Libraries Reopen After Funding Restored

Three branch libraries that fell victim to budget cuts in Springfield Massachusetts over the summer re-opened Monday.   WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

Library patrons threw little parties, with balloons, and homemade baked goods to celebrate the return of the three neighborhood libraries that had closed July 1st.   Mary Ann Maloney , a library advocate, said funding would not have been restored without community pressure.

The branch re-openings came about after the Springfield City Council voted to raise the annual residential trash fee by $15 to  $90  and Mayor Domenic Sarno agreed to transfer $200,000 to the library system.