Somerville Public Library

So, I’ve come here maybe a handful of times and the ladies and gentlemen who work here are always real nice. They seem to enjoy their jobs and want to make the best out of it. I’ve requested books to this library many times and they always have it and give me no trouble for coming in right before they close or whatever. They also have a somewhat large collection of DVDs. If they don’t have what you want? Request it online.
I reviewed this library initially thinking it was the small East branch one with the crazy construction going on around it for the last like 5 months. It’s not. This is the one by the high school with no construction around it and parking easy enough to find. I like this one much better.

This is a hidden treasure for any, and all, undergraduate and graduate students in the Somerville area. Fast and free WiFi, large study tables, friendly staff, and convenient location. This is a perfect place to study.

Spacious, busy and in possession of a fantastic online catalog and inter-​library loan program. I am proud to call the Somerville Library my own.
And on top of that, there’s plenty of parking!

Not the nicest of libraries around, but hey it’s a library. Unfortunately, wi-​fi is terribly slow. Don’t come here if you’re just looking for a free internet connection on your laptop.

Oh Somerville Library, you are truly awesome.
I love this place. It’s about a mile walk from my apartment and I make the trek often.
The selection is vast, the AV department is a little dated but still great, the inter-​library loan is really fast, and the fact that you can conduct all your business online is completely convenient.
The staff is always beyond accommodating and there’s always awesome events going on.

The wireless Internet service here is AWFUL. I just needed to send a few work emails and it’s taking so long to update online pages I’m finding plenty of time to write this review from my phone. Argh!

their online system works flawlessly so I always have a few books at home and a few on the way. CD’s too. woot!
Also they seem to drop most of my late fees. gotta love that.
as for the physical spot… It’s a library, in all its glory and libraryness.
it has nice puzzles, the kids book selection is great as far as I can tell… but its the mural in the kids corner that really gets me (and my 2 year old) excited.
the staff is generally warm and accommodating, though I do get the occasional bad vibes from 1 or 2 folks in there… which is just sad I think… it’s a library for goodsakes. No need for pretentiousness… or whatever, maybe its just grumpiness. either way, not cool.
all in all I feel lucky to know about and frequent any glorious entity known as a free public library, and while this place doesn’t stack up to, say, the award winning spots in other towns, it more than does the job.
–1 star for occasional weird rudeness.

I love libraries in general. Heck, I used to be a librarian for 5 years, I have the MLS degree and everything. So when I give a library 2 stars for having experienced better elsewhere, it’s because I expect more knowing what it could and should be like.
I used to live a 2 minute walk from this library, and it was a go-​to for us for at least 3 years because it was local and we didn’t have a car. Yes, thumbs up for the fine leniency, location, internet access, museum passes, and ILL. However, it’s not enough to win my love, especially since so many libraries offer these very same services and perks.
I’ve had mixed experiences with the service at this library. I have been helped by the super nice/​helpful/​friendly librarians and circ staff, but I’ve also experienced the surly/​aloof/​somewhat judgemental. It’s not as consistent as it should be, and it all depends on when you go, who you get, and what you’re asking for.
The in-​collection selection is so-​so, although with interlibrary loan, you can pretty much get whatever, and the pick-​up process is generally painless. I have, however, had problems with email ILL requests going completely unanswered. A library shouldn’t just put the service on your web site for show, it should actually support it.
I won’t even touch how the ambiance is not so great, I think the other reviews have already said it all.
I visit the Cambridge libraries more often, because they are within better walking distance of where I live now, they’re also in the Minuteman Library Network, the people are always super friendly, and they’re services are just plain better, top to bottom. Hopefully our next apartment can officially be in Cambridge, so we can utilize some of the excellent resident-​only bennies.

This library hasn’t changed since I first went almost 30 years ago. But for me, that is part of it’s charm. I’ve gone in more recent years for the Internet. Their computers definitely appear to be older but work like a brand new computer. You can make copies which are only a few cents a page more if it’s color. The staff is really nice and very helpful. The main library is beautiful when you stand there and look up.
Like most city libraries, right after school seems to be their busiest were kids and teens are doing research and homework, etc. I’ve never been bothered by this as it’s great to see young people at a library. But since it gets busy you may want to try a less busy time as the library isn’t that big. They also have two branches which also ofer variety and internet access.

An older library in an older building that was apparently built at the same time as the Robbins Library in Arlington. But whereas Robbins has expanded, the Somerville Library seems to have fallen on some hard times. They have a smaller book selection than most of the other Minuteman Libraries I’ve been to, but a decent DVD selection, including some PBS American Experience titles that I haven’t found elsewhere. The building is so nice and there is so much potential here that I really hope they can expand and get some more renovations going on the inside of the library.

