While the adults in their lives head to the polls to choose a president, kids across Massachusetts are being asked to participate in another type of election.
Starting Monday, at www.KidsVoteForBooks.com, young people can choose their favorite books and see if their choices are in the Top 25 when the votes are tallied. Voting is open through Nov. 9.
If there’s a service that’s been thriving for municipalities during the pandemic it’s been public libraries.
While internal access to libraries continues to be either very limited or non-existent, use of libraries’ resources, whether physical or digitized, is available and in demand.
By Evan Knight, Preservation Specialist at the MBLC
Last week IMLS, OCLC, and their research partner Battelle Labs released updated findings on their library-related research on SARS-CoV-2 through Project REALM. Obviously, these findings can help us to make more informed decisions as many of us ramp up various levels of in-person library services. I’d like to take a few moments to frame their work in the context of larger public safety protocols, summarize their findings so far, and provide links to additional information.
| REALM Project Testing Summary^9 | ||
| Material | Storage method | Number of Days until below LOD |
| Hardback book cover (buckram cloth) | Open air | 1 |
| Softback book cover | Open air | 1 |
| Plastic book covering (biaxially oriented polyester film) | Open air | 3 |
| Plain paper pages | Closed | 3 |
| Braille paper pages | Closed | 4 |
| Glossy paper pages | Closed | 4 |
| Magazine pages | Closed | “Trace amounts at 4 days” |
| Children’s board book pages | Closed | 4 |
| Archival folders | Stacked together | 2 |
| DVD case | Open air | 1 |
| DVD/CD disc | Open air | 5 |
| Talking book, USB cassettes | Open air | Over 5 |
| Acrylic display cases/partitions | Open air | Over 5 |
| Storage bags (flexible low-density polyethylene (LDPE) recycling #4) | Open air | 5 |
| Storage containers (rigid high-density polyethylene (HDPE), recycling #2) | Open air | Over 5 |
It is important to keep in mind that three important questions remain unanswered from REALM testing that impact how to interpret their results:
Over the past several months the MBLC and MLS have been, and will continue to follow quarantining guidance on two fronts in addition to the REALM project:
Now, how might you use all this information to further develop your in-person reopening plans? First, I think it’s important to remember that CDC, OSHA, and Mass DPH don’t focus on quarantine of materials as a primary strategy to stop viral spread. ^10,11,12 Their guidelines for safety tend to strongly emphasize personal hygiene, social distancing, and disinfection of “high-touch” materials (like doorknobs, handrails, etc.).
The MBLC and MLS acknowledge that each library’s mission, staff, and community needs have unique characteristics that make it very difficult to point to one-size-fits-all guidance in any of these areas. With specific regard to quarantining as a strategy, it is particularly difficult because public health expert guidance doesn’t devote as much attention to it as REALM and library/archive/museum specialists, so there are multiple viewpoints, none of which are ‘wrong.’
In the end, questions of quarantine, as with other issues in reopening, rely on your informed judgement, in coordination with your local health officials. Please reach out to us with questions.
Footnotes:
By Michelle Eberle, Consultant at the Massachusetts Library System
The Massachusetts Library System and Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners have signed up as partners for National Voter Registration Day and your library can too. National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. In 2018-2019, 1.3 million voters registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day. National Voter Registration Day registers voters, mobilizes volunteers, educates citizens, and unites American. This inspirational statement is featured on their website: “National Voter Registration Day is a day of civic unity. It’s an opportunity to set aside differences, enjoy the rights and opportunities we all share as American, and celebrate our democracy.”
Celebrated each year on the fourth Tuesday of September, this year National Voter Registration Day will be held on September 22nd. The American Library Association is a national partner for National Voter Registration Day. ALA is providing libraries with resources to promote voter engagement including a Voter Engagement Guide and Tip Sheet for Community Leaders & Partners. Other partners include Google, the YMCA, the United Way, Twitter, NAMI, Paramount Network, and more. Over 2000 organizations are partnering on National Voter Registration Day.
National Voter Registration Day provides community partners with a toolkit for organizations including a communications toolkit, a field organizer’s kit, sample social media, and posters & stickers. MLS and MBLC will be posting the sample social media from the toolkit. MLS is planning a webinar about National Voter Registration Day with guest speakers in early September. Stay tuned for more information soon.
