Weymouth Awarded $12M Grant For New Library

WEYMOUTH, MA – Weymouth was one of nine communities awarded millions in grant money this month by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The MBLC approved $67 million in funds to nine communities to expand and meet the growing demand for library services.

According to a press release, attendance at public library programs has increased 49 percent since 2006 and every 5.5 seconds a resident across the state is accessing the internet through a library.

"We’re sometimes asked whether libraries are still necessary in this digital age," MBLC Chair Mary Ann Cluggish said in a release. "The answer is an overwhelming ‘yes’. Libraries are busier than ever assisting residents with job searches or business start-ups, teaching residents to use new technology or simply providing the only free space where everyone in the community can continue their education."

Weymouth was awarded $12,085,184, which it will use to tear down and rebuild the Tufts Library, according to the Boston Globe. The planned library will include an expanded children’s department, meeting rooms, and a local history center, the Globe reported.

The 52-year-old building is in need of significant repairs, and library services director Robert Maclean told the Globe the new library will equip residents with "the kind of 21st-century library services that they need and deserve."

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