MBLC Blog

Month: September 2023

  • MPLCP Revealed!

    By Lauren Stara, Library Building Specialist

    (Visit our new website by clicking the image above or link below.)

    Are you curious about the impact of the MBLC’s Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) on your community? We are delighted to announce that we have a new website showing the entire history of our grant program, now live at https://mblcconstructionprogram.org/.

    Here you will find all the grants we have awarded, searchable by municipality, with the grant year, the grant amount, the type of project, and the architect. In many cases, we have more data, like the dedication date, contractor, OPM, and total construction cost. Note that if your city or town does not appear in the drop-down list, it means that you have never received an MPLCP construction grant.

    You can also scroll down to see a map of the entire state, color coded to show the status of past and current construction grants. We’ve had this map in printed form for many years, and we’ve finally gone digital! You can download a printable PDF of the map if you like the paper format.

    (Click the image to download the PDF printable map.)

    The great thing about this site is that we can update it periodically to reflect the progress of current projects and add new projects as we go through the 2023-2024 grant round.

    Sincere thanks go to Celeste Bruno and June Thammasnong, our amazing Communications Team, as well as Andrea Bono-Bunker, Library Building Specialist and Rosemary Waltos, former Library Building Consultant. The site is the culmination of years of struggling with how to make our wealth of data available to the public – we’ve been working toward this since I started with the agency, over 10 years ago.

    For more information about the MPLCP, visit the construction section of the MBLC website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at lauren.stara@mass.gov or Andrea at andrea.bunker@mass.gov.

  • Meet your new MBLC Commissioner, Barbara Barros!

    What are you looking forward to as a new Commissioner for Massachusetts libraries?

    I’m looking forward to understanding the role I am in, what is expected of me and how I can make a difference.

    What do you love about your local library?

    There is something magical about entering a library; it’s the “old school” feeling where it takes me back to being a child spending my Saturday afternoons at my local library. Even though many things have changed over the years and not always for the better, the library has remained intact as a place to read, research and just be at peace in a nice quiet environment.

    What do you like to do in your free time?

    In my free time I garden, I write and I raise chickens. I also make soap and I belong to a dance group.

    What book changed your life?

    The book that changed my life I would say is Jonathan Kozol’s book Death at an Early Age. It was the first book I read that had my own writing in it. Jonathan was my 4th grade teacher and he included a composition I wrote into his book. Seeing my writing in print for the first time was inspiring and even though it took me years to begin my writing career that has always stuck with me.

    What are you reading right now?

    I’m presently finishing my summer reading. I’m reading Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand and just finished several of her books; Winter in Paradise, Endless Summer and Nantucket Nights.

    Commissioner Barros is pictured here at a book signing with the novel and two children’s books she’s authored.

  • Beyond book bans: how book challenges are impacting librarians and libraries in Massachusetts

    Book challenges are not new; but in the past few years, book challenges have been occurring in record numbers. According to the American Library Association (ALA), there were 45 book challenges in Massachusetts in 2022 affecting 57 titles. That’s more than the past 9 years (2013-2021) combined which totaled 38 challenges. Nationwide, ALA reported 1,270 book challenges in 2022, up significantly from 350 in 2019.

    To date, no books have been banned in Massachusetts, however the Joint Task Force for Intellectual Freedom, with members from the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA), Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), Massachusetts Library System (MLS), the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) were interested in whether the challenges were having other impacts on library services.

    In July 2023 the task force conducted an informal survey to better understand the impact book challenges are having on library services and staff. The survey was open to library directors at all types of libraries who were asked to report on activity from June 30, 2022 to July 1, 2023.


    Respondents by library type:
    Public:  199

    School:   35

    Academic: 2

    Special: 1


    Significant Findings:

    11 public libraries with a total of 59 challenges (one library had 32) were not reported to ALA, MLA, or MSLA during June 30,2022 to July 1, 2023.

    Nearly 25% of school and public librarian respondents combined reported being harassed on social media; 22% reported being harassed via email; 18% report being harassed in person related to book challenges or program challenges.

    48.5% of school library respondents reported that they reconsidered displays and books or items featured due to negativity surrounding book challenges.

    18% of public library respondents reported that they eased up on publicizing an event which may be considered controversial.

    The Massachusetts Library Association, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, and the Massachusetts School Library Association recently released a statement in support of libraries and intellectual freedom. Individuals can show their support by signing on at tinyurl.com/supporting-libraries. These organizations also provide information and support to librarians and communities experiencing book and program challenges. Intellectual Freedom & Censorship: Impact in Massachusetts and Beyond and More Licensed School Library Teachers, Less Book Banning have more information. For full survey results please contact Celeste.Bruno@mass.gov or June.Thammasnong@mass.gov .