Public Libraries

A while ago I think I promised to explain more about the libraries here in Boston. And since I am feeling lonely because I've run out of other people's blog posts to read I guess that means I should post one myself and then I can solve someone else's loneliness (except I think there are only maybe two people who read this, but maybe it'll be just what they need...a blog post about libraries...)

Ok, so in Boston there are about a billion public libraries.There is the Boston Public Library and all it's branches and then there's what's called the Minuteman Network. From what I understand BPL was so big that it caused problems for all the small libraries in the surrounding cities and so they banded together and formed a network that is a formidable opponent to BPL (or at least this is what I imagine happened). Luckily you can use either library system and nobody really cares. So I have library cards for both which allows me to check out books from almost anywhere I can imagine (and this is great until I have books from BPL and from Cambridge and from Simmons and I get confused about which books are due where when). So when I got my Minuteman card I got it from the Brookline library because it's right on my way to and from school, but then about a week later I got a job (!) at another library in the network and so now I pretty much get my books exclusively from them (for what I hope are obvious reasons). Needless to say I am a huge fan of public libraries. And because I happen to think the library I work at is one of the most gorgeous libraries ever here are some pictures I found online.

The Reading Room

Gorgeous space, isn't it?

One corner of our children's floor (they get a whole floor all to themselves--
and that doesn't even include the teen room on another floor.

Don't be deceived by the difference in styles of the pictures. A few years ago we had a major expansion and so our reading room is in the older building and the other pictures are from our new building, they are simply gorgeous; I always feel so lucky that I get to work in such a beautiful space.