Last week, The Recorder published a State House News Service article reporting that Massachusetts librarians are urging state and local officials to take a more assertive,
strategic approach to securing sustainable funding for libraries. Librarians, the article noted, are frustrated that libraries continue to be treated as discretionary budget items rather than essential public services. I share that frustration. The vital role our own city library plays in the life of our community is too often taken for granted — or, more troublingly, ignored altogether.
Here in Greenfield, we have clear, local evidence of what happens when a library is treated as core civic infrastructure rather than a peripheral amenity. Since opening in its new building, the Greenfield Public Library has seen a dramatic surge in use: visits have multiplied, demand for reference support has soared, and requests for technology help have grown sharply. People are not just checking out books. They are learning new skills, navigating job searches, accessing public services, finding safe and welcoming space, and reconnecting with one another.
What is striking is that this explosion of public use has not been matched by a comparable increase in public funding. Municipal budgets are tight, and libraries often find themselves competing with other essential services for limited dollars. As a result, the library’s expanded role is supported by essentially the same financial framework that existed when its responsibilities were far smaller. This mismatch is not sustainable.
It is also not accidental. For decades, libraries have been framed as optional — valuable, yes, but ultimately expendable when budgets get hard. That framing no longer reflects reality. Modern libraries function as educational institutions, digital access points, informal social service hubs, and one of the few truly inclusive civic spaces left in our communities. They are places where people of all ages and backgrounds can participate in public life without having to buy anything or belong to anything.
This is why the Greenfield Public Library Foundation exists. The Foundation was created to help the community raise the funds needed to build our new library, and it succeeded because Greenfield residents understood what was at stake. Today, the Foundation continues that work by helping to cover critical capital needs — technology replacement, staff training, and other long-term investments — that are not reliably funded through public sources. We help close the gap between what the library is asked to do and what public funding alone can provide.
But philanthropy and volunteerism are not substitutes for public responsibility. They are complements. Private fundraising can strengthen libraries, but it cannot and should not be the primary strategy for sustaining institutions that serve everyone. When libraries are treated as optional line items, communities lose far more than bookshelves — they lose access, equity, and shared civic ground.
Massachusetts librarians are right to call for a more strategic approach to funding. Libraries should be planned for the way we plan for schools, roads, and public safety: as long-term investments in community well-being. Greenfield’s experience shows what is possible when we take libraries seriously — and what is at risk when we do not.
Our library is not a luxury. It is a living, working piece of civic infrastructure. If we value education, social connection, and opportunity for all, then we must fund it accordingly.
Mitch Anthony calls himself a very proud resident of Greenfield. He is a member of the
Board of Directors of the Greenfield Public Library Foundation.