This is our local library branch and we feel so lucky to have it. My kids love to come here, the children's room and librarian are fantastic. The outdoor space is lovely as well. Have not spent time here using workspace as an adult but would consider doing so! Grateful for this public resource. read more

This branch has the STUPIDEST F*CKING HOURS EVAR. I'm sorry, i get it, you can't staff all branch libraries every damn hour of the day, but the hours at the West Branch are not only paltry (to say the least) but are COMPLETELY FREAKING ARBITRARY. Want to go on Monday to pick up your book from interlibrary loan? Well you're in luck my friend-- we're open from 10AM to 9 at night! Hooray!!!! Oh, did you have some other Monday commitment? No problem, why don't you stop by on Wednesday! Oooooh, sorry man. Nice try, but we keep a strict 2-6PM policy on Wednesdays. It's just the way we roll. And same with Fridays. Oh, did you say you wanted to pop by on Saturday? Yeah, tough sh*t. We take the weekends off too. Try next Monday! I mean, for the love of God, the whole point of branch libraries is that it makes it more CONVENIENT for local residents to pop by and grab a book. Instead, it would have been more than worth my time to drive/walk/crawl/take the 88 down to Somerville Central and grab that damn copy of Yo, Rigoberta Menchu. I've learned my lesson. And seriously: how much $$$ does it take to staff the library? $10 an hour? Seriously. Time to call 311 