About the MBLC
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is the state library agency, founded in 1890, with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate, and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth.
As a state agency, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners promotes equitable access, advances innovation, and fosters resilience in libraries across the Commonwealth through funding, guidance, partnerships, and the coordination of statewide services.
Our vision for libraries in the Commonwealth is to see every library in Massachusetts as a thriving community hub, transforming lives through access to knowledge, information, and lifelong learning.
About this Website
The Massachusetts Libraries website provides the public a place to discover and learn about our free public library services. Visitors can get a library card, find library events, do research, learn how to borrow an eBook or audiobook, or which library will lend you a kayak.
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) runs this website. Though we are not a public library, we work with all 369 Massachusetts public libraries to level the playing field and make sure everyone has access to the library services they want and need.
MBLC
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Statewide Online Resources
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Grants and State Aid
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Guidance and Advisory
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Construction Support
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Summer Reading Support
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Statewide Coordination
AT YOUR LIBRARY
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Borrow books, DVDs, CDs
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Attend a class or program
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Use a computer
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Get a Wifi hotspot
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Use a Makerspace
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Ask a reference question
😊Happy #FortifyingFriday! In the latest installment of Fortifying Your Library, MBLC Library Advisory Specialist Al Hayden explores what a future recession might look like for #MassachusettsLibraries. Read more at 🔗the link in bio!
#FortifyingFridays #PublicLibrariesInMA #MassPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesOfMassachusetts #MassachusettsPublicLibrary #MassachusettsPublicLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MassPublicLibrary #LibrariesInMA #MALibraries #MALibrary #LibraryBlog #LibraryPolicy #LibraryPolicies #LibraryLaws #FortifyingYourLibrary
❔Do you know a #librarian in #Massachusetts whose work has increased residents` access to the wealth of resources held at libraries across the Commonwealth? Nominate them for the Anna Eliot Ticknor Commissioner Award by October 1 at the link in bio!
✨The MBLC turns 135 years old this year and is celebrating the individuals whose work has carried forward the legacy of the founding Commissioners who`ve made outstanding contributions to our Commonwealth`s libraries and the residents they serve.✨ Learn more about the MBLC`s founding commissioners with a new blog series The History of the MBLC, beginning with Anna Eliot Ticknor at the link in bio☺️
#LibraryService #Library #Libraries #LibraryWork #LibraryLove #MassachusettsLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #ForOurLibraries #FundingLibraries #SupportingLibraries #MBLCLibraries #MALibraries #MALibrarians #LibrariansInMA
✨Thank you, @holyoke_public_library for opening up your doors and hosting the MBLC’s September Board Meeting! We’re grateful to the #LibraryStaff and #LibraryDirector Maria Pagan for her thoughtful remarks and preparing these beautifully bound Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Survival Kits that can be seen in the photos with this post. 📘📗📙📕✨
1️⃣ Image 1: MBLC Vice Chair Commissioner Tim Cherubini, MBLC Chair Commissioner Vicky Biancolo, Holyoke Library Director Maria Pagan (standing), MBLC Director Maureen Amyot and MBLC Commissioner Karen Traub seated in a row in smiles displaying MBLC Survival Kits.
2️⃣ Image2: MBLC Vice Chair Commissioner Tim Cherubini, MBLC Chair Commissioner Vicky Biancolo, Holyoke Library Director Maria Pagan, MBLC Director Maureen Amyot and MBLC Commissioner Karen Traub happily posing with MBLC Survival Kits in front of a mural at the library by Colectivo Moriviví, a collective of young female artists, and Girls, Inc. The mural project was partially funded by a FY2019 Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
🆕Urban Libraries Council (ULC) just released a new study with data showing central libraries as propellers of downtown economic activity and the anchors that cities need. The Boston Public Library is one of the 5 central branches in major cities across the country analyzed in the ULC`s study. 📈
🔗Learn more at the link in bio!
#MassLibraries #MALibraries #LibrariesInMA #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesinMA #LibraryService #Library #Libraries #LibraryWork #LibraryLove #MassachusettsLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #ForOurLibraries #FundingLibraries #SupportingLibraries #PublicLibraries
#ThrowbackThursday 🎨Last week, Comic Arts instructor LJ Baptiste guided young artists through the comic arts creation process and taught storytelling techniques at @maldenmalibrary !✍️ Many happy thanks to @xscapistlj , @massartboston and Malden Public Library for making such a special art workshop possible and supporting young creatives!😊
Image 1: Comic artist and instructor LJ Baptiste at the 2025 MassArt Comics Art Workshop in Malden.
