I check out books every week for my kindergarten class at my local library. There is no way we could afford to buy the wealth of resources that we access for free at the library. Libraries educate our children!

We can’t say enough good things about the Westwood library. Our family is so fortunate to live in a town with such a robust library let alone TWO libraries. From their children and teen programming to their museum passes, we have found ourselves spending more and more family time together at the library. My kids always get so excited to see what’s new when we come. It’s a great resource for half days of school as well. This library truly fosters a sense of community in the town and also provides access to other things besides books that most people wouldn’t have access to! Truly a gem of the town!

I cannot imagine my life without my local libraries. I have been housebound for a number of years and the capacity to borrow books from all over the state has saved my sanity as I kept my mind active when my body wasn’t. I use reference services frequently, deeply grateful that my city library has excellent reference librarians. Our libraries provide meeting space. I belong to several groups who make use of this. A five year old friend of mine makes heavy use of the children’s collections at two of our libraries. I frequently use the databases available via my library, magazine indexes, newspapers, encyclopedias and Kanopy for movies. I have borrowed ebooks.

Libraries have saved me thousands upon thousands of dollars. I read a lot and have a lot of different interests. If I had to buy every book I wanted to read or browse, I could never afford! Add to that a safe and pleasant place to spend time (again, for free!) and free programming and entertainment - I'd be much worse off without my local library!

I love Libby, and read an ebook nightly. I’m grateful to the free access to so many books!

Accessing books in person is so important for me. Digital access is not always possible, making free access to books, information and local resources in person to be of great importance. And really the only way I can access these things. Thank you.

I’m an enormous fan of the local libraries in Western Mass and the wide access that CWmars provides through the interlibrary exchange. I grew up in a local hill town and was often able to find books at the Jones Library that I wouldn’t have otherwise found at my smaller local library.

MA libraries have given me a sense of community, especially for my children. Through college, then the pandemic, and now with two young children I have found connections to resources, support and guidance, and my neighbors and community members. Library groups become cherished parts of my routine. Our communities and especially our children deserve access to libraries that is not infringed upon for political purposes.

I love all of the adult programming provided by my library, especially the craft nights and competitive puzzle nights. I read a lot and love that I can order books from so many other libraries. My elderly mother is a prolific reader, so it's wonderful to be able to order large-print books for her. We need to support our libraries!