I was passing by and decided to stop by. This library is in the middle of a neighborhood. It's…read moregorgeous you can see it from far away. It looks like it used to be to be a house and they turned it into a library. As soon as you walk in there in there is a staircase to go upstairs or downstairs. This place is bright nice and open . It's very clean and they have a lot of new books. I went on a warm day and the air was blasting. Very nice library highly recommend checking out if you're in the area.

I love this library a lot. Personal is friendly and helpful. They do their best to do pleasant…read morethings. Recently they organized seeds bank - it was great idea! I hope they do it again in spring.

We love the library! The new library is beautiful and an amazing space for the Melrose community…read more We frequent the children's and YA rooms the most often and the staff is amazing. They're so so helpful when speaking with my kids about what to read next, listening to their likes and dislikes and always finding something new for them. The after school programming is also a pleasant plus! My teen enjoys their crafts, and I'm happy it's someplace she can walk to after school for something a little different. For myself, I love their Libby app. It's stocked with so many audiobooks which I read in the car, on walks, and around the house. I'm so grateful for our library - both the building and the programming they offer!

Best place in the game. Special shoutout to: reference department. This is the best library in the…read moreland. Thanks guys. The grandfather clock is still there.

We were peacefully gaming, when one of my friends, got a little upset with one of the kids on a…read morecomputer. It wasn't anything big, but he had just changed schools, and he wanted to play with us. The kid said no, and my friend got a little mad. Nothing big, but the librarian still stepped in to break it up, nothing much. Then we came up with a compromise. However, later on, the librarian decided that we had enough gaming, and kicked us out! We didn't even do anything. There wasn't even anyone waiting in line for the computer. This act even goes against the law. Then, she tried to blame us that we had created a hostile environment earlier in the day. They held us on a 30 min limit on the computers, even though everyone else was not held to the same standard. She also tried saying that the library was closing, even though it was still half an hour away from closing time.

It's an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and classic New England library! The librarians are helpful and…read moreresponsive. The space is beautiful and *feels* welcoming...until you start exploring. I am so disappointed that a political agenda is pushed top to bottom at the library. For instance, they recently held a specious "banned books" event where they ask people to take political action against SUPPOSEDLY banned books, which is a hoax. (For details, read this article: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/11/fact-checking-dispels-the-book-banning-fiction/#:~:text=PEN%20America%20advocates%20on%20behalf,the%202021%2D2022%20school%20year) This is an absolute LARP in response to parents who don't want X-rated material in the kids' room; that's not book banning, that's curation and appropriateness for children. My kids are advanced readers and I can't let them explore freely in the library because there is so much inappropriate material for children, for example, "This Book is Gay" includes graphic material tutoring children on how to perform an*l s*x. It's in the teen room for ages 12-18--COMPLETELY inappropriate. There are also the usual divisive identity/sexuality-focused events for kids like 'draw a coat of arms for LGBTQ+ and allies.' It would be nice if the library focused on the huge literacy problem in this country instead of pandering to identity politics. This library is definitely not a safe space for kids--watch them closely and/or order books for pick-up. So sad. I also want to understand why the city pays the salary of a DEI apparatchik at this library. I do not believe city money should be spent on this nonsense. Libraries could have stepped up and stayed open to serve the whole population during the covid restrictions, yet they stayed closed for years, which no doubt contributed to the huge decline in academic scores and literacy we see in children. I hope this library can be renewed to be about more than virtue signaling and posturing. Communities benefit from excellence in libraries.

Have come here a handful of times and am now officially making use of this public space. Very quiet…read moreand perfect place to get some studying done. Will come as often as I can. There is metered street parking in front and might have private parking in back. Attached are their summer and Labor Day weekend hours.

Architecture inside gorgeous. Hidden gem, great selection, not too busy, friendly librarians and…read morejust the building itself, walking in their took my breath away. I stopped by here just to print something and I was awe struck by the architecture and uniqueness. Also they had some rare non fiction stuff which is what I read mostly. I also noticed it's ADA accessible In some areas. There are chair lifts etc. Check out these pictures,it's like an awesome museum. I cannot believe I've been living and working in this area the past 15 years and never heard about it! Looks closed sometimes from the outside- especially from the parking lott in back, but don't let that throw you off. It's like a speakeasy library...

The building where our library is housed is grand and beautiful, and with the children's section on…read morethe very top floor, my kids get the best seat in the library. The layout is a bit disjointed as another reviewer mentioned, but the fourth floor is typically where our family spends the most of its time, so not too much of an issue for us. I have also worked remotely in the library on days when my offices were closed and it was a nice quiet place to get my work done -- that is, up until around 3 p.m. or so when teenagers pop in and are a bit louder. Another really great thing to know about our library is that they house a "library of things" where you can check out random things like a metal detectors, bolt charger, karaoke machine, label maker, telescope, binoculars, and much more.

Really upsetting that you get there 2 minutes before closing to just pick up a book and they…read morealready closed, I get state they are suppose to close 5 minutes before. Please tell this in the website so everyone that works know.

After moving to a new area, I always like to check out the public library. This library was very…read morebusy when I went, but like other reviewers mentioned - after school hours are expected to be the busiest. I didn't' stay long on this visit but will definitely come back during some quieter hours. I must have looked a bit bewildered, because a friendly librarian approached with a smile and offered to answer any questions. Sadly I did not catch her name, but I was thankful for the greeting.

Social distancing practice is perfect! Library person takes care of each person outside. I can…read moresafely borrow and return books.

loudest library ive ever been in honestly, there are only 3 study rooms and the rest of the library…read moreis open to all the noise of the staff and hallways. the staff are nice but some of them are so loud they're literally echoing across the whole building. it's clean and organized but they don't have any of the books i have been looking for and it's not a good place to study.

Great new space, always helpful staff. The kids room and it's respective librarians are especially…read morewonderful. Can't imagine Medford without it.

This is the best of the 3 libraries in Peabody. I'll get the negative out of the way first. The…read moreonly reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because it is very small, and therefore has a smaller selection of books than the Main Branch in Peabody, but I think the good far outweighs the bad here. The building was recently renovated and looks beautiful. It is a one-room library with a circulation desk, a childrens department, a fiction and non-fiction section and a reference/periodical area. What makes this library outstanding is it's staff. They are always willing to bend over backwards to accommodate their patrons. They are never condescending and they go the extra mile to get their patrons what they want. The beauty of the library system around here is that if your home library doesn't carry what you're looking for, they can usually order it from somewhere else, and having been numerous times to all 3 libraries in Peabody, I can say with assurance that the South Branch staff works harder than any of the others for their patrons and they always do it with a smile on their face.