Massachusetts Candidates Survey Results Released

The Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) and the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA), with assistance from EveryLibrary, recently conducted a survey of all State Legislative candidates running for office to gauge their support for school and public libraries. 

The Candidate Questionnaire was created to inform the public about where their candidates stand on these school and public library issues. With a survey response rate of 21% (39 complete responses), candidates for the state House and Senate overwhelmingly expressed their support for both school and public libraries. Around 90% of respondents agreed that there is not enough state funding for public and school libraries in Massachusetts. 

Selected and summarized responses include:

• 100% of respondents agreed that “public library collections should reflect the diverse communities they serve.”
• About 92% of respondents would support a “Right to Read” bill such as S2447 or H4235, that would ensure that constitutionally protected materials are not removed from library shelves in Massachusetts.
• Around 33% of respondents believe that censorship issues and book bans will be the most critical library issues if elected. 

EveryLibrary provided survey hosting capabilities, support for communications and outreach to candidates, and technical assistance in developing and reporting on questions. For additional details, download the complete survey results and view the Massachusetts Library Association Report on these survey results.