We are pleased to announce that Medford Public Library has been awarded $12.2 million by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to be used towards the construction of a new library. Schwartz/Silver Architects provided design services to the library.

[From Press Release]

Medford Public Library receives $12,290,917 Library Construction Grant

NEEDHAM- July 13, 2017- The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) has awarded the Medford Public Library a Provisional Construction Grant totaling $12,290,917. The grant is part of the MBLC’s Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) which helps libraries across the state meet the growing demand for library services with expanded and improved library facilities.

“The Commonwealth’s local public libraries provide individuals of all ages with invaluable resources that they otherwise might not be able to access,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our administration is pleased to once again support this important grant program that invests in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.” Statewide, attendance at public library programs has increased 49% since 2006 and every 5.5 seconds a Massachusetts resident accesses the Internet through a public library.

“We’re sometimes asked whether libraries are still necessary in this digital age,” said MBLC Chair Mary Ann Cluggish. “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. This important work would not be possible without the support of Governor Baker and the Legislature.”

The average grant award is 45-50% of the eligible costs with the remaining cost incurred by the municipality. Because the library plans to attain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, it is also eligible for additional state funding through the Green Library Incentive, created by the MBLC in 2008 to encourage sustainable energy-efficient public library construction.

Provisional grants were also awarded to libraries in Dartmouth, Hadley, Kingston, Norwell, Springfield, Sutton, Wayland and Weymouth. The deadline for accepting the grants is January 12, 2018.
Twenty-four projects were placed on a waitlist for funding. Please visit https://mblc.state.ma.us/programs-and-support/construction/2017-grants.php#provisional for the waitlisted libraries.

Funding for the MPLCP is authorized by the governor and the legislature. Funding for this grant round is part of the general governmental needs bond bill filed in March, 2013 which included $150 million for the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. This funding was also used to award construction grants to eleven communities that had been on a waitlist for several years and will be used to support a future Planning and Design grant round.

The MPLCP was first funded in 1987. Since then, the program has assisted hundreds of communities in building new libraries or in renovating and expanding existing libraries. For more information about the program, please visit the MBLC's website. http://mblc.state.ma.us/

Medford Library Wins MBLC Grant