NEWS RELEASE

On November 20, Governor Maura Healey signed into law the Mass Leads Act, an economic development bill which provides billions in critical investments to create jobs, support business growth, expand workforce development programs, and support rural and regional economic development initiatives. The bill supports the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners' (MBLC) by providing $150 million for the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP), which works with local communities to build, renovate, and expand public libraries.

"We thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Legislature for recognizing the vital role libraries play in the state's economy. Public libraries are often the critical resource job seekers need to write a resume, complete a training program, perfect their English, or access the Internet. Libraries change lives, and librarians continue intellectual freedom efforts to ensure that every person who lives in Massachusetts has access to collections, programs, and resources that support their personal, professional, and economic growth. The Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program is a model that other states aspire to, and we know that as residents, we are fortunate to have the support we enjoy in Massachusetts," said MBLC Chair Vicky Biancolo.

Funding from the economic development bill will support the MPLCP's current grant round. In October the MBLC began the process of awarding planning and design grants, with the communities of Blandford and Otis receiving the first ever Small Population Grants for municipalities with municipal census populations of fewer than 2,500. These grants were created to provide more assistance to municipalities with smaller populations and less capacity to manage large construction projects. For Standard Grant libraries, planning and design grants will be awarded in early 2025 by tiers based on square footage submitted in the grant application: small, medium, and large.

Twenty-two libraries submitted applications in the current grant round, demonstrating the ongoing need to renovate and expand libraries that in many cases were built 100 years ago, before technology and COVID changed the way people live and use libraries. Today, thousands of people use the internet in libraries every day, and they rely on quiet spaces in libraries to work, conduct telehealth visits, or participate in job interviews; and last year, over a million people of all ages attended programs and events in Massachusetts public libraries.

The MPLCP has benefitted more than 250 towns and cities since its inception in 1987. MPLCP projects are underway in the following communities: Amherst, Deerfield, Fitchburg, Gloucester, Melrose, Sharon, Shutesbury, Swansea, and Westford. Learn more about the program on the MBLC website, the Building Literacy podcast, and the MPLCP Municipal Impact website.