safety warranted its very own blog post. My philosophy on this takes several prongs, but focuses, much like collection development, on the responsibility of the adult that accompanies or is otherwise responsible for the child(ren). Let me walk you through what I mean.  

Children’s Inclusion in Patron Rights and Responsibilities 

Every patron who walks into the library should be subject to your Patron Rights and Responsibilities (or whatever you choose to name that particular behavior policy). This should be regardless of age. Some may argue that very young children are not cognitively equipped to understand the requirements placed upon them when they are in the library. This is where the responsible person accompanying the child needs to assert those responsibilities. Presumably, someone who is capable enough to accompany a younger patron into the library should also be capable of understanding the rules that surround the use of the library and either explaining them to the child or ensuring that the child acts accordingly.  

In addition, aside from perhaps the littlest of our patrons, children are out there in the world and understand and mimic a lot in their worlds. So, if the grownups are behaving appropriately, the kiddos are likely to follow suit. You can also help guide the younger patrons to understanding appropriate behavior with a sign explaining the most important rules with simple, direct phrasing and accompanying graphics or icons to illustrate what you expect. For example:  

In this library, we:

  • Use our walking feet 
  • Use our indoor voices 
  • Clean up after ourselves 
  • Ask for help when we need it 

Using icons that illustrate the rules can help children who aren’t reading yet to still understand the rules. Plus, children who go to pre-k or elementary schools will likely be familiar with similar signs in their classrooms.  

Speaking of signage, it can also be helpful to the adults who bring children into the library’s space to have clear signage clarifying their role and the role of library staff. You will know the best way to present this information to your community but something to the effect of “Please remember that the library is a public space. We do our best to keep all of our patrons safe, but library staff members are not a substitute for childcare and cannot supervise children,” could be helpful in keeping expectations clear and preventing some confrontations between patrons and staff. 

Child Safety Policy 

If you have a space that’s dedicated to children’s usage, you probably want to have a policy dedicated to this, or, at the very least, a section in your patron behavior policy that addresses children who are unattended. Some things to consider when you’re crafting a policy around child safety include:  

  • Will you be able to indemnify the library from responsibility for children left in the library unattended? 
  • How will you communicate the role of the caregiver in determining their child’s ability to use the library with or without supervision? 
  • How will you define an “unattended child”? 
  • What situations will prompt you/your staff to act in the best interest of the library and the child to resolve a problematic situation.  

Once you have those situations outlined and defined, the next step you may want to consider is outlining what will happen if you become concerned about an unattended child. This may seem to cross the line into procedure, so this is entirely up to you whether to get into this level of detail. However, it may be helpful for your staff to have precisely what to do enshrined in policy. That way, if there are any challenges or questions as to how the situation was handled, your staff are enabled to say, “here is a copy of our policy; this child met the circumstances defining an unattended child and we acted as our policy outlined.”

Here are some questions you may want to consider when deciding what you will do if you find that a child meets your definition of unattended and is in a situation that you have defined as warranting action:  

  • At what point(s) do you attempt to contact the child’s caregiver and how many times will you make those attempts? 
  • What will you do if the child is unattended, and it is close to closing time?  
  • What will you do if you are unable to reach a caregiver? 
  • Will you consider contacting the police? At what point should that action be taken? 
  • What are the limitations on your staff? 
  • ex: staff will never transport a child to their home or lead a child outside the building 
  • What do you do in the event of a medical emergency? 
  • What steps will you take after the situation has been resolved  (I’m a big fan of incident reports and may do a future post with that focus)

Role of the Caregiver 

By and large when you see a caregiver at the library, they are already aware of and enacting their full responsibilities on behalf of their child(ren). Here are some questions you may want to consider if you choose to craft a section that creates clear expectations about the responsibilities of the caregiver:  

  • If a caregiver chooses to drop off their child(ren), when is the latest they must pick up their child(ren)?  —-> Relatedly, will the caregiver need a reminder that library hours vary, and it is the caregiver who must know when the library closes? 
  • How will you express the boundaries a caregiver should set with their child(ren) about what they see, read, hear and borrow from your library?  

Some additional considerations:

  • Will you mention or include an ALA statement about the right for all to have equal opportunity to access anything in the library? 
  • Does your library have filtering software on any of its technology and what are those limitations (or not)? 
  • Do you want to address the privacy rights of a child who may have their own library card?  

The Role of Library Staff 

I have spent most of this post focusing on the responsibility of the person accompanying any children into the library, but the needs and responsibilities of staff members should be addressed as well. Staff members have job duties they need to attend to, and their responsibility lies in taking care of their job duties, which does not involve childcare. However, library employees still have the responsibility to maintain a safe, accessible space for as many patrons as possible. They need to be trained and prepared to intervene when the occasion calls for it. If you’ve hired a staff member to work in a children’s or youth department, you’ve likely done so with the trust in their temperament and ability to handle your youngest patrons with care and respect.  

They are also out there in your community, communicating with your patrons and likely have a very good sense of how to approach patrons and keep their departments as safe as possible. That doesn’t mean they won’t occasionally need backup or training but having a policy that reiterates the responsibility of the person who is there with the child as paramount can go a long way to helping your staff feel more confident when they do need to say to a child “where is your grownup?” or “doing that isn’t safe; please stop.” It also empowers them to find that grownup and explain the policies in a way that not only can help the caregiver understand them, but also that the caregiver is the one who needs to take the reigns in the situation.  

