Boston Public Library

The most impressive thing is the beauty of the architecture. This is a astonishing building, with lots of History in its walls. If you are visiting Boston you must go there!

This branch seems nice, but is definitely not a good place to work or read, especially if you’re looking for some quiet. The upstairs mezzanine doesn’t help with workspace for this reason. Some enforcement of common courtesy among patrons would help.

I love this BPL branch. Every time I go there I feel right at home. The staff are nice, caring and attentive. If they don’t have a book you’re looking for they’ll get it for you. They don’t pry, you can get the most embarrassing book ever and they won’t make you feel uncomfortable. They have awesome groups, if you like knitting or want to learn Spanish or English they have a language exchange group. I’m a regular there and every time the staff see me walking towards the desk they have the books, CDs or DVDs in hand waiting for me. I love that place and if I ever get locked up accidentally in any place I hope it’d be at the BPL Jamaica Plain branch

I really love the BPL, and living right near the JP branch is just wonderful. It’s a pretty small branch in terms of selection, but I love being able to pick up books from other branches there (and apparently I’m not the only one, since I’m told the JP branch is frequently #1 in terms of circulation).
I did a double-​take the first time I walked in, since the scene inside was just so idyllic. Lots of kids worked patiently on their homework with the help of tutors, kindly-​looking gentlemen browsed the stacks, the librarians greeted me cheerfully … I’ve never been in such a warm, friendly local library before!
Definitely 5 stars to the JP branch. I love coming here and browsing or picking up books, especially since that saves me from having to navigate the main BPL building in Copley Square, which has always struck me as kind of poorly organized.

A nice building and a great location. I went in one day to kill time and wait between a couple of appointments. The noise level made it impossible to concentrate. And I was just about the only patron in the place.
Two librarians were shouting at each other across the room. Librarians. In a library. Shouting. Uh… is it me or is there something seriously wrong with this picture?
On the other hand we all have bad days and this could have been one for both of them. But, really, are things SO bad that a librarian can’t get up and walk a few yards in a reading area to talk with a colleague?

i go here mainly because it’s the closest to my house, but libraries are so great! currently, i have checked out: do what you are (career exploration based on personality type), the
handbook to building a better world (a book i requested the BPL to purchase because i didn’t find it in their catalogue, and they sent me an email two weeks later to notify me it was waiting for me to pick up), lonely planet costa rica, lonely planet barcelona, in defense of food, and smart women finish rich (a financial planning book a friend recommended). ok, so perhaps a cheesy list, but the point is, you can get all those books you don’t really want to own, put a request in for them online, and they will hold them for pickup at any branch you want.
since i am recently unemployed, i’ve also been hanging out there during the day to use the wifi, if i feel like working outside of my house. very nice!

If the hours were better, I’d hang out here all the time. This branch is known for its great travel book collection and they’ve got a great selection of paperbacks. Definitely go to the bathroom in the basement, the stairway down is lined with 20 and 30 year old hand-​painted posters of library events – super cool!

The librarians at my local branch – the ever glorious JP library – are incredibly awesome, which is a must for a bookworm like myself. I am the master of the inter-​library loan, utilizing it for all things media, and thus find myself at the circulation desk quite often. The staff is not only fun to talk to, but also incredibly knowledge and helpful. If you cannot find what you’re looking for in the entire BPL catalog, these people will make it their personal mission to obtain the item for you. The librarians have access to catalogs from libraries that extend far beyond those in the BPL; they can also order books from various universities, or from libraries outside of the Boston network. (The only thing that sucks about this is that you can’t renew the item, but c’est la vie.) If all else fails, they’ll put in a purchase request for you.
In addition to the dynamite services the JP branch offers the community, the atmosphere is quite delightful; it’s the perfect place to do a little research, or just to relax and read. The architecture is beautiful, quaint, and fits in perfectly with the Center/​South section of Jamaica Plain.
I must say I really wish this branch was open a bit later, and for a few hours on Saturday, but you can’t always get what you want.

The staff is great (so nice to have a new librarian there, the old one was giving my profession a bad rep). They’re very service oriented, and recent changes have made good improvements to the way the space is organized. The only reason i subtract a star is because the place is suffering from a lack of funding. It’s a busy busy branch. There’s no call for the state their facilities are in.

I live closer to the Conolly branch, but have never even tried that one because I love this branch so much. The space is perfectly amazing, a gorgeous old brick building with classic library high ceilings and big school windows. The floors could use some re-​doing, the place would be drop dead amazing with gleaming hardwoods, but what can ya do. The building isn’t the best part though, it’s the librarians. They’re seriously the best! They’re so friendly! I’m not outgoing, I’m a curmudgeon. But these folks totally put a smile on my misanthropic mug. They chat with you about your choices, and even say hello if you see them out and about in JP! I usually get dvds and cookbooks here, they have a very good selection, or you can go online and make a queue of hold requests so you can get anything from any branch. Pick up your holds here though, they definitely have the best staff of any library I’ve been to.