If your library is interested to get involved with National Voter Registration Day, you can learn more and sign up to partner at: https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/
For more information about voting in Massachusetts, check out resources provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Elections Division:
By Andrea Bunker, Library Building Specialist at the MBLC
As the doors of libraries begin to open to welcome patrons amidst this new normal of pandemic living, agonizing and costly decisions have been discussed, weighed, and decided. Re-opening plans have been carefully crafted and vetted by boards of health, municipalities, and library trustees. There are no easy considerations. There are no roadmaps. There is only ever-evolving information as research efforts try to keep pace with the spread of the virus. “Designing Libraries for a Pandemic”, the newest episode of “Building Literacy: Public Library Construction”, which is available now for download or streaming, tackles issues related to library design during COVID-19 and beyond, recognizing that there are no steadfast answers.
We convened a virtual roundtable of architects from several of the firms who design buildings for libraries that partake in the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. Some have projects that have recently opened; some have projects under construction; and some have projects currently in the design stage. No project remains as it was pre-pandemic. Each firm leads discussion on a design topic affected by COVID-19, including circulation patterns, furniture design, small vs. large rooms, exterior spaces, flexibility vs, separation, safety and security, bathrooms, HVAC, and long-term impacts. This esteemed and knowledgeable group discusses changes they are considering and have made, given the most up-to-date information available.
It is important to note that information about COVID-19 and its transmission and behavior is ever-evolving. The discussion of safety measures in this episode are based on research and guidance up until August 4, 2020. We cannot know what further pertinent information will arise in subsequent weeks, months, or years, but we will strive to update this episode to include new information and guidance gleaned from ongoing research in the late fall or early winter.
Over the past five months, we have witnessed you, our talented and dedicated library community, alter spaces, redesign rooms, install protective barriers, create new pathways around your buildings, catapult virtual programming to new heights, and implement procedures to maximize the safety of staff and patrons. You have adapted and changed to provide important library services. While we share with you the thoughtful perspectives of design professionals in this episode, always remember that it is your experience and your expertise in serving your communities that inform library design. We remain in awe of your ability to pivot, the action that defines this year and this decade so far. Thank you for listening.
By Andrea Bunker, Library Building Specialist at the MBLC
Thank you for helping the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program’s (MPLCP) podcast “Building Literacy: Public Library Construction” reach close to 450 downloads!
In our second season, we look to our past- wisdom from former library building specialists, a primer on the history of the MPLCP, and our response to a 105-year-old speech about faults commonly found in Massachusetts libraries constructed during that era. A common thread weaves through all these episodes: although time ticks forward and technology and building materials evolve, human behavior, attitudes, and resilience remain consistent.
As we look to the future of library design and construction, the best way to develop a responsive plan is to truly understand all that has preceded and influenced our present. Patience Jackson and Rosemary Waltos provide us with a well-rounded perspective of the design challenges and construction errors they encountered during their years as library building consultants for the agency in “Words of Wisdom.” They follow up this advice with an in-depth conversation about the origins and evolution of the MPLCP, which has weathered many economic storms in its 30-year existence, in “The History of the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program.”
While recording the first two episodes of season two, Patience called our attention to a speech from 1915 that exists in our files. The writer and speaker was Alice G. Chandler who, in addition to being a Trustee at the Lancaster Public Library, made advisory visits to libraries across the Commonwealth for the Free Public Library Commission, critiquing everything from their buildings to their cataloging systems. In her speech, which our colleague Liz Babbitt reads in its entirety at the end of the episode, “Some Things Never Change,” Ms. Chandler relays the numerous concerns related to recently constructed library buildings throughout Massachusetts. As library building specialists, we were taken aback by how relevant and true her statements remain. Therefore, we discuss the similarities between our common comments today and those made 105 years ago. We don’t cover every aspect of planning, design, and construction, but we hope you find some useful information for your own project.
The first few episodes of season three are forthcoming. We recently zoomed with several architects who design public libraries in the Commonwealth and beyond to learn more about pandemic-related changes they are contemplating and any lasting ramifications in their work on libraries. We have also begun collecting the building project stories of Directors and Trustees who have recently completed new or renovated and expanded libraries or lost their votes to secure approval. We plan to have topical episodes including issues like advocacy, fundraising, building committees, and much more, integrating these narratives from both successful and unsuccessful (for now!) projects.
As always, if you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email me at andrea.bunker@mass.gov. We hope you learn as much from listening to each one of the episodes as we do creating them.