Like so many policies, whether or not you address these specific issues and, if you do, whether or not it becomes its own policy or is embedded in other policies is largely dependent upon your unique library situation. You know your library community best and whether or not these situations apply to your library. You know what is practical for your staff and makes the most sense in the context of your library. I hope these points give you the option to consider what will work best within your library’s structure and your community’s expectations. 

How much do book challenges cost?🏷️💲

In a previous post, I stressed the importance of laying out requirements for Requests for Reconsideration (RfRs). RfRs take extensive time and effort which end up costing the library in time, effort and taxpayer dollars that are taken away from doing another part of library work for your community. Let’s explore this in a bit more detail. I’ve discussed how professional librarians are tasked with being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. This is because libraries are, by and large, municipal departments. The largest portion of funds from municipal budgets generally go towards staff salaries. Remaining municipal funds, plus funds from state aid, and donations from Friends groups or Foundations are often applied towards programs that move the library’s community forward in areas such as (but definitely not limited to): 

  • digital literacy and bridging the digital divide  
  • helping skilled workers enter the job pipeline 
  • aiding budding entrepreneurs 
  • guiding new Americans to become valuable citizens in our society 
  • offering early literacy guidance to families 
  • preparing children for kindergarten readiness 
  • supporting K-12 students by partnering with schools 
  • safeguarding patron privacy 

These are the types of regular duties that professional and paraprofessional library staff are spending their time on, in addition to the more visible services of ensuring access to information, including your library holds. Libraries are offering essential services to their communities at no cost to individual patrons, making the most of every penny a municipality invests in them. * Any time spent by staff members at any level that are outside the regular duties I’ve described can put a strain on already limited time and budgets. **   

️🔢 Let’s compile some numbers

When a book, program, display or other library service is challenged, much of what I described above gets put on hold to address the concern(s) brought to the library. The cost of these challenges is not often discussed, so finding data points such as the average cost of a single challenge, or how much a state spends on book challenges over the course of a year are difficult to find and even more difficult to standardize. Many don’t realize that book (or display, or program) challenges are a very real strain on taxpayer funds. Costs vary between states and municipalities based on staff salaries and more. Much of the data gathered about the cost of book challenges is from schools and indicates that schools across the US have spent more than $3 billion each year on investigating book challenges. There is less data on how much public library challenges cost. However, the MBLC collects data that all certified public libraries report annually through ARIS and in recent years we’ve included statistics on formal RfRs or intellectual freedom challenges.***

For our current purposes, we can calculate the cost of book challenges for fiscal year 2023 in Massachusetts’s public libraries based on the data we already routinely collect:  

  • The average hourly wage of a professional (i.e. MLIS holding) librarian in MA is $33.56/hr.  
  • I will also use this wage ($33.56) the professional librarian salary for library Administration but please keep in mind: 
  1. Library Administration (Directors and Assistant Directors) earn higher salaries than the average professional librarian, but the difference between administrative and professional salaries varies widely across municipalities.  
  2. Not every library has an Assistant Director (or equivalent) 
  3. This makes any result from these calculations VERY conservative.  
  • There were 40 unique challenges to materials, services or programs in MA in FY24. 

🔎 What really goes into a Request for Reconsideration?

How long does a reconsideration process take once a formal request for reconsideration (RfR) has been activated? This will vary by library, but using the guidelines outlined in my previous blog post and figures based on request for reconsideration procedures already in place at some public libraries, here is an approximation of the time investment for each step of the process: 

Steps of the RfR ProcessApproximate time invested
A Library Director, upon receiving a challenge, will usually spend some time researching the material being challenged, the reviews of the material and the library’s collection development policy 1 HOUR
Provided the library has a large enough staff, the Director will assemble a review committee of about 3 professional librarians who will research the material in question and its reviews along with the challenger’s complaint, and discuss a course of action based on the collection development policy 3 staff members, each investing about 3 hours = 9 HOURS
The Director will inform the staff member who ordered the book about the challenge. The Director will also inform the Chair of the Board of Library Trustees, ensuring the Board is aware that the issue is being handled according to policy. This also ensures Board has some background information should the complainant wish to appeal the library’s decision to the Trustees.  1 HOUR
The review committee will meet with the Library Director and inform the Director of their decision, including reasoning  1HOUR


The Director will compose a response based on the committee findings, informing the person who put forth the request of the library’s decision 1 HOUR
This totals approximately 13 hours of senior/administrative staff time. 

Multiplying the total staff time spent (13 hours) by the average hourly wage ($33.56) , the cost to the challenge 1 book in Massachusetts is $436.28, at a minimum.
(13 x $33.56 = $436.28)

For the 40 challenges MA libraries received in FY2024, the cost was more than $17,415 in taxpayer dollars and more than 520 hours of senior/administrative staff time devoted to book challenges. The process is very similar for a challenge to a program or service. ****  

One more note about the factors in the above calculations.  They only take into account senior staff and admin time, but the time, energy, and efforts for reconsideration taken on by professional staff not directly involved in a challenge (ex. the staff member who ordered the challenged item) or paraprofessional staff who are often the ones at the front desk fielding the initial complaint should not be underestimated. They are not included in these calculations because the costs are very difficult to standardize in terms of both wages and time spent with someone submitting a complaint. But never forget that it is generally the staff on the frontlines that are getting the unfiltered initial complaints that are often emotionally charged.  

