In order to ensure that Massachusetts residents receive the best library services possible, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners sets minimum standards which public libraries must meet to be certified and eligible for state aid. As a participant in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Morse Institute Library must comply with requirements regarding use of its collection that are specified in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 78, Section 19A and 19B and further defined in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (605 CMR 4.00). The Morse Institute Library extends reciprocal borrowing privileges to residents of the Commonwealth, including students, who reside in communities that offer state certified library services.
Libraries in certified towns are not required to lend their materials to libraries in non-certified towns or to residents of these towns.
When towns adequately fund their library’s collections and services, libraries serve their residents well and also make their fair contribution to the shared resources available to public libraries and residents of other Massachusetts communities. When towns do not fund their own library adequately, their residents are not served well and the collections and services of libraries in neighboring communities may become overburdened.
The Morse Institute Library regretfully declines to give borrowing privileges to non-certified Massachusetts public libraries and to residents of Massachusetts communities with non-certified public libraries, except when a library is not certified because of conditions beyond the community’s control such as fire or natural disaster. Residents of all Massachusetts communities, including those with non-certified libraries, continue to be welcome at the Morse Institute Library and may enjoy the library’s reading areas and use library materials on the premises, as required by 605 CMR 4.01(l).
Approved by Board of Trustees, Morse Institute Library, July 14th 2025