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Council committee presses Boston Public Library on equitable access, language services and branch safety
Summary
Library leaders told the Boston City Council Committee on Human Services that the system ran more than 10,000 branch programs in 2025 and is expanding ESOL, bilingual staffing and on-demand interpretation; leaders also highlighted pop-up services during two branch renovations and steps to increase social-work and security capacity as the city enters budget season.
BOSTON — Boston Public Library leaders on Friday outlined efforts to ensure residents across the city can access programs and services at neighborhood branches, while flagging renovation timelines and safety needs as the city heads into budget deliberations.
"We are 1 Boston Public Library with 25 branches across the city," David Leonard, president of the Boston Public Library, told the Boston City Council Committee on Human Services. "Branch staff offered over 10,000 programs [in 2025], with an attendance number reported in aggregate of about 150,000 attendees." Leonard said modern branch space and strong staffing are the two primary factors that affect program success.
Councilor Erin Murphy, chair of the committee, opened the hearing on docket 0284 by saying the session was intended to review "equitable access to services and programming throughout the Boston Public Library system" as the city prepares its budget. Murphy said written comments would be accepted and public testimony would be taken at the end of the…
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