NEWS RELEASE

At its December Board Meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) approved the final group of libraries that met all requirements for the State Aid to Public Libraries Program. To date, 328 communities have been certified and more than $4.5 million has been awarded in state aid funding. This is roughly half of the total state aid funding that certified libraries will receive.

Funding from the State Aid to Public Library Program  directly supports public library services. The reciprocity that comes with library certification in this voluntary program is often what patrons value most. It allows them to use any State Aid certified library in the Commonwealth and gives patrons access to more than 55 million items available through the shared library system. Last year patrons borrowed more than seven million items from outside their own communities.

To be certified each fiscal year in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program, a municipality and its library must meet the  Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR)  and the Minimum Standards of Free Public Library Service. In January, Commissioners will consider applications from 17 libraries that need a waiver of the MAR in order to be certified in the program. The MAR is funding from the municipality to support the library.

MBLC Commissioners have made increased funding to State Aid to Public Libraries a priority in the FY2021 Legislative Agenda.  Please visit mass.gov/mblc for more information