Boston Public Library – Honan-Allston Branch

It’s been almost a year I’ve been living in the Brighton/​Harvard area. I didn’t discover this library until like the end of the summer — I just wished I found it sooner! It’s close to where I live and it’s a pretty quite location. Most days off the week the library is empty, which I love! The staff are friendly, respectful, & helpful. When I ask for an extension on my computer time they would give me an additional two hours — sweet. The few downsides is that they need to update their Microsoft and they close pretty early: (

I agree with Casey W. There are no sound barriers in this library. Although the regular study area is on the complete opposite end of the library than the kids’ section, you can still hear them crying and screaming relentlessly. The librarians refuse to do anything about the noise or ask the parents to take the kids outside to calm down (I asked).
3-​stars because this library is still beautiful and actually pretty nice inside. However, it is next to impossible to get any work done if you’re an adult.

I spend about 10 hours a week at this library because even though I have wi-​fi, I can get more work done here. It’s acoustics are pretty terrible though. When the little kiddos are running around yapping, or the librarian with the clunky heels are walking across the place. it is deafening. Thank goodness my headphones are massive.
In the middle of the whole place is a gorgeous courtyard with benches and greenery, and out back is a place to walk dogs and some big lion fountains misting out of their mouths to provide relief on a hot day. Overall, I like it here. I will keep on coming back. I am excited for it to be open on Saturdays, starting soon!

Whenever I’m antsy to read that book my friend told me about or I just need some quiet space to study, Honan-​Allston Branch is the place I turn to. It’s your good ol’ reliable neighborhood library. It’s small and intimate, yet it has a wide selection of books, music, and movies. The staff are all very friendly and helpful.
If you live around the area and haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend that you do. I mean, why not? It’s free!

i love the Honan! The layout is open and airy, perfect for studying or reading. They have a pretty sweet movie select as well! i usually just order books or movies to be delivered to the Honan Allston branch, so I haven’t spent as much time browsing as I should. The location is extremely convenient, there’s a 66 bus stop right out front. I like it better than the Central library, I think it’s nicer inside and not quite as overwhelming. I love books, movies and music– the Honan has it all!

One of my favorite places around Boston. I grab a book and sit on a comfy leather couch looking out onto a serene court yard. Add coffee and Im happy.

I stopped in in this library on the way from Cambridge to Brookline. It is on the 66 route, which is great, and has lots of street parking.
My friend actually works here, but this was my first time. It is probably one of the best of the branch libraries and actually is kind of like a smaller Central library. It is quiet and peaceful. Has a children’s section on one side and on the other side has carrels and tables for grown up folk to get their homework, studying, and laptopping on. The reason that it reminds me of Central is that it has a small courtyard with lots of plants, sunlight, shade, and tranquillity.
Wi-​fi of course. They have movies to take out. And bookmarks, which I love.

I love books. I like the modern, open feel of the library as architecture. It’s crappy design for a library, because as Casey says, sound travels. I think their selection of books is crap. Their scifi/​fantasy section (you know they couldn’t be bothered to make separate scifi and fantasy shelves) is smaller than mine at home, if you don’t count their Star Trek books (I don’t). Their craft section is interesting to browse to find new crafts, but if you’re looking for more advanced books or something specific, they won’t have it. The only upside is they will order books from other branches for you (do it online if you have a PIN, or see the reference librarian) and hold them for pickup at the front desk.

This is my library, meaning, it is like a 46 second walk from my house to the «liberry.» I actually do pronounce it correctly, but I have heard others call it a liberry, which sounds so bad. Anyway, this place is very quiet, and dare I say, relaxing. It is so modern so please check it out. The 66 drops you off right in front too!

I eat books. /​Chomp /​Chomp /​YUM /​As in, I read very quickly and every night, and sometimes during the day when I’m feeling antisocial or in a bad mood. I’ve been going to libraries for as long as I can remember. Buying books wasn’t ever an option for my voracious appetite.
That being said, as soon as I moved to Brighton, I checked out this branch of the BPL. It is very stylish in a modern Zen way. Selection is fine, I’m not a picky eater/​reader. My beef with the place is two-​fold:
1. The «all open» structure inside (aside from the study cubes) is bad. Very bad. Kids should be allowed to be kids. However, in this library when a kid cries or screams about a book or (more likely) a DVD, EVERYONE hears it. I’m very kid friendly. I love kids. I wouldn’t bring kids here if I had them. You don’t need to shut kids in a soundproof cage — just a few indoor walls to dampen sound is all I’m asking for!
2. The book shelves in Adult Fiction (not adult like porn, adult like not picture books) are low. They go up to my waist. The Young Adult fiction section has tall shelves. I don’t get it. Teenagers are shorter than adults. The result is that since I don’t like crouching, I only read books on the top shelf of the 3 shelves. That is sad. Maybe I will have to grab one of the easily available kids and get him or her to get me books off the bottom shelves.
Why four stars? Well, it IS a library. And despite myself, I love it.

Take this more as a warning and less as a review.
I’m stupid and left two VHS tapes on top of my car when going to return them. I realized halfway there that I had done this. When I arrived I told them that I lost the tapes. The woman kept prying, asking what happened to them until I had to admit that I’m a moron.
Anyway, she said they had to be replaced or pay $ 50 each for them. A little steep. I went online to find the tapes, but they were out of print and I was told that used replacements would not suffice. I called a few days later and offerred to replace the movies on DVD. They said they couldn’t do that. So it was either shell out $ 100 or stop using the library.
I chose the latter and I’m not sure it was such a good decision.