NEWS RELEASE

On Friday, October 2, the wait ended for the people of Salisbury as they cut the ribbon on their brand new library. The original 1956 building was demolished and replaced with a new modern facility in the same location, increasing the space from 3,047 to 16,027 square feet.

After a time on the construction waiting list, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) awarded Salisbury a provisional grant of $3,856,187 in September 2012 through the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP). The project was approved at town meeting in May 2013 after a successful community-wide campaign,.

Town Manager Neil Harrington started the ceremony by congratulating the town on its hard work making the project a reality. "We can take great collective pride in knowing our efforts were worthwhile," he said.

In addition to Harrington, state, local, and library officials including MBLC Commissioner Mary Ann Cluggish attended the opening. "I teared up when I came inside, and I don't even live in Salisbury," Cluggish said. She also spoke during the groundbreaking ceremony at the site in June 2014.

"This is a new library for the digital age," Cluggish added. "Libraries are no longer only transactional, and this one will be a game changer."

State Senator Kathleen O'Connor Ives, who helped secure the grant funding for the project, told the crowd, "You're investing in a library, which is an investment in the future." She added that she was excited to hold her office hours in the new building, a sentiment shared by State Representative James Kelcourse.

2015 marks the 130^th anniversary of the Salisbury Public Library, founded at town meeting in 1885. Library Director Terry Kyrios noted that the new building was a fitting way to celebrate the anniversary. "In 2003, we were close to decertification. In a short amount of time, we went from almost closing to cutting a ribbon," Kyrios said.

The fully accessible new building includes a children's room, teen space, multi-purpose room, and increased space for the town's collection. The library will qualify for additional money through the Green Library Incentive program after attaining LEED certification.

Photos from the event can be found on the MBLC's Flickr page.

Funding for the MPLCP is authorized by the governor and legislature. With support from the MPLCP, projects are currently underway in Edgartown, Framingham, Hopkinton, Reading, Scituate, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Stoughton, Webster, West Springfield, and Woburn. An additional 21 communities are in the planning and design phase.

The MPLCP was first funded in 1987. Since then, the program has assisted hundreds of communities in building new libraries or in renovating and expanding existing libraries. For more information about the program, please visit the MBLC's website.