The financial realities of our city’s public library

By DIANA PARSONS

As I enter my 25th year as a municipal manager, my perspective on public services has evolved in ways I never anticipated.

I’ve spent years focused on the core responsibilities of city and town management — education, public safety, public works — and the complex balancing act of budgeting for these essential services. When I began my career in public administration, I viewed libraries as “nice-tohaves” rather than “must-haves.” Today, libraries serve as community hubs, social service centers, and safe spaces where people from all walks of life can access critical resources — whether it’s job-search assistance, technology, or simply a place to stay warm in winter or cool in summer.

Yet despite their importance to communities, libraries often struggle with chronic underfunding, caught in the crossfire of competing municipal priorities.

My experience as the Greenfield finance director in 2023 highlighted this challenge. The city was just opening its new, expanded public library — a stateof-the-art facility that offered more space, more services, and more programming than its predecessor. The excitement around the new library was undeniable, but the reality of funding it soon set in.

Despite the beautiful new space, there simply wasn’t enough money in the city’s budget to cover the increased operational costs, including staffing, maintenance, and new technology. The city’s finances were already stretched thin, with education, public safety, and myriad other public services all competing for limited dollars.

As much as we valued the library, it was difficult to allocate the additional funding it needed without making cuts elsewhere.

Public-private partnerships matter

It was this experience that ultimately convinced me to join the Greenfield Public Library Foundation’s board of directors. Originally, the foundation stepped in to fill a funding gap, raising money from private donors to support the new library building. Without the foundation’s efforts, expanded and dedicated spaces and technology services, among other things, that the library offers today might not have been possible. I see how this publicprivate partnership continues to make all the difference when municipal budgets fall short, ensuring the library can meet the community’s needs.

The library will need continuous investments: capital improvements, updated technology, and staff training and development to keep pace with the demands of modern society. It’s not just about maintaining the facility but about ensuring that it remains a dynamic and accessible resource for the entire community. Without additional and ongoing fundraising, the library will struggle to meet the changing needs of its patrons in the years to come.

Critical infrastructure for social and economic well-being Libraries are not a service we can afford to underfund; they are critical infrastructure that supports the social and economic well-being of our communities. They are places where children can safely learn and play, where families can come together, and where people of all ages and backgrounds can find the resources they need to improve their lives.

My years in public service have shown me that the needs of our communities are more complex than ever before, and libraries are stepping up to help meet those challenges. But they can’t do it alone, and municipal budgets will never be able to fully support all needs. What will help to bridge that financial gap is if we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and help secure the funding libraries need to thrive. I’m proud to do that in my hometown as part of the Greenfield Public Library Foundation board.

Diana Parsons is a lifelong resident of Greenfield with a career in municipal management and administration in Massachusetts that spans over two decades and six communities. She is a former president of the Small Town Administrators of Massachusetts and currently serves as town administrator in Colrain.

The new Greenfield Public Library opened on July 13, 2023.

STAFF FILE PHOTO