BOSTON — Facing spending cuts and political pressure, Massachusetts librarians are warning public officials that libraries are being treated as budget leverage — and saying that has to change.
The warning came Tuesday during a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners strategic planning session at the Boston Public Library’s Central Branch, where librarians urged a more assertive approach to funding, both on Beacon Hill and in city and town halls.
The meeting was the first in a series to inform the board’s next three-to-five-year strategic plan. Unlike past cycles, the agency is drafting the plan internally after cuts eliminated funding typically used to hire an outside consultant. The previous plan expired last summer at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Participants described a pattern in communities pursuing Proposition 2½ property tax overrides: libraries being placed at the center of budget debates.
Worcester Public Library Executive Director Jason Homer said municipal officials view libraries as effective rallying points for voters — institutions whose popularity can help drive support for tax increases.
Homer argued this turns libraries into bargaining chips rather than essential municipal services and asked for help from the board in reframing debates so that libraries are considered non-negotiable infrastructure.
“We’re on the chopping block consistently because we’re the only thing that motivates voters,” he said. “At some point we need to figure out how to reposition that power to say, if we’re the thing everyone can’t stop gushing about, then we have to figure out how to own that and not just be passive.”
That effort, attendees said, needs to happen locally as much as at the State House. While state aid remains critical, librarians said advocacy needs to start at the community level.
“Our Legislature is dysfunctional, and trying to do anything there is very difficult,” said Robert DeFabrizio, senior manager of law libraries at the Massachusetts Trial Court. “When it comes down to it, a lot of cities and towns have had overrides to keep their libraries open. That has nothing to do with the state Legislature. You see signs, ‘Keep the library open,’ on yards. It’s a local issue.”
DeFabrizio said state funding is important, but to better get through to lawmakers on Beacon Hill, libraries should help their constituents understand the scope of modern library services — and how close some libraries come to service reductions or closure during fiscal downturns.
Participants emphasized the importance of communicating libraries’ return on investment, pointing to growing demand for digital resources, expanded social services, broadband access and workforce development support.
At the state level, attendees expressed appreciation for MBLC’s advocacy work and its success in maintaining level funding in a difficult budget year. Still, Boston Public Library President David Leonard called for a longer-term, more coordinated advocacy strategy on Beacon Hill.
“Honestly, if you look across the country, the strongest fiscal library areas usually have some level of their own taxing authority, like a levy or another approach. That’s more of a 15-year goal, given the speed at which Massachusetts moves reform, but if you don’t start, you never get there,” he said.
Funding pressures are also reshaping the library workforce, another major theme of the meeting.
Chronic understaffing, retirements and post-pandemic workplace changes have left many libraries operating in what participants described as a near-permanent state of crisis. That strain, they said, is colliding with an outdated training and credentialing system.
Librarians questioned whether current degree requirements and library school curricula align with the realities of the job, particularly in smaller communities where “accidental directors” are often promoted out of necessity rather than preparation. They said these managers lack training in budgeting, labor law and conflict resolution.
“The world, the industry, the sector continues to change, and I know these programs, certifications and expectations — certainly that’s true of the library schools, and I’ve told that to them, so I’m not saying anything I haven’t said — is behind rather than ahead,” Leonard said. “I think in Massachusetts we should be ahead. We should be leading.”
At the same time, attendees such as Percival Salazar, a student and librarian assistant in The Public Library of Brookline, said the line between librarians and library assistant staff is narrowing, as staff take on more responsibility without corresponding increases in pay.
Continuing education, Homer added, is not required despite rapid changes in technology, digital infrastructure and public expectations.
Oak Bluffs Public Library Director Allyson Malik said that in Maryland, where she got her degree, continuing education is required every year.
Several participants suggested MBLC could help lead a broader conversation about the future of librarianship in Massachusetts — potentially in partnership with library schools and other agencies — to rethink credentials, career pathways and continuing education expectations.
Ideas ranged from more structured professional development to creative workforce support. One proposal from Malik that generated interest was a librarian exchange program that would allow staff to work temporarily in different library environments. She said such exchanges could broaden perspective, reduce burnout and foster understanding across systems ranging from small rural branches to major urban libraries.
As MBLC drafts its plan, strategists are focused on how best to turn ideas on funding, advocacy and workforce reform into action across the state.