Group discussed critical value of education and libraries in communities

(CAPTION: U.S. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) with children at “Reading Time” at Malden Public Library, Saturday, March 18, 2017)

Boston (March 20, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) was joined this past weekend by U.S. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden in a visit to the Malden Public Library. They were joined by more than 200 Massachusetts librarians and staff in a discussion on education and the role of libraries in communities. Senator Markey and Dr. Hayden spent part of their visit reading to dozens of local children from “House Mouse, Senate Mouse: How Our Laws Are Made” by Peter and Cheryl Barnes, “One Word from Sophia” by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail, and “It’s a Book” by Lane Smith.  

When he served in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senator Markey was the lead House author of the E-Rate program, or “Education Rate”, which was created as a part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and has provided more than $44 billion nationwide and more than $600 million in Massachusetts to schools and libraries to support internet access.

“I am extremely proud of Massachusetts libraries, librarians and the opportunities they support in communities like Malden all across the country,” said Senator Markey. “Malden Public Library has always been a special place for me, where I attended reading hour as a young boy and studied as a college student. We need to ensure that the funding is in place so that libraries can continue to provide the computer and internet access, educational programming, and cultural opportunities that connect curious minds with new opportunities and horizons.”

Dr. Hayden is the first female and first African American to lead the Library of Congress. She previously served as the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was awarded the Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award in recognition for programming for Baltimore teens that offered homework assistance and college and career counseling.

“Meeting children from across the country and sharing with them the treasures and resources available at the Library of Congress motivates me,” said Dr. Hayden. “Together we can inspire the next generation of scholars and dreamers.”

“To host our own U.S. Senator Ed Markey and the first female and first African-American U.S. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden in our remarkable Public Library, I couldn’t be more honored and proud as Mayor to be a part of this momentous occasion,” said Malden Mayor Gary Christenson.