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Hubbardston trustees plan outreach after state cuts trim library databases
Summary
Trustees discussed Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners funding cuts that will remove multiple statewide databases and agreed to draft public messaging and a letter to legislators, while promoting remaining resources and local workshops.
Trustees for the Hubbardston Library heard that cuts to state library funding will reduce access to several databases used by local patrons, and they agreed to draft outreach materials and a letter to state legislators.
The library director, Christine Barbera, told trustees the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) and Massachusetts Library System (MLS) funding has been reduced and that a number of statewide databases will be discontinued on July 1. She said libraries statewide receive subscriptions to many research databases through the state, and without that support local libraries would have to pay to continue them.
Barbera said the handout from the MBLC shows the annual statewide database line dropping from about $2,800,000 to about $1,170,000, a reduction she described as “over 50%, almost 60%.” She listed several resources that are at risk or slated to be cut, including Boston Globe archives, multiple Gale databases, HeritageQuest Online, Britannica offerings and Pearson test-prep resources; she said Libby was not on the immediate list of cuts.
The trustees discussed next steps. Trustee Connie asked whether usage data had been collected; Barbera said she had sent a spreadsheet with usage counts to the trustees and that the numbers are linked in the meeting agenda. Trustees agreed to form a small subgroup to draft a succinct public notice for the library website and social media and to prepare a letter to the town’s state representatives. The trustees also discussed running short workshops or demonstrations at the library to show patrons how to use the databases that will remain.
Barbera cautioned that vendor reports anonymize individual patrons but show aggregate use; she said some databases had rising use in the past year as awareness grew. Trustees said highlighting remaining resources and student uses could help make the local impact of cuts visible to legislators.
Trustees authorized a small subgroup to draft and post messaging and to prepare a letter to legislators; Barbera said she would share the usage spreadsheet and suggested the group coordinate on a Google Doc before posting. No formal vote was recorded for the outreach steps; trustees agreed to proceed and to circulate drafts to the full board.
Barbera and trustees said they will monitor whether additional state funding is restored and keep patrons informed of changes to specific databases as information arrives.
