Why every town in Massachusetts needs a good public library

The 40-square-meter Robertson Memorial Library is the heart of Leyden, a rural community of 738 that has no cafe, no shops except farm stands, and not even its own school. People come to chat and pick up books. It’s also a relic of a bygone era. Books are checked out using date-stamp cards. Only Parks can request interlibrary loans, so if someone wants a book and not the shelves, they have to ask her. The library has a staircase leading up to the entrance, and because the building faces the street, there’s no room for a wheelchair ramp. Library visitors who need a restroom walk across the street to the old town hall.

When Parks took the job in 2019, she wanted to, as she put it, “bring the library into this century.” But connecting to the Western and Central Massachusetts regional library network cost $7,000 a year. The library’s budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 was $30,309.58. The city did not want to cover the additional costs.

Recently, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded Leydens library grants that reduce membership fees to $640. That, Parks said with a smile, is affordable. The library will soon begin barcoding books and scanning them into a database. Residents will have access to e-books, audiobooks and databases, and will be able to request books from other libraries. Parks plans to loan out laptops and teach seniors how to use e-books.

It is a privilege that every citizen of the Commonwealth should have.

While every library that meets certain conditions receives government support, The Board of Library Commissioners now offers special programs for smaller communities, including a special grant for library construction and a program to assist libraries in joining regional networks.

State policymakers should do more to meet the unique needs of small rural libraries. These libraries need more money, and one way to ensure this would be for state legislators to allocate some of the funding specifically to rural libraries so they aren’t competing with larger facilities. Many could also use more training in specialized areas, such as serving the homeless or people with disabilities.

In the urban centers around Boston, libraries are ubiquitous and bustling. City libraries in Boston and Cambridge have multiple branches, long hours, specialized staff, and a wealth of materials. But drive two hours west and the libraries look different. There are still active, bustling libraries that are important gathering places for the community. There are also those that are open only 10 hours a week and employ a single librarian, and where there are no toilets, meeting rooms or areas for young adults.

Small Cities without businesses rely on property taxes to not only finance their Police and fire brigade, but also their Libraries. Even in cities where residents strongly support the library, there are often There is little money available for books and librarians.

To be sure, Library use declined during the pandemic. In 2023, according to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, nearly 26 million visitors to state libraries, up from 37 million in 2019. This reflects national data showing that library visits have declined over the past decade, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

However, libraries remain crucial for communities as meeting places and sources of reliable information. To this end, no municipality should be prevented from participating in a regional network by the cost, and every library should be able to cover basic capital needs, such as a solid roof.

Take Orange, where the city council in May considered defunding the library due to a budget deficit. City leaders ultimately agreed to keep the library open with fewer hours, but are striving to preserve the 100-year-old building after voters in previous years refused to approve the renovation plans.

The library is seeking a grant to repair a leaky roof that is covered with a tarp. To replace a broken computer server, the library recently collected empty bottles and cans. Candy Cross, chair of the library’s board of trustees, expects the effort to raise $2,000, but the collection center did not have enough capacity to accommodate the second of two trucks, so the cans remain in a trustee’s garage.

Tyringham faces similar challenges. The library, which serves a town of 423 residents, is open only 10 hours a week. After librarian Catherine Mardula temporarily moved away for personal reasons, the other two library administrators took over the shifts: 92-year-old Mary Garner, who plans to retire, and Louisa Marsh, a local bookseller who is still in training. “In smaller towns, one or two people have all the duties,” Mardula said.

The library recently has joined the regional network and Marsh is now trying to spread the word that the library has a number of new Resources. A native of Tyringham, she recalled that when she was writing a book on physics, she had to buy books from a store where she worked or borrow them from the Pittsfield library because she couldn’t get what she needed in Tyringham.

There are also success stories. In Blandford, the library reports that Visitor numbers have more than doubled since 2017, around the time the library joined a regional network. In 2023, the library was visited nearly 3,000 times and users borrowed more than 9,200 items – exceptional for a town with only 1,200 residents. Library Director Nicole Daviau said the library, which is open 28 hours a week, is a gathering place where seniors seek help with Internet access, children participate in programs and adults meet their neighbors. It rents out Internet hotspots, DVDs and games and has a Pokemon club for children and a book club.

Not every small town has the population to justify the daily library service that exists in suburbs and cities or in larger regional libraries that serve users from surrounding towns. According to government data, few libraries are not yet connected to a regional network. But small towns rely on their libraries, especially when there is a lack of meeting places like Restaurants, museums or school auditoriums.

Tom Raffensperger, trustee of the Leiden library, said as he browsed the shelves: “The library is more of a community center than just a book supplier.” A library can and should be both.

Editorials reflect the views of the Boston Globe editorial board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.