Image 2: Some of the Comic Arts workshop participants sketching their on drawings and working on comics.
Image 3: Participants attentively listening to LJ Baptiste, Comic Artist and MassArt Instructor.
#MassArtAtTheLibrary #CreativeSummer #SummerAtTheLibrary #SummerLibrary #MassArt #MassLibraries #MALibraries #LibrariesInMA #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesinMA #LibraryService #Library #Libraries #LibraryWork #LibraryLove #MassachusettsLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #ComicArtsAtTheLibrary #ArtAtTheLibrary
⏪✨💭#MondayMemories It`s been an amazing summer of Blades visits, MassArt Workshops and summer reading fun at #libraries all across the Commonwealth! Thank you to all the wonderful #LibraryStaff, @nhlbruins , @massartboston , @masslibrarysystem staff and @mblclibraries staff that filled this summer with so much #LibraryJoy! Check out these photos from New Bedford`s Blades visit and the MassArt Comics Workshop in Malden 😊
🔗→ For more photos of the New Bedford Blades, visit the link in bio.
🔗→ For more photos of the MassArt Comic Arts Workshop in Malden, visit the link in bio.
Image 1: Boston Bruins mascot Blades, MBLC Commissioner Debby Conrad, and library friends in New Bedford.
Image 2: Comic Artist and MassArt Instructor @xscapistlj in front of young artists at Malden Public Library.
Image 3: Blades checking out a book at the Wilks Branch Library in New Bedford.
Image 4: @xscapistlj helping out young comic artists working on their drawings.
#NHLBruins #BostonBruins #WhenYouReadYouScore #BruinsSummerReading #BruinsLibraryVisit #PublicLibrariesInMA #MassPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesOfMassachusetts #MassachusettsPublicLibrary #MassachusettsPublicLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MassPublicLibrary #LibrariesInMA #MALibraries #MALibrary #MassArtWorkshops #MassArt
🌟✨ Last week was an exciting whirlwind of Blades visits! 📚 Thank you to all the #LibraryStaff and everyone who joined us! ✨ Check out the photos below and links to even more photos at the MBLC`s Flickr:
Image 1🔹 @thayer.memorial.library : We kicked off the fun in Lancaster! 🤸♂️ Kids and parents alike were thrilled to see Blades. Don`t miss the joy and smiling faces in photos here at the link 🔗in bio!
Image 2🔹 @lunenburglibrary_ma : Blades entertained the audience with his energy and enthusiasm!🎉 Check out the photos of all the summer readers meeting their favorite mascot in Lunenburg at the link 🔗in bio.
Image 3🔹 @charlton_library : Blades spread joy and laughter, leaving everyone with unforgettable memories. We hope you enjoy these snapshots that capture all the fun in Charlton at the link 🔗 in bio.
#NHLBruins #BostonBruins #WhenYouReadYouScore #BruinsSummerReading #BruinsLibraryVisit #PublicLibrariesInMA #MassPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesOfMassachusetts #MassachusettsPublicLibrary #MassachusettsPublicLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MassPublicLibrary #LibrariesInMA #MALibraries #MALibrary
👋Kids and teens ages 7+ are invited to us join us this Thursday at @maldenmalibrary for a MassArt Comics Art Workshop! 🔗 Sign up at the link in bio!
🎨Comic Arts instructor LJ Baptiste will break down the comic creation process and teach storytelling techniques, how to turn basic shapes into original characters, and how to create your own 4-panel comic strip.✍️
Image 1: Promotional image for MassArt Comics Art Workshop at Malden Public Library on Thursday, August 14 at 4PM
Image 2: Comic artist and instructor LJ Baptiste at the 2024 MassArt Comics Art Workshop.
Image 3: Participants sketching their comic creations at the 2024 MassArt Comics Art Workshop with instructor LJ Baptiste.
#MassArtAtTheLibrary #CreativeSummer #SummerAtTheLibrary #SummerLibrary #MassArt #MassLibraries #MALibraries #LibrariesInMA #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #PublicLibrariesinMA #LibraryService #Library #Libraries #LibraryWork #LibraryLove #MassachusettsLibraries #MAPublicLibrary #MAPublicLibraries #AluminumPour #ArtAtTheLibrary
