[The following is a message from the Chinatown Cultural Committee, a group spearheading efforts for a Chinatown Branch Library.]

Dear TCC members,
At the last TCC meeting, the Chinatown Library committee gave an update on our progress and asked members of TCC to write letters of support to the Mayor’s office. This is an important strategy so that the Mayor understands that there is widespread community support for a branch library. Below is a template to use. We ask that you put the letter on your organizational letter head and send the letter to mayor@boston.gov and cc the following people:

Daniel Koh daniel.koh@boston.gov
Jerome Smith jerome.smith@boston.gov
Christine Schonhart cschonhart@bpl.org
Carolyn Rubin Carolyn.rubin@tufts.edu

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Carolyn

Carolyn Rubin, Chair, Chinatown Cultural Committee

Letter template:
Dear Mayor Walsh,

On behalf of (your organization), we are writing in support of the Chinatown Library Campaign.

(Describe your organization’s mission)

(Your organization) believes a Chinatown Branch library is important because _____________. A branch library holds the potential to be a focal gathering place for the community, fill a gap in needed services and also help to anchor Chinatown as a cultural center given the shifting demographics in the neighborhood.

We know that building a library is a multi-step process and as a first step, we are writing to urge the mayor to allocate funds for an updated feasibility study for building a Chinatown Branch Library at the China Trade Center. We believe that the China Trade Center is a potential site for the library and believe the building could be an important anchor for the Chinatown community. Allocation of capital funds for a feasibility study could provide us with the technical and planning expertise that we need to explore how we get from here to the end goal, which could include and incorporate creative approaches to leveraging developer commitments.

We appreciate your commitment to establishing a branch library for the neighborhood and want to work with you to make this happen.

Sincerely,
Your name and title

CC: Daniel Koh daniel.koh@boston.gov
Jerome Smith jerome.smith@boston.gov
Christine Schonhart cschonhart@bpl.org
Carolyn Rubin Carolyn.rubin@tufts.edu