For Immediate Release: Contact: Alicia DelVento 10/01/2020 Alicia.DelVento@mahouse.gov
Local Libraries Receive Key Investments
(BOSTON)- Representative Danielle W. Gregoire (D-Marlborough) is pleased to announce that our local libraries have recently been awarded much needed and deserved funding. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, important community programs have had to adapt to a new way of offering services. Specifically, libraries across the Commonwealth have made the adjustments necessary to continue to provide services, mostly virtual, to the communities they serve. This past summer, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) awarded 67 facilities across the state a total of $526,766. These awards were made available through funds from both the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In addition to direct grants, the LSTA funds support MBLC's statewide programs, such as research databases and summer reading programs.
Due to the efforts of Representative Gregoire, the MBLC and our federal counterparts, the Marlborough Public Library received $2,144 in CARES Act funds and the Northborough Free Library received $7,500 in LSTA funds. Additionally, Representative Gregoire secured $110,000 for upgrades and repairs to the Northborough Free Library and $30,400 for access and technology advances at the Westborough Public Library. These funds were secured through House Bill 4932, An Act Financing the General Governmental Infrastructure of the Commonwealth, which was signed into law in August.
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"Libraries serve as one of the most important resources in our community,” said Representative Danielle W. Gregoire (D-Marlborough), House Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. “I am grateful for the additional funding that has allowed our local libraries to offer impactful programming and services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I am also proud to have served on the House and Senate Conference Committee for House Bill 4932, which secured critical funding for our local libraries. I know the importance of these services, and am committed to advocating for the resources they need."
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