Which leads me to one, final note about the costs of requests for reconsideration. There is an incalculable emotional cost at every level of these challenges. Even under the best of circumstances, if someone is moved enough to go through the process to formally challenge something in the library, they feel very strongly about their position. How members of the public express their concern varies widely, but no matter how much experience a staff member has in libraries, or how many years they have been working at public service points, the underlying emotional tension associated with a challenge is high. It is most important for everyone to keep in mind that library workers – at all levels – are people first; they are more than the items they order or the programs they put on or the desks that they work. They are professionals and paraprofessionals who feel strongly about doing the best for their community. It will vary widely from person to person, but when the public calls into question the dedication of library workers to the library’s mission, the emotional cost is immeasurable. 

* Last week’s blog post “Calculating and Communicating Your ROI” details how valuable these services are in terms of municipal return on investment (ROI), and you can check out different library value calculators to determine your library’s ROI. 

** In Massachusetts’s fiscal year 2024, the total percentage of the state’s general fund that was invested into libraries totalled 1.09%. To find out what percent of its budget your municipality invests in libraries, and to see how that percentage compares to the state’s investment, take a look at your municipal pie.  

***  We also collect data on informal challenges (complaints, turning books spine-in, relocating a book without staff knowledge, etc. but without taking the step of filing an RfR) which are also a strain on time and budgets, but those are much more difficult to calibrate.  

**** While the above description applies to the procedures when a program is challenged, there is often an extensive increase in security, sometimes with the use of both municipal police and private security. This also incurs costs paid for by taxpayer dollars. 

McCauley wins 2026-2027 ALA presidency

PRESS RELEASE from the American Library Association | April 7, 2025

CHICAGO — Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been elected 2025-2026 president-elect of the American Library Association (ALA).

McCauley received 5,483 votes, while her opponent, Lindsay Cronk, Dean of Libraries, Tulane University, New Orleans, received 2,665 votes.

Upon learning the outcome of the election, McCauley said, “I am honored to be elected President of the American Library Association for 2026-27 and grateful to everyone who voted. I look forward to working with library workers and advocates across every type of library in the United States and internationally.

We can support, inspire, and learn from each other as we seek to improve the excellent library services that we provide for our communities. We will also continue to advocate for and celebrate the power of libraries to transform lives. I thank the Nominating Committee, supporters, and volunteers, as well as running mate, Lindsay Cronk, and former running mate, Dr. Andrea Jamison, for inspiring me along the way.”

McCauley, who was a Spectrum Scholar, is a current member of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures; the Public Library Association; and the Association of College and Research Libraries. She is also a current member of the Rainbow Round Table, Sustainability Round Table, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, and the International Relations Round Table. She is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Chinese American Librarians Association, Black Caucus of ALA, REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, and the American Indian Library Association, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Library Association and the New England Library Association.

She has held several leadership positions, including At-Large Councilor, ALA Council, Executive Board member, and Fiscal and Audit Committee. She also was PLA president (2022-23) and a PLA board member.

McCauley holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions, Simmons University; an MLIS from University of Pittsburgh; a BA in Theater from Ohio Wesleyan University; Leadership Certificate Program, Northeastern University; Library Leadership for New Managers Program, Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the only non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to America’s libraries and library professionals. For almost 150 years, ALA has provided resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. The ALA serves academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.

24 Mayors and Municipal Leaders Fight for Library Funding

April 2, 2025

Dear Members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation:

On behalf of mayors and city officials across Massachusetts, we thank you for your leadership in representing the needs of our communities. We are writing to express our deep concern over an executive order signed March 14, 2025 that would target federal funding to libraries and museums through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries, however it only accounts for 0.003% of the federal budget.

In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) received $3.6 million from IMLS’ Grants to States Programs. This money funds several statewide services for everyone, including the full and partial salaries for MBLC staff, statewide research databases, Summer Reading, the Statewide eBook Program, statewide trainings for librarians to increase access for people with vision loss, early literacy development and grade level reading programs, and Interlibrary Loan. It is also critical to note that IMLS funding also supports museums in our communities.

Libraries offer the opportunity for members of the public to access materials at no cost or low cost to them. For individuals with visual impairments or other disabilities, it can be difficult to sustain a need or desire for reading materials that are usable for their needs. Most importantly, Interlibrary Loan offers the chance for library patrons to obtain materials that are not a part of their home library’s collection. In towns that have smaller collections, Interlibrary Loan offers a gateway to materials throughout the Commonwealth.

