COLRAIN, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — Colrain’s Griswold Library has been named a finalist for the National Medal for Library Services, one of only four from Massachusetts to make it to the final stage. Griswold Library has acted as a vital community center for over one hundred years and was nominated for the award by State Representative Jim McGovern.
From the Institute of Museum and Library Services:
Griswold Memorial Library (Colrain) Named Finalist for 2024 IMLS National
Medal for Museum and Library Service
Colrain, Mass.—The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced earlier this week that Griswold Memorial Library is among 30 finalists for the 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Griswold Memorial Library is one of four institutions in Massachusetts to be selected as a finalist for this award.
The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. For 30 years, the award has honored institutions that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.
“We are proud to represent Colrain and to honor our library’s legacy as a vital community center and a place to engage with local civics and democracy, but also as a leader in public library trends and services. This recognition shows that even small, rural, historic libraries such as ours can uphold tradition while also thinking outside of the box,” says Chelsea Jordan-Makely, the Library Director.
The Griswold Memorial Library was built in 1908 by Joseph Griswold, Jr., but the library’s history goes back even further, when the “movement for a Colrain free public library was set on foot” by the school board committee, in 1892. Present-day initiatives such as a “Colrain Fix-It Day,” a “pop-up library” at the Colrain Transfer Station, a local history podcast (the “People’s History of Colrain,” available oN SoundCloud), William Apess Day, Ms. Betty’s Take & Make Crafts on YouTube, and outreach services to
the nearby Franklin County Jail, have helped to earn the library this prestigious recognition as one of 15 national library finalists. The library was nominated for the award by Representative Jim McGovern, with letters of support from the local community.
Emily Thurber, a local business owner and member of the Colrain Select Board stated, “Each year the library continues to be a valuable resource and support for the community. Encouraging a love for learning and growth for individuals, families and the town as a whole. They prove to be so much more than “just books”.
National Medal winners will be announced in late May. Representatives from winning institutions will be honored for their extraordinary contributions during an in-person National Medals Ceremony in Washington, DC this summer. To see the full list of finalists and learn more about the National Medal, visit the IMLS website. Please follow Griswold Memorial Library on Facebook at facebook.com/GMLColrain and on Instagram @GMLColrain, and on YouTube,
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage.
To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.