The public library in Franklin has been loaning books for 230 years — the town boasts the first continuous public-lending library in the nation. It was founded in 1790 with a donation of books from Benjamin Franklin. But when the pandemic hit, like all other libraries in the state, the Franklin library closed its doors — leaving patrons like long-time resident Safdar Mahmud eagerly awaiting its return.
“I’m a teacher. … So, for me, libraries are very important,” Mahmud said. “Just to have the distinction of Franklin being one of those historical places — there’s even books in there that were sent by [Benjamin] Franklin, and some of the original books going back to the early 1700s are actually housed in there.”
By Lauren Stara, Library Building Specialist at the MBLC
Because of the uncertainty with municipal budgets brought on by COVID-19, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has decided not to award any new provisional grants in the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) in Fiscal Year 2021.
A “provisional” grant means that a municipality has been awarded an MPLCP grant and has six months to secure the required local funds that make up the balance of project costs. A contract with the MBLC cannot be executed without this funding in place.
The two libraries that were scheduled for provisional grants in FY21 were East Bridgewater Public Library and the Jones Library in Amherst. These two libraries remain at the top of the waiting list and will be offered provisional grants in FY22. Please see the FY21 Construction Grant FAQ for more information.
This pause in the awarding of new grants will not affect the overall time frame of the waiting list. The projects that were originally scheduled for grants in FY22 will likely be delayed for one year, but subsequent years won’t be affected. As projects are being completed and final payments made on libraries going back to the 2010 grant round, as well as the grants awarded in 2017, we have eight grants that will be retired in FY21 and FY22. This frees up room in the annual cap for new projects.
The timing of grant awards is always in flux, because of two main factors:
We will not have any trouble spending our annual cap this year because we can give partial payments to three projects farther down on the waiting list that have already started or completed construction. Note that this does not mean that these projects move to the top of the list.
The scheduling of grant awards is extremely complicated, and I encourage anyone with questions about this to contact me at lauren.stara@mass.gov. The mission of the MPLCP is to improve library services throughout the Commonwealth by improving library facilities, and there’s nothing we like more than successful projects. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everything, and we hope that this pause will help everyone, including ourselves, to move forward.
The Governor has proclaimed the week of July 12 to July 18 Hurricane Preparedness Week in the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) with Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness (COSTEP) has created important information for cultural institutions to keep in mind as hurricane season progresses.
The peak of hurricane season is in August and September, and this year, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an above normal season. Although Massachusetts has not seen a hurricane since Hurricane Bob in 1991, it has a history of destructive storms, and the whole state is at risk with the threat of storm surges in coastal areas and high winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding inland. It is important to remember that these storms will continue during the COVID-19 pandemic and that it only takes one storm to severely impact an area.
How Residents Can Prepare
Evacuation Zones: There are several different evacuation zones in the coastal parts of the state. Residents can look up to see if they live or work in one at www.mass.gov/knowyourzone.
Make an Emergency Plan: Develop a plan with the members of your household to prepare for what to do in a tropical cyclone including making an evacuation plan, planning for individuals with access and functional needs, and any extra considerations during COVID-19 pandemic including how you might evacuate and where you might evacuate to. If you are in a high-risk population, the safest option may be to evacuate to a location without the general public such as a hotel, relatives’ home or other destination. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/make-a-family-emergency-plan
Build an Emergency Kit: Build an emergency kit containing items that will sustain you and your family in the event you are isolated for three to five days without power or unable to go to a store and customize for your family’s needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, include face coverings, masks, hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies that you may need. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/build-an-emergency-kit.
Stay Informed: Every family should have multiple methods for receiving emergency alerts. Learn more about different types of alerting and information tools including the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, Social Media & Traditional Media, 2-1-1 Hotline, Local Notification Systems: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/be-informed-and-receive-emergency-alerts.
The Massachusetts Government is working together to help prepare the state. MEMA and the Department of Public Health have developed guidance for the Commonwealth and municipalities for providing and operating shelters and conducting evacuations during COVID-19. In addition, state agencies are adding screening, sanitization, disinfection, and general public health protocols to existing mass care plans; and planning for and preparing to provide sheltering in non-congregate settings such as hotels. This planning is all on top of regular hurricane season planning and outreach efforts with local, state, federal, and non-governmental partners.
More information about hurricane preparedness can be found on the COSTEP website, and a recording of a webinar with Matthew Belk, a Lead Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Boston, on the 2020 upcoming hurricane season is available here.