As elected officials on the front lines, we know that libraries are more than spaces to hold reading materials. Libraries also serve as spaces that offer connections to social services and resources, support for small business owners and entrepreneurs, and they can serve as a space for community. Since their creation, American libraries have served to keep and circulate knowledge; they have remained dedicated
to promoting intellectual freedom in our democracy. We urge the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation to work together and across party lines to protect IMLS funding from harmful cuts and policy changes. As local leaders, we are directly accountable to the residents we serve. Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to protecting the well-being of all residents.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. Petty, Mayor of Worcester
Cathleen DeSimone, Mayor of Attleboro
Dori A. Vecchio, Interim Town Manager of Auburn
Robert Pontbriand, Town Manager of Ayer
Margaret “Peg” Stone, Select Board Chair of Berlin
Robert F. Sullivan, Mayor of Brockton
E. Denise Simmons, Mayor of Cambridge
Charles Seelig, Town Administrator of East Bridgewater
Samantha Squailia, Mayor of Fitchburg
Charles Sisitsky, Mayor of Framingham
Michael J. Nicholson, Mayor of Gardner
Greg Verga, Mayor of Gloucester
Virginia “Ginny” Desorgher, Mayor of Greenfield
Melinda Barrett, Mayor of Haverhill
Brian A. DePeña, Mayor of Lawrence
Caesar Nuzzolo, Select Board Chair of Lunenburg
Jared C. Nicholson, Mayor of Lynn
David P. Beauregard, Jr., Mayor of Methuen
Ruthanne Fuller, Mayor of Newton
Gina-Louise Sciarra, Mayor of Northampton
Ted Bettencourt, Mayor of Peabody
Sherry Patch, Town Administrator of Princeton
Leah Whiteman, Select Board Chair of Rutland
Austin J. Cyganiewicz, Town Administrator of Rutland
Dominick Pangalo, Mayor of Salem
Domenic J. Sarno, Mayor of Springfield

Download the PDF of the 4.2.2025 Letter to Congressional Delegation Regarding Library Funding

Special Edition: Calculating and Communicating Your ROI

We interrupt your regularly scheduled, policy-centered fortification with a practical guide on determining just how much value your library contributes to your community. Welcome to ROI 101: Your library’s return on community investment. In this Fortifying Friday post, I’ll be showing you some tools that can help you calculate the value of your services to your community and the return on investment those services bring for every tax dollar that’s invested in your library. I’ll also give you some suggestions on how to frame those numbers in a way that can be meaningful to those who are making decisions about library funding.  

Return on Investment 

A return on investment (ROI) is generally a metric that’s used in the business world to calculate how much profit was gained from an investment. As a government service, public libraries obviously don’t turn a profit, nor are they meant to. But that doesn’t mean that libraries don’t add immense value to their communities. While some of that value will always be incalculable (who can quantify the positive feelings or nostalgia someone feels in a library?), there are some very concrete ways to quantify what a library offers its users and non-users alike. Enter the ROI.  

Most public libraries in Massachusetts are funded by a combination of municipal, state and some federal tax dollars. Though some are also privately funded as independent 501(c)3 organizations, they still receive enough municipal appropriations to obtain state certification and state aid. For our purposes, we will be looking at the return on investment for the municipal tax dollars, i.e. what the city or town spends on its public library, as these are generally the largest part of a library’s budget and are the funds most likely to be applied to the most common library services. The library’s municipal officials (town management, select board, city council, etc.) are also likely to be familiar with an ROI figure as an understandable and relatable metric. 

There’s a Calculator for That 

How does a library start calculating its ROI? Fortunately, the Maine State Library* still posts a ROI calculator that was developed by MLA and the Chelmford Library’s Brain Herzog. So what’s left for you to do is obtain the correct statistics to plug into that tool. Those statistics they’re asking for? You already have them. Your ARIS statistics that you submit to the MBLC every August have the numbers you need. Click “calculate” and you’ll have a number.  

Don’t get too excited (yet). The number you get from the calculator isn’t your ROI. That number is the dollar amount of what your services would cost the average person if they were paying for them out of pocket. The next number you need is your municipal appropriation, which you can also easily get. While you may have this number in your budget files and in your financial reporting that you submit to the MBLC in October, you can also get it in relation to the budget of the other departments in your municipality.  

Have a Slice of Municipal Pie 

As a self-admitted data nerd, this is quite possibly one of the most underrated library tools out there (the CensusData tool runs a close second). Allow me to introduce you to the municipal pie. This link will take you to the MA Department of Revenue’s site that lists and charts every MA municipality’s budget info and breaks it down by department. Here is where you see your total municipal budget appropriation and where your budget falls in relation to other departments in your city or town. Here’s how you get there: 

  • Find your municipality from the drop-down.  
ALT TEXT

Screenshot of detail of website with Division of Local Services: MA Department of Revenue logo indicating the content of “Schedule A General Fund and Library Expense Prepared for the Board of Library Commissioners” with a drop-down menu asking to “Select Municipalities” and listing the name of MA municipalities with a selectable check box next to each option 

  • Choose the fiscal year you want to see. (For ROI purposes, it’s best to use the most recent, but you can also compare to previous years for other interesting information.)  
ALT TEXT

Screenshot of detail of website with Division of Local Services: MA Department of Revenue logo indicating the content of “Schedule A General Fund and Library Expense Prepared for the Board of Library Commissioners” with a drop-down menu asking to “Select Fiscal Years” and listing years from 2024 back to 2003 with a selectable check box next to each option

  • Click on “Chart Library Expenditures” to see the pie chart breaking the tax dollar budget appropriations for your municipality. For demonstration purposes, this pie chart is for ALL the municipalities in MA. That tiny pie slice is the percent of the budget that all libraries have in the overall budget of Massachusetts. In other words, on average, libraries across the state are 1.1% of the Commonwealth’s budget. How does your municipality compare?** 
ALT TEXT

Screenshot of detail of website with Division of Local Services: MA Department of Revenue logo. The selectable option “Chart Library Expenditures” is highlighted.