A library with a bunch of computers and wi-​fi, their collection of books is a bit behind the times, but wide and encompassing. The special Somerville Room is a great little resource if you are doing family history or research on a specific Somerville related topic.
Every once in a while, they put out journals that they don’t need/​want in the magazine rack near the newspapers and they also have a book sale each year. This year’s was fine, but Medford’s was better.
The only real negative is the lack of parking, really.

I’m going to paraphrase Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty’s «God Bless America Again»:
God bless the Somerville Library, again
You’ve seen all the trouble that she’s in
Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes, and then
God bless the Somerville Library, again
What a beautiful building, with such attentive and helpful staff, and so many resources — videos, computers, books, and ESL section, an archive of Somerville history, old Sanborn maps, and more things to discover every time — crammed in under one roof. But that’s just the problem — it’s *too* crammed. And the building has seen better days. There’s water damage — a huge red flag in any library — and it’s just dim and dingy.
I was in the Watertown library yesterday and they’ve done some amazing things with their recent renovation and expansion. With such great people working in there, and so many different people using it all the time, I think in Somerville, an even bigger city than Watertown, it’s time to put that same kind focus on making this old library — *our* old library — something we can all be proud of. How about it, Somerville — let’s make it happen.
Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes, and then
God bless the Somerville Library, again.

I have to laugh when reading other reviews on the Somerville Public Library. Reviews. On a library. Five stars for books on shelves, you say?
The staff is extremely nice and, to echo the sentiments of my fellow Unilocalers, are quick to alleviate the pains of the $ 2 late fee cap. I’ve only found one or two paperbacks I wanted at a given time on the shelves at this location (–1 *) but who really does that anymore? This crazy little Interwebspace makes it fun and easy to find a title and request it from any library in the Minuteman network. Well, not fun but definitely easy.
With this system, I get an email to let me know my book is, um, in da house. And for those long commutes of yesteryear, the CD audiobook selection was a lifesaver. Did you know you can even download a large selection of free audiobooks in mp3 format? Eat your heart out iPhone technology.
Central location makes a swing by convenient and Saturday hours rock my bookworm face off. So, turn off the TV will ya? Paper is the new On Demand.

4 stars because the staff here works so hard… but as a place to study and do work, it deserves fewer due to the state of the aging facilities. Love that they have free wireless internet but… I don’t have much recent library experience except university libraries, and I guess my standards are a bit higher.
Many of the tables and chairs are aging, paint is peeling on some of the walls, the computers are ancient. There are very few outlets where one can plug in a computer — many of the outlets are prohibited as «safety hazards.» I wish they would wire up some safe ones in more than the 3 locations where they are offered.
The library has an old and fading feel to it. Oh, library, I wish you were more current.

I do stop by the SPL quite often. The staff is great… less one woman you yelled at me to hurry up because they were closing… but quick to serve and are very pleasant.
I love the inter-​library loan — i go online and request any book or movie that I want and as soon as it’s ready I get the email and its there for me. I no longer go to blockbuster, because I can get everything that I want through the library. It’s of course easier to get the older movies quick and can take weeks to get the new stuff.
One thing that I love that they didn’t do at my last local library is if you rent a tv show season you get all the disks in the set. So lets say you rent the first season of Entourage on DVD, you get all the disks and two weeks to watch them that way you don’t have to worry about going back and having one of the disks checked out.
the parking is easy and they are open everyday — weekdays until 9 and weekends until 5.

Like so much in the Boston area (including the hospital where I work), the Somerville Public Library-​Main has attractive, austere «street appeal,» but could definitely use some indoor renovations.
However, you can’t hate on a library. They have books, and tapes, and sometimes DVDs, and they’re free. SPL provided me with internet access when I first moved (crucial), and really serves its patrons well. It’s doesn’t house an amazing collection, but has a decent print selection, and knows its audience (lots of ESL materials, which is awesome). You can get some random stuff in the AV room, which is also a little lacking. But there is really no cause for complaint, since once you have a library card (a sky blue «Minuteman Library Network» card, written in old Nintendo-​style-​font) you can get just about anything your heart desires on interlibrary loan, delivered to your local library. I have been taking full advantage of this service, and it’s a blast– weird videos, CDs, great books you’d never buy but still want to check out, all with a nice e-​mail reminder when they’re delivered.
One thing I have noticed about the Somerville Library is the uniform friendliness and cheerfulness of their staff, a far cry from your stereotypically surly librarian. Just today I went in to pay a 50 cent fine, only to have the man on duty shake his head and tell me «You don’t have a fine.» «But I saw it online…» I replied. «It’s gone.» Expunging my fines? SPL, you shouldn’t have.