Hubbardston library awarded roughly $58,000 for digital-literacy upgrades

Trustees at the Town of Hubbardston were told the town has been awarded nearly $58,000 from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute to support renovations and technology upgrades at the Hubbardston Public Library.

Meeting participants said the award will fund a new multimedia room and hardware for a digital-literacy program that includes tablets (the application was modified from an initial request for laptops). The trustees were told the grant emphasizes resident digital-literacy services, with a particular focus on seniors.

Trustees and staff discussed technical and implementation questions. The director noted the grant may support a fiber-optic connection or other broadband upgrades and raised the need to confirm whether the library can route the grant-funded connection through CW MARS, the regional library network, and whether e-rate funding or other mechanisms would apply to ongoing costs. Staff also warned that upgrades could require computer security and hardware refreshes before the library could accept certain network changes.

Trustees suggested producing online tutorials and partnering with local organizations to deliver classes to residents who cannot attend in person. No formal vote was required; trustees asked staff to share the grant award documentation and return with implementation details and a proposed spending plan.

Library staff said they would continue coordinating with the grant administrator and the town to ensure reporting requirements are met and to clarify which items the grant will and will not fund.