What’s Your Number?  

OK – you have your calculated value and your municipal appropriation. To calculate your return on investment, divide the value determined in the library calculator by your total municipal budget, (calculated value / municipal budget = ROI). This number will very likely be greater than 1. When you multiply this number by 100, you’ll get your ROI percentage. This is a valuable metric that will be understood by a good portion of your community regardless of their connection with the library. 

Spread the news!  

Your library’s percentage is very likely over 100% and is probably somewhere between 100-1000%. The most important thing you can do now is to put that in context for your community. Here’s an example:  

  • You’ve calculated that your ROI is 430% 
  • What this means: The value of your library’s services is 4.3 times what your municipality invests in your library 
  • Or: For every $1 tax dollar that your municipality invests in your library they get $4.30 back in services that do not cost your community any additional money 
  • To put it another way: You’re offered a savings account where, for every dollar you put into that account you get $4.30 back in interest. (I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t take that deal.) That is essentially what your library is offering where, in this case the interest = services.

One more point you want to stress: those services that are worth 430% MORE than the tax dollars that have been invested to your library do not cost your community any additional money. The people using your services are doing so at no additional cost to them beyond the taxes they have already paid into their community. No one is asking them to pay a fee to take advantage of a staff member’s expertise on safely and critically navigating the internet. No one is charging admission for the early literacy benefits of a story time at the library. Libraries are not charging per hour for after school programs that tutor kids and give them skills to succeed. Most of us know (as I’ve previously mentioned) that if you are considered a municipal employee (and most library workers are; even association libraries usually get their staff salaries from their municipal budget), then you have a responsibility to be good stewards of tax dollars. Your ROI is concrete data offering proof that you are stretching those tax dollars as far as they can go.  

Once you have your number and its context, get this information out into your community! Do NOT wait to get this information out there. Your ROI is not an “ace in the hole” number to pull out only during budget negotiations (though it can be helpful to remind your municipality of your ROI during those negotiations). This is a number that everyone who enters the library, uses library services, or has a say in library services should be able to see. Put it on flyers; post it around the library; add it somewhere on your website; send everyone picking up a hold home with a bookmark that tells them just how much their tax dollars are offering them. Update this information every year as your new budget comes through. Most importantly, arm your advocates with this information. The more people in your community who know the value of the services you are offering to your community, the better. I’ve talked before about showing the community you’re a good steward of tax dollars. This is a great way to demonstrate what good stewards you are because you are backing that info with data. You are telling your community: we know how to stretch a dollar and get the most out of the money we’re given. You give us $1 and we will use that dollar to give our community services that are worth multiple times your investment.  

*There are other library calculators out there, but the ALA links to the Main State Library one while their tool is, unfortunately, not currently available.

** A note for Association libraries: your “slice” of pie will likely be considerably below the average since your primary sources of income are structured differently than municipal libraries. That doesn’t mean you can’t still get some great data, though! 

MBLC March 28 update on IMLS

Dear Colleagues:

Much has happened in the two weeks in since President Trump signed Executive Order 14238. However, the primary question remains: will Massachusetts and all the other states receive the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funding that is in statute?

To that end the IMLS Board sent a letter to IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling with the Board’s determination that “the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, as codified in Title 20 of the U.S. Code, outlines specific statutory mandates that cannot be paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute.”

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) also led a bipartisan effort to send a letter to the IMLS acting director seeking assurances that allocated federal funding for IMLS will be implemented in a manner that is consistent with bipartisan approved appropriations laws. Senator Reed was joined by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Both are tangible examples that making our voices heard is paying off. Earlier this week, the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) released a statement opposing the executive order, and sent information about a new initiative by Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) to collect stories: https://www.markey.senate.gov/trumpstories. MLA also informed us that Representatives Dina Titus (NV-01) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) are circulating a letter for other members of the House of Representatives to sign onto asking the Administration to reconsider the executive order. The deadline for members of Congress to sign onto the letter is the end of the day today, Friday, March 28.

At the MBLC we appreciate the emails we’ve received letting us know how important databases are, or the huge impact an LSTA grant had on your community, or how much your patrons rely on ComCat. These stories help us demonstrate the importance and value of these services.

The MBLC continues working with other state library agencies to assess the impact and share information. The MBLC also met with the Talking Book Libraries, Networks, MLA, Massachusetts School Library Association, Massachusetts Center for the Book, and the Massachusetts Library System. We plan to hold meetings with the broader library community when we have more answers and more concrete information to share.

