MONTAGUE, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Montague Public Libraries made a statement of inclusion Tuesday after a patron and their small child discovered a Nazi symbol near the Carnegie Library’s back entrance over the weekend. Library officials thanked the patron for bringing it to their attention and affirmed their mission of having a space where everyone is welcome.
Statement from the Montague Public Libraries:
Dear Montague residents,
It has come to our attention that, over the weekend, a Nazi symbol was found near the Carnegie Library’s back entrance by a patron and their small child.
Let us be extremely clear in stating that hate symbols have no place in the Montague Public Libraries.
The libraries’ mission statement notes, “everyone is welcome through our doors,” and we mean it. We mean it when we say that the libraries are a safe place for people of all ages, abilities, religions, races, genders, sexualities, political leanings, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Over the Carnegie Library’s 120 years in operation there have been thousands of educational and cultural programs, millions of quality items circulated, and countless friendly patron/staff interactions. These positive library experiences have earned the community’s trust.
We do not take this for granted and we are aware that seeing a hate symbol on our walls could erode and damage that trust. We will do everything we can to ensure that everyone, no matter their background, feels like the libraries belong to them. Library staff have been instructed to be extra vigilant in checking the building for hate symbols and hate speech.
We thank the patron who saw a swastika leaning against the wall and brought it to the attention of library staff. And on this day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million Jewish victims and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Kelley, Library Director
Will Quale, Chair of the Library Trustees