Effective immmediately, other libraries are no longer required to serve Medway residents nor anyone with a Medway "pickup location".
Thanks to an Intermunicipal Agreement between Medway and Franklin to provide regionalized library services, the Franklin Public Library has agreed to serve Medway residents as of July 2009.
The following libraries have voted to not serve Medway:
Most libraries responding have cited the cost of taking up the slack while we buy less than half our usual books and are open limited hours (20hrs/week when we were first decertified; now 32hrs/week).
Medway residents will not be able to request nor to check out items from the listed town libraries. Medway remains a member of Minuteman, with catalog access and ability to submit requests, but ONLY if an item is owned by Medway.
Updated 7/25/2009
February 1, 2007- "The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners denied a FY2007 MAR waiver for Medway on the basis of a 52% cut to the library budget when compared to the overall municipal budget."
Dr. Em Claire Knowles, Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, read the following statement at today's meeting:
"On behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, I am deeply sorry that we had to deny the town of Medway certification in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program for FY2007.
I know this is a difficult decision for the citizens of Medway. However, the Board could not, in good conscience, grant Medway's request for a waiver with its extensive disproportionate cut in financial support for its library.
I urge the citizens of Medway to become more cognizant in making sure that the library meets the minimum standards to gain state certification in the future."