In the meantime, understanding how the MBLC receives federal funds may be helpful. The MBLC was awarded $3.6 million through IMLS’ Grants to States program. The MBLC does not receive the funds in a lump sum. Instead, we submit a monthly invoice and are reimbursed. We are concerned that this may end with little or no warning. It is in this environment of uncertainty that the MBLC is working to find ways to hold steady the services that libraries and patrons need. Services depend on staff. More than half of the MBLC’s 23 staff members are at least partially funded with federal dollars. The entire State Aid to Public Libraries staff falls into this category. So, while the State Aid Program is funded with state dollars, the ability for the program to function depends on staff who are partially funded with federal dollars. Staff continue to support and advise trustees, run the direct grant program, develop trainings, partnerships, and resources to support our most vulnerable populations, work with Networks, and more. Simply put, without staff at the agency we cannot provide the services required under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 78. Our staff is the service we provide to the library community.

Thanks to the careful extensive planning by MBLC staff, statewide databases, ComCat, and the platform that makes statewide eBook sharing possible will continue uninterrupted for the remainder of the fiscal year (ending June 30, 2025). This allows some time for legislative efforts and potential legal pushbacks to play out.  

That doesn’t mean we stop planning. Maintaining services is our priority and we will continue to work towards that end. Please continue to reach out with questions or concerns anytime.

Sincerely,

Maureen Amyot

Director, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Policy: Library Employee Rights & Responsibilities 

Last week I mentioned possibilities to take into consideration when writing a patron rights & responsibilities policy. Much of that focused on the “responsibilities” part of that policy, but our patrons should have rights when they use the library space as well. Library users deserve to have consistent expectations when they are in the building. This means that library staff members must be accountable for the way they compose themselves and treat patrons. By and large, this isn’t an issue. I have yet to walk into a library in Massachusetts and not be greeted by stellar customer service at all levels. But people’s definition of “good” customer service can vary, so it’s important to define what treating someone equitably and well means for your library, then train your staff appropriately.  

This is another place where policy can be a huge asset. It takes the guesswork out of your expectations for your staff both on the supervisory front and on the patron side. If everyone is working off of the same policy, they are working off of the same set of expectations which means consistency that engenders trust throughout your staff and community. This has the added bonus of staff being able to help and support each other more easily because they are all working off the same guidelines. Remember when I mentioned having a copy of your policy binder at every service point and a digital copy accessible to all staff? Having a copy within reach takes the guesswork out of wondering if you’re doing the right thing. Staff members don’t have to speculate whether it’s OK for a patron to be doing x behavior in the library or if their response to a situation is something that’s appropriate. They can pull out the policy binder to check, or grab the binder to help guide a colleague through a tricky situation.  

Staff Responsibilities 

Here are some suggestions to guide your staff in a patron behavior policy. Staff can be accountable for: 

  • Weighing degree of disruptive conduct with onsite conditions. For example: it worth the confrontation to tell someone who is speaking loudly to quiet down when it looks like their conversation is ending anyway and the room is otherwise empty?  
  • Being tactful, firm, and respectful when handling disruptive behaviors 
  • Clearly communicate to a patron the reasons for the action they are taking when they are enforcing library policy 
  • Never, under any circumstances, touching a patron as part of a disciplinary action 
  • Whenever possible, refraining from touching a patron who may be in distress, for example: If a 911 operator asks you to move a patron or check a pulse, you have every right to say “I’m not comfortable doing that” and ask for ways to assist without making physical contact.  Another example: Touching a person who may be sleeping in an attempt to wake them up. If the person is having a health emergency, touching them can make it worse. If the person isn’t in distress but is disoriented when they awake, you’re putting yourself in potential (if unintentional) harm’s way by being in such close proximity 
  • Explaining and distributing policy upon request or when intervening with a policy violation 
  • Conducting themselves that’s conducive to a welcoming atmosphere 
  • Filling out an incident report every time a patron’s behavior must be corrected or intervened upon (when in doubt, fill it out!) 
  • Seeking out supervisors and/or public safety officials (911, non-emergency police line, etc.) in any ongoing or escalating patron issues

Policy is not a performance review

While it’s important for staff expectations to be outlined in a patron behavior policy, it’s also important that the staff expectations focus on treating patrons respectfully and equitably, and what patrons can expect from staff in relation to policy enforcement. They should not go into procedures such as how to maintain the desk at a public service point or even the procedures to follow once a staff member has had a patron encounter. Keeping staff expectations for this particular policy focused on patron interactions can keep staff from feeling micromanaged or singled-out.  

These patron-focused expectations also give your patrons a clear understanding of how they will reliably be treated, which can go a long way to helping a patron, who may not otherwise be comfortable in a public or government space, consider the library a place where they are welcome. Consider putting up brief, direct signs with icons explaining what’s expected of patrons in your library, particularly if the library often welcomes individuals who may encounter many different types of spaces that are rule-bound. This prevents confusion and possibly uncomfortable situations for you and other patrons if your rules differ from that of a school, group home, senior center, etc.  

