Also got kicked out of an empty "children's" section even though I was looking for YA books to read. Some parts of the walls look really under disrepair. Otherwise it's a solid library. read more

I love this library! I only discovered it pretty recently after I moved closer to Allston. First of all, it's so nicely designed, with an atrium and a cool park with green grass and a cement structure in the back! There is a small parking lot as well as street parking too! I love all the glass and the rose wood looking paneling. The children's section is SO quiet and calm compared to the other libraries I have frequented. Same for the toddler singing time on Tuesday's. It is small and intimate, friendly and fun! There are plenty of puppets, pretend play toys, trains, paper and crayons etc for the kids to entertain themselves. Whether baby, toddler or big kid, there's something for everyone! Thea the primary children's librarian that's ive come in contact with is super nice and has always greeted us with a large smile. She recently helped me find various books on telling time and Paddington Bear. She was so helpful and kind, knowledgeable and quick. The staff at checkout is always the same bunch and they are so low key and cool as well! The fines are pretty steep if you have over due books. They even once helped me resolve a fine that I was confused about. They took my word that I never had that book and removed the fine immediately. There is a used book sale every so often and it's a cool sale Bc I have gotten a lot of treasures at this sale! I plan to donate my books here when I no longer need them Bc i feel good about supporting this library. This is how libraries should be...comfortable, friendly, clean and pleasant. read more

On June 24th, 2017 at 1:15pm. I've never felt so discriminated. I walked away from a section that someone consistently been coughing for the past half an hour. So I decided to finally move to another spot till I found the children's section when no one is there. I came upon hearing loud blocked HEELS stomping towards me really fast and I looked at. This 5'8"-5'10" tall BRUNETTE, thick BLACK FRAMED GLASSES with a LONG SIDE BRAID. Had her eyes wide opened without blinking and in a very RUDE tone of voice asked "Are you here today with any children?!" WoW, not even a hello, NO SMILE, B^*+! FACE came to me like I killed her family. Of course I will treat her the same way how she treated me. That is no way how you are suppose to talk to anyone and I hope it's not her parents that taught her to be like that. I said back to her WHY?! RAISED HER VOICE in the quiet library "THERE ARE SO MANY SEATS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LIBRARY! GO SIT THERE!" Exactly in these words. I told her " I don't see any sign that says there's no permission to sit here." TURNS HER BACK IMMEDIATELY and LOUDLY STOMPS her HEELS to her desk and tried to make me read her sign. WoW with your rude attitude, no one will follow your direction. I just walked right out of the library. BEWARE! THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC LIBRARY! Someone owns a certain section even when no one is there except for her. The loudest in the library is her HEELS and her RUDE tone of voice. What an embarrassment for the City of Allston/Boston, embarrassment to The United States, her group of people and an embarrassment to her parents. I don't care what she went through this morning to get to work or her boyfriend cheated on her but that ATTITUDE has got to go! Don't waste taxpayers money! I literally just sat down at children's section for 1 minute. DISCRIMINATION NON PUBLIC LIBRARY in 2017! If you chose to close a section to only separate adults with children only. Do it in a better way. USE CAUTION tapes and everything to block off the whole section so only you are the one man show and work by yourself! I come to this library a lot and all these years I've never experience anyone as rude and mean as her. The front desk staffs are very nice. When you need the help they'll help you but when you don't need any help, they won't bother you and won't try to scram you away. To City of Boston: Please hire better quality workers. It's not about their experiences. It is about people skills. If they can't even smile or hello the common gestures, don't bother hiring them. Doesn't matter if they are college grad or not. Common knowledge. I'll just go to Central Library from now on. No staff there are as mean as this one. She's one of a kind! She can just stay in this library in that particular section to work all by herself. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Unbelievable, library manager made me get up and move because I was in the "teen" section. I was there for an hour comfortable all my stuff out and in the middle of working. There was not one "teen" in the library and there was also 6 other open teen computers and multiple other desks. It was so rude and inconsiderate. I was not bothering anyone or taking space away from the designated teens. It is a free public library and I should not be treated like I am a prisoner in jail. I will never return to this branch again. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

The staff are very helpful and polite. Customer/patron service is obviously their top priority. The building itself is beautiful with so many huge windows and an open courtyard. That is my favorite spot to sit in the summer. It is a popular branch with lots of patrons for good reason. And there is a 66 bus stop right in front. One of Lower Allston's best features, maybe even the very best. Also a good testament to Brian Honan, who was a great man. read more

What is the point of a library where it's too dark to read? All the overhead lights are focused dramatically on the walls. There are no reading lamps or desk lamps to be found anywhere! The first desk person I spoke with waved his hand dismissively and said "What you see is what we've got," then turned back to his more important task (stamping books no one will read). The second flinched and maintained an uncomfortable silence. The third assured me there was a table far away by a window, but when we finally got there it was occupied. Of course. read more

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! read more

Incredibly rude staff. No outlets. Gets very loud. They kick you out long before closing time.

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 : ( read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

Hello, all. I'm one of the librarians at the Honan-Allston Branch, and I wanted to respond to the two reviews here. @ Greg M: Since I first read your review, I've been trying to figure out exactly what happened, and I still don't know. As long as DVDs (and CDs, for that matter) have existed, we've always been willing to take the newer format for an item in exchange for an older format lost. Please, anyone reading this, if something like this happens again, ask to speak to a senior librarian. Greg, I'm sorry you were treated this way and I hope that you've tried again with us. @ Casey: Yup, you're right. Both of the design flaws you mention have a serious impact on the experience. Since we're a new branch, we've had a number of architecture and design students coming through to see what we've done -- I mention the Adult Fiction shelving and the sound issues each time I speak to students. There are reasons for both of these choices (security and sightlines biggest among them), but there might have been another solution. Please know that the staff at this library are always willing to hear feedback from our patrons. Just let us know, and thanks for being part of the BPL. read more

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! read more

great place..FREE parking in the back.....computer are always open......during weekday..gets packed on Saturday......very quiet.......has nice park in back to walk and forage in the middle read more

This librarians here are very nice. They have a courtyard in the center along with several large rooms in the back which serve as an art gallery and piano room. The adult computers are pretty quick and there is the 66 bus stop right in front of the library. read more

I LOVE this library. Is it the biggest library I've been in? No. Is it the absolute nicest library I've been in? No. But the Honan-Allston branch of the BPL is an essential component of the Allston-Brighton community's lifeblood. It's easy to get to, the staff is very helpful, things are easy to find, inter-library loan through the BPL is very efficient, it's clean, it has great places for students (and others) to hang out and study, it's open and completely non-claustrophobic, the list goes on and on. It's also a great civic administration center for major public events like voting. I hope it continues to thrive. The Allston-Brighton community is better because this library is there. read more

I would put a higher rate if I could. The staff there are really friendly and are always happy to help. They have a lot of really great activities and a corner full of children books and toys for kids. They have a little garden inside the library that is really relaxing in the fall. Very recently, they built a park behind the library which is amazing. There are sprinklers and a lot of grass for the kids run and have fun on while I read a book or enjoy myself. The collection of books and movies there is not that big, but they have some really good genres, authors, and famous books that are in demand. Also, like in all of the Boston libraries you can request a book that will come into this branch. They also have a really nice heating and AC system. The temperature there is always just right. The couches are really comfortable. I enjoy to spend my free time in this library. read more