Melrose Public Library Hosts Legislative Breakfast
Written and Photographed by Ellen Putnam
Melrose Public Library Director Linda Gardener, left, with State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian
The Melrose Public Library and the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) Advocacy Committee hosted a legislative breakfast last week to connect legislators and their offices with librarians and library supporters.
State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian were in attendance, along with staff members from other legislators’ offices, municipal officials, and library officials. Melrose notables included Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, former mayors Rob Dolan (who was present in his capacity as Lynnfield’s Town Administrator) and Paul Brodeur, and City Councilor Ryan Williams.
Speakers at the event reminisced about their own library experiences and what libraries meant to them.
Mayor Grigoraitis called the new library building “a treasure” and recalled how, when the library reopened after the pandemic and she saw Linda Gardener, the library director, for the first time, she burst into tears.
MBLC Commissioner Jessica Vilas Novas called libraries “bridges to opportunity” and “lifelines.” She recalled a naturalization ceremony at the Lawrence Public Library, and how attendees returned to the library with their families as patrons. She encouraged those gathered to reach out to their legislators and encourage them to support more state funding for libraries.
Local author Jane Healey recalled hosting her first book launch in the Melrose Public Library. “The library showed up for me,” she said, “and I’ve been doing this ever since.”
Melrose resident Katie Welch, who serves on the board of the Friends of the Melrose Public Library, spoke about her work with the Cambridge Public Library Foundation, which supports seven library branches in the City of Cambridge. “Municipal budgets are moral documents,” she said, “and we need to put our money where our mouth is.”
Speakers noted that libraries are especially important for children and families, and provide services for job seekers, English language learners, people who don’t have Internet or technology access at home, and many others who take advantage of services that libraries provide.
Left to right: Lewis, Vilas Novas, Grigoraitis, Gardener, Welch, Melrose Librarian Diane Wall, and Lipper-Garabedian
Governor Maura Healey officially kicked off the state budget season last month with her proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget. The Governor’s budget includes a proposed $53.5 million for libraries across Massachusetts - a 2% increase over last year’s budget. This year, Melrose received $72,983 in state funding for our library. (A few years ago, we received an $8 million grant for our library renovation project from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) - which is also supported by the state budget.) Changes to the state budget are likely when the state House of Representatives debates their budget in May, and again when the state Senate decides on their own budget in June.
Representative Lipper-Garabedian talked about bringing her children to the Melrose Public Library, and noted how important libraries are to state policymakers.
Senator Lewis also expressed his support for library funding. “We understand how important state funding is to our libraries,” he said, “and we will be pushing hard for it when the House and Senate debate the budget.” He also talked about three priority bills related to public libraries and school libraries: Bill S.2969: An Act regarding free expression; Bill H.3595: An Act addressing challenges facing public libraries and digital resource collections; and Bill S.2865: An Act relative to school library standards. He noted that all three of these bills are “already well on the move” in the legislature.