All people are welcome – all behaviors are not 

Under no circumstances should any staff member, at any level, feel uncomfortable or unsafe in their workplace. Remember that policy is designed to keep everyone safe, but first and foremost, the safety of you and your staff should be top of mind. With staff increasingly retiring or becoming burned out and leaving the field (librarianship lost 10% of it’s workforce each year between 2020 and 2022), ensuring a safe workplace becomes even more vital to the success of your library. Part of the reason for having a strong, succinct Patron Rights & Responsibility policy is so your staff (and you) can understand and explain it to patrons when they are not following it. Your staff can feel somewhat more at ease (no situation where you have to correct behavior is every really comfortable) in knowing that they have a document they can show someone as backup proof when they say “you are violating library policy and need to stop, please.” By placing the focus on the policy and not the staff member (i.e. “I need to you to stop, please”) it directs the patron’s attention away from the staff member hopefully keeping the situation from escalating.  

Even the best policies won’t stop at least some situations from escalating, but yelling, invasion of personal space or boundaries, attempts to access staff-only areas, or other inappropriate interactions are unacceptable behaviors for a library. If your staff member feels unsafe, that is not the time to give a patron their chances. If you implemented one of last week’s suggestions: “A space where everyone on library property is undisturbed, without threat of harm or the invasion of personal property or space” into your policy, that should apply to staff, too. You can also add a caveat under that particular line item (or wherever you feel it’s appropriate) that anyone exhibiting rude or inappropriate behavior including but not limited to verbal abuse, threats or displaying unwanted attention on another person will be asked to leave the library immediately. You can even add that the Director reserves the right to apply follow-up restrictions if the situation warrants it. There may be many reasons for bad behavior, but there is no excuse for tolerating it in a public space where everyone, especially those that call it their workplace should feel safe, welcome, and comfortable.  

If you recall the equitable section from last week’s post, that applies here as well. If a longstanding regular who is usually very mild-mannered yells at a staff member, there may be extenuating circumstances, but in that moment, they are acting inappropriately and need to be asked to leave immediately. After the incident report is filed and the situation is discussed, you may consider those extenuating circumstances in determining if any follow-up restrictions should apply and/or if you would like to hear the patron’s side of the story, but you may choose not to. If a patron you’re unfamiliar with begins hitting your printer because it’s jammed and then yells at a staff member who comes to help fix it, same rules apply. That person may never have used the library before and only came in because their printer crashed and they were on a deadline. You can choose whether or not to invite that person back to hear that side of the story in the hopes of gaining a long-term patron that otherwise uses the library in accordance to policy every day forward. In any situation the hardline stance that you need to have is that, in that moment, that patron is violating library policy and in accordance with library policy, must leave immediately, and for the rest of the day.  

Libraries aren’t just for the people; they ARE the people 

By not tolerating unacceptable behavior, you are demonstrating to the patrons that follow the rules and, most importantly, your staff – who should be able to come to each shift without worrying for their safety – that you value that safety above all else. Library staff are one of the library’s most important resources; they are the ones who add value to the library: applying their professional expertise to curate collections that are meaningful to the community, using their knowledge of the community to make connections so their community can thrive, connecting with other libraries to make networks that can share resources freely (which exponentially increases the value of all of the connected libraries), creating the resources that anyone can use to improve their lives, smiling and greeting regular patrons and new users alike, and so much more. There is a human component to all libraries that are essential to their function, making them the library’s most valuable asset. Libraries cannot welcome without staff. Libraries cannot serve without staff. Staff cannot make their libraries the essential third spaces they are, if they are not treated with respectful, appropriate behavior.

This is why we write policy – not to be punitive or to tell people what they can’t do, but to allow the people who make the library a place where all community members can feel comfortable, free to express their ideas, and free to use a space that asks for nothing but basic accountability in return, to use the knowledge, skills, and abilities they bring to their jobs every day, and gives them the space to do those jobs well.  

MBLC Service Update – March 27, 2025 

🕙 MBLC Monthly Board Meeting on April 3rd (Hybrid) 
Contact: Rachel Masse 

The regular monthly board meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is scheduled for 10AM on Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, at the MBLC Office, 90 Canal Street, Boston.  

📢 PRESS RELEASE: Reed Leads Bipartisan Effort to Preserve Support for Public Libraries & Museums 

Read the full press release at the MBLC Blog. 

📜 MA250: Reading the Revolution–Send us your suggestions! 

Contact: Courtney Andree (MCB), June Thammasnong 

📋 MA250 Reading the Revolution Suggestions Form 

🧰 MA250 Reading the Revolution Toolkit 

Reading the Revolution is a collaborative, statewide reading list to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. The Massachusetts Center of the Book and the MBLC invite you to share your suggestions for book titles, articles and online resources of untold and unsung histories in Massachusetts from the past 250 years. This is in partnership with Massachusetts250, a two-year campaign organized by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. 

Please send us your ideas and suggestions for “revolutionary” books, journal articles and online resources that you’d like us to consider! 

🖥️ B&T Connect Training (Online)  

Contact: Cate Merlin 

Thursday, March 27th at 2pm – More Information & Zoom Link 

The State Aid team is excited to introduce Baker & Taylor Connect to the Library community! B&T Connect is the data analysis and visualization counterpoint to B&T Collect. This training will walk you through the basics of creating and viewing data and charts using years of your library data (and data from all MA libraries), so you can better advocate for your libraries and communities. 