MBLC Service Update
July 8, 2020
As we work together to get through the current reality, the MBLC will provide regular updates on MBLC services and other statewide issues. Please let us know if there’s info you’d like us to cover—we’ll include it if we are able. Stay well.
Re-opening Phase 3
Contact: Rob Favini
Maura Deedy
Phase 3 Step 1 of the state’s reopening guidance began Monday July 6, 2020. What does this mean for libraries? On the “When Can My Business Reopen” page, under libraries, the addition of “Phase 3 open for browsing.” The safety standards for libraries were updated on July 6, 2020.
MBLC and MLS staff will be seeking additional clarification, specifically around contract tracing, and will review and update our COVID-19 guidance as library specific details of Phase 3 Step 1 are made available. In the meantime we recommend keeping the following in mind as you plan your next service expansion:
The Governor’s Phase 3 announcement signals a significant milestone as we cautiously move to resume services that are vital to our communities. The MBLC and MLS can’t emphasize enough that maintaining staff and visitor safety are key to meet this and all future milestones.
State Aid- Reopening survey
Contact: Liz Babbitt
In light of the Governor’s phased re-opening plan, please update the COVID19 reopening survey via the new LibWizard form This will be shared with the library community in a Google spreadsheet titled “COVID19: Re-opening Public Libraries Survey”.
MBLC Monthly Board Meetings
Contact: Rachel Masse
The regular monthly business meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, July 9, 2020 by Zoom Teleconference Meeting. https://mblc.libcal.com/event/6201495
CARES Act Grants
Contact: Lyndsay Forbes
MBLC funds Library Summer Distance Learning
For 2020, a total of 126 received funding from the MBLC to offer the online program. Fifty-six received a Summer Software grant and when IMLS Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding became available, seventy-three more were added.
See which libraries received grants.
Performer’s Directory
Contact: Paul Kissman
Updates to the Performer’s Directory make it easy to find programs that can be delivered virtually. (https://mblc.state.ma.us/directories/performers). MBLC staff reached out to performers who added over 350 new programs.
Preservation and Disaster Recovery
Contact: Evan Knight
This Friday! Conversation on the Commons – Black Lives Matter protests and history organizations: Partner, collect, change? Description
Registration is full but you may livestream view
Hosted by Mass History Alliance the focus will be discussing and confronting racial justice issues among Massachusetts’ historical collections. For mainly historical societies, house museums, archives, etc. but libraries and library staff are welcome.
REGISTRATION OPEN – MBLC/MLS Virtual special collections symposium for smaller libraries
July 23, 9am-12pm
Local public memory collections provide important, unique, and sustainable opportunities to interpret a community’s contemporary experiences as they change over time. Yet there are many challenges in building, preserving, and sharing these collections, especially among smaller libraries. Renowned experts in the book trade, academic libraries, and library special collections will convene for a morning symposium of sharing and dialogue about these topics, tailored specifically for library workers, librarians, archivists, and collections volunteers with various levels of experience, and from collections of all sizes. Co-hosted by the Massachusetts Library System. Register
Construction-The Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP)
Contact: Lauren Stara
Andrea Bunker
The Senate passed bond bill S 2790 that contains funding for the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP). Senator Eric Lesser’s amendment to increase library construction funding to $150 million from $115 million did not pass. The bond bill now goes to Conference Committee to reconcile any difference between Senate and House funding amounts. It will then be voted on separately in the House and Senate before going to the Governor for his signature
The $115 million for the MPLCP will cover the projects on the waitlist.
Promotion/Summer Library Program
Contact: Celeste Bruno
Matthew Perry
Rachel Masse
Baker and Blades Statewide Summer Challenge kicks off
In total, 66 libraries from across Massachusetts signed up to participate, each picking their own unique challenge for their community. Bridgewater Public Library’s goal is to get 325 people registered for summer reading, while Blackstone Public Library wants to read 300 books total. Other challenges include minutes read, hours read, and consecutive days of reading. Goals will be tracked from July 1 to August 14. Participating libraries are listed here.
State Aid To Public Libraries
Contact: Liz. Babbit
Uechi Ng
Mary Rose Quinn
ARIS is open
The Annual Report Information Survey (ARIS) is open. Login information has been sent to all public library directors. Due to COVID19 related library closures, the form is not due until October 2nd, 2020. No printed forms will be accepted this year. Please see instructions for submitting the signature page on the Instructions and Tips document on the ARIS home page
