Residents of Decertified Communities
In order for a public library to be certified in Massachusetts, it must meet certain minimum standards of funding and service mandated by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). A public library that does not meet the minimum standards is “decertified” by the MBLC and is not eligible to receive state aid funding, or apply for or receive Library Services Technology Act grant funds. As a participant in the state aid program, the Blackstone Public Library shares its resources with Massachusetts communities whose libraries have been certified by the MBLC.
Massachusetts General Laws (605 CMR 4.01) state that certified libraries are not required to loan materials to residents of municipalities with decertified public libraries. A Massachusetts public library that is not a participant in the state aid program cannot demonstrate that it is able to reciprocate in resource sharing arrangements with other municipalities.
In the interests of protecting the resources of Blackstone’s taxpayers and as an incentive to neighboring communities to fund their own libraries, the Blackstone Public Library will not extend borrowing privileges to Massachusetts public libraries that are not certified, or to the residents of those municipalities, including interlibrary loans.
Public libraries that receive a waiver from the MBLC are considered to be certified. Residents of municipalities in which the library has received a waiver will be permitted to borrow materials.
The Blackstone Public Library welcomes residents of all municipalities. However, residents of municipalities with a decertified library are only able to use library resources within the bounds of the library building, including the public computers, reading rooms, and library programs.