Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners urges $4M boost to statewide library aid amid spike in book challenges

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means in Gloucester that public libraries statewide need additional state investment to keep services open and to respond to a surge in formal challenges to collections and programs.

Maureen Amiat, director of the MBLC, said the agency is asking the Legislature to raise three priority lines in its FY26 request: state aid to public libraries, the MBLC administrative line, and the Massachusetts Center for the Book. She said the total package across all seven MBLC lines is “just over $4,000,000,” with specific asks including a $2,000,000 increase for state aid, roughly $414,000 for agency operations, and about $130,000 for the Center for the Book.

The MBLC said libraries remain heavily used and are evolving beyond book lending: the agency reported more than 28 million in-person visits to Massachusetts libraries in the prior year and growing use of statewide digital resources. Amiat told the committee the MBLC depends on federal funding to run statewide database and e‑book programs and to provide accessibility services for people with print disabilities.

The commissioners described a sharp rise in formal challenges to library materials: MBLC staff said FY24 saw 40 formal challenges compared with 22 the year before and that nationally many challenges involve books with characters or authors of color and LGBT+ content. The agency said increased funding would expand training and policy support for librarians facing aggressive or repeated challenges and would sustain services such as statewide databases, e‑book lending and the Perkins and Worcester talking‑book libraries for people who are blind or print‑disabled.

Committee members emphasized libraries’ role in communities and asked the MBLC about leading drivers of usage. Amiat said circulation of physical and digital materials remains high and that usage spikes when economic stress rises — residents borrow books, use library internet or check out hotspots. Senators and representatives described local library programs — from teen engagement to social‑worker partnerships — and thanked the agency for past flexibility when library building projects faced construction‑cost escalation.

The MBLC also said it is working with the Executive Office of Administration and Finance to raise the annual cap for the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program from $26,000,000 to $30,000,000 by FY29 to preserve local construction projects from escalation.

The MBLC made its materials and a full legislative agenda available to the committee and public online; it urged lawmakers to prioritize the three budget lines so local libraries can sustain operations, respond to challenges, and continue construction and accessibility programs.

Ending: The MBLC left the committee with concrete budget figures and policy priorities: a roughly $4 million increase across its lines — centered on $2 million for state aid — plus continued federal partnership and targeted training to address rising challenges to library materials and programs.