April 2, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear Members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) received $3.6 million from IMLS\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s collection. In towns that have smaller collections, Interlibrary Loan offers a gateway to materials throughout the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 Sincerely,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Joseph M. Petty, Mayor of Worcester<\/em>
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cathleen DeSimone, Mayor of Attleboro<\/em>
Dori A. Vecchio, Interim Town Manager of Auburn<\/em>
Robert Pontbriand, Town Manager of Ayer<\/em>
Margaret \u201cPeg\u201d Stone, Select Board Chair of Berlin<\/em>
Robert F. Sullivan, Mayor of Brockton<\/em>
E. Denise Simmons, Mayor of Cambridge<\/em>
Charles Seelig, Town Administrator of East Bridgewater<\/em>
Samantha Squailia, Mayor of Fitchburg<\/em>
Charles Sisitsky, Mayor of Framingham<\/em>
Michael J. Nicholson, Mayor of Gardner<\/em>
Greg Verga, Mayor of Gloucester<\/em>
Virginia \u201cGinny\u201d Desorgher, Mayor of Greenfield<\/em>
Melinda Barrett, Mayor of Haverhill<\/em>
Brian A. DePe\u00f1a, Mayor of Lawrence
<\/em>Caesar Nuzzolo, Select Board Chair of Lunenburg<\/em>
Jared C. Nicholson, Mayor of Lynn<\/em>
David P. Beauregard, Jr., Mayor of Methuen
<\/em>Ruthanne Fuller, Mayor of Newton<\/em>
Gina-Louise Sciarra, Mayor of Northampton<\/em>
Ted Bettencourt, Mayor of Peabody<\/em>
Sherry Patch, Town Administrator of Princeton
<\/em>Leah Whiteman, Select Board Chair of Rutland<\/em>
Austin J. Cyganiewicz, Town Administrator of Rutland<\/em>
Dominick Pangalo, Mayor of Salem<\/em>
Domenic J. Sarno, Mayor of Springfiel<\/em>d<\/p>\n\n\n\n