SLASHED!

The Bolton Public Library is part of what makes Bolton a special place to live.

• It provides information, entertainment, and joy for Bolton residents of all ages. 

• It supports Bolton’s students on nights, Saturdays, during school vacations, and all summer when the school libraries are closed.

• The library hosts speakers, events, and programs open to all members of the community.  

• The Program Rooms in the library are some of the few available to reserve for community gatherings.

The Library is involved in more than many residents may be aware of.  Other services have included working with the Board of Health to serve as a distribution point for Covid test kits, with Parks and Recreation on the Town Halloween celebration, and the local schools at the Children’s Fair.  Together with multiple area public libraries, the Bolton Public Library staffed a booth at the regional Pride celebration in June. 

The Library regularly hosts Every Child Ready to Read with local school personnel, and offers digital collections to Florence Sawyer School students via SORA, an app that works on their Chromebooks. The Library continually seeks information from school librarians and teachers about the resources students need.  Last, but not least, the Library is the location for Town Nurse office hours, as well as regular visits with our State Senator and State Representative.

Without the override, the library will lose over a third of their budget! 

As a result:

• Library hours will be severely reduced, likely to three weekdays with reduced hours and a half-day Saturday.

• Incredible library staff will lose their jobs.

• The library’s ability to purchase new materials, including online content such as ebooks, will be significantly impacted.

• Enriching Saturday programs will be at high risk of elimination.

• Beloved programs such as story time, Rhythm Reads, summer reading, and art classes will be reduced or outright eliminated.

• Reduced hours also mean the Library's Program Room availability for community groups would be reduced.

This comes at a time when Library usage has been increasing.  In the most recent reporting year, FY24, there have been increases over the previous year:

• Total borrowing activity up 36%

• Total event & program attendance up 22.6%

• Traditional book circulation up 20% for adults, 9.75% for teens, and 96.7% for children

• E-book circulation up 5.8% for adults, 19% for teens, and 23.5% for children

• Downloadable audiobook circulation up 20% for adults, 62% for teens, and 63.5%for children

These are huge increases which demonstrate the library’s position as a vital and thriving resource for the community.

To be certified each fiscal year, a municipality and its library must meet its Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR) and the Minimum Standards of Free Public Library Service.  Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L., c.78, s.19A) states that a municipality must appropriate a figure of at least the average of the last 3 years' municipal appropriations to the library for operations, increased by 2.5%, in order to be certified for State Aid to Public Libraries.

The Bolton Public Library's MAR is $558,067 and the budget request is $565,706.  A budget cut exceeding $7639, or just 1.35%, puts the Library at risk for decertification.

The library is facing a budget reduction of $192,705!

With the budget reduced drastically below the legally required minimum, it is at great risk for decertification.  This would make the Bolton Public Library one of only five libraries in Massachusetts to not be certified.  If this happens:

• The library would no longer be able to participate in interlibrary loans.  

  • This is widely used - in the most recent reporting year, Bolton Residents borrowed 6,339 items from other libraries.

• Bolton residents would lose borrowing privileges from other libraries.

• The library would no longer be eligible for state and federal grants, which currently supplement the costs of various services, resulting in even deeper cuts.

• The loss of a $2500 grant to offset the cost of C/W MARS services, which means taking even more funding from other programs to fund this.

The loss of state and federal grants would bring the total effective budget cut to well above $200,000!

Furthermore, even if the funding were somehow restored in the next year, the recertification process takes three years, and begins only after a year with sufficient funding.  This would mean the impact would extend for at least three years, likely longer depending on when funding levels are restored.  That is a deep and lasting impact to the library, and the community.

The Friends of the Bolton Public Library implore you to do the right thing and save the Library, an invaluable community resource, by voting yes on the override!