🌈 Special Populations Deep Dive: Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth (Online) 

Contact: Ally Dowds 

Wednesday, April 2 at 2PM – Registration & Zoom Link 

Join us for a conversation and Q&A with the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth to learn more about its Annual Recommendations for state agencies (including the MBLC!), the Safe School Initiative, and opportunities for trainings and technical assistance to schools across the state. The Commission advises others in state government on effective policies, programs, and resources for LGBTQ youth and will help connect you to resources and latest news to help libraries support youth in their communities.  Registration is required. 

📅 Library Summit on Social Cohesion: April 11, 2025 from 10AM to 3:30PM at Devens Common Center 

Contact: Jack Martin (MLS) 

Registration & More Information 

In collaboration with the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) and Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, we are excited to announce the Library Summit on Social Cohesion!  This in-person event will provide a nourishing day for library staff to strengthen relationships within our profession and to support our important role fostering social connection in our communities.  The theme of the summit is: Together We Thrive: Libraries as Catalysts for Social Cohesion.  

🤝 Library Advisory Office Hours (Online) 

Contact: Al Hayden 

Monday, April 14 at 9AM – More Information & Zoom Link 

Monday, April 28 at 2PM – More Information & Zoom Link 

Open to all Directors, Trustees, Library Friends, and Foundation Members. They are designed to be an open-ended, safe space for questions and interaction among participants. Sessions will NOT be recorded, and chats will NOT be saved. Registration is not required; stop by anytime during the hour!  

📈 Census Data for Libraries – A Deeper Dive (Online) 

Contact: Al Hayden 

Tuesday, April 15 at 2PM – More Information & Zoom Link 

In this workshop you will learn how to find population and demographic data for various geographies, using data.census.gov, the Census Bureau’s premiere online data platform. Understanding community characteristics can help inform and prioritize the need for library services, funding, and programs.  You will learn how to customize a search to find data tables on community population, demographics, socio-economic, and housing data.  We will provide a live demonstration of data.census.gov and show you how to use maps, charts, and access various data tables that can be downloaded and shared. 

🗨️ Preservation Office Hours (Online) 

Contact: Jess Colati 

Tuesday, April 8 at 10AM – More Information & Zoom Link 

Tuesday, April 22 at 10AM – More Information & Zoom Link 

Open to all interested in ensuring safe and stable storage and improving collection management for your library or organization’s preservation projects.  Connect with the MBLC’s Preservation Specialist, Jess Colati and colleagues around the Commonwealth that work to advance the protection of cultural collections during monthly office hours.  Sessions and chats are not recorded or saved. 

💬 State Aid Office Hours (Online)  

Contact: Cate Merlin  

Wednesday, April 16 at 9AM – More Information & Zoom Link  

Wednesday, April 30 at 2PM – More Information & Zoom Link  

Join Cate Merlin, Head of State Programs, and your fellow Library Directors, Trustees, and others seeking advice and answers as we embark upon the FY2026 budget season. Make sure your next budget, materials spending, and hours open fully meet State Aid requirements, and share ideas for budget strategies with others- registration is not required, and session and chats will not be recorded or saved.    

📈 Introduction/Overview of the State Aid Program (Online) 

Contact: Jen Inglis, Cate Merlin 

Thursday, April 10 at 10AM – More Information & Zoom Link 

Thursday, April  24 at 2PM – More Information & Zoom Link 

These sessions are geared towards new and/or acting directors to provide an introduction to and overview of the State Aid to Public Libraries program, and the requirements that need to be met in order to qualify for State Aid to Public Libraries funds. This is not a workshop about how to fill out the surveys/forms- ARIS and Financial Report workshops will be held beginning in the early summer. 

💙 Participate in the Empowered by Libraries Campaign! 

Contact: June Thammasnong, Celeste Bruno 

🧰 Campaign Toolkit  

The MBLC is collecting stories of impact from your patrons at LoveMassLibraries.com that will help demonstrate the importance and impact of our Commonwealth’s libraries to state representatives and legislators during the legislative budget season and beyond.  Learn more about how your library can participate with the Empowered by Libraries Toolkit. 

🗣️ ESOL Roundtable Discussion (Online) 

Contact: Ally Dowds 

Wednesday, April 30 at 1PM – Registration & Zoom Link 

Connect with literacy coordinators and library staff to exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and build a supportive community. Whether you’re an experienced educator, a new ESOL coordinator, or a librarian developing services and collections, this roundtable provides a forum to come together for meaningful discussion and resource sharing. Bring your questions, challenges, and successes! 

🖥️✏️Fortifying Your Library Blog Series with Al Hayden: Patron Rights & Responsibility 

Having well-defined policies is more crucial than ever to ensure libraries serve their communities effectively. In the latest installment of ✨Fortifying Your Library ✨, MBLC Library Advisory Specialist Al Hayden takes a deep dive into the policies that protect patron rights.  To read more, visit the MBLC Blog.    

🕙 MBLC Monthly Board Meeting on May 1st (Hybrid) 
Contact: Rachel Masse 

The regular monthly board meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is scheduled for 10AM on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, at the MBLC Office, 90 Canal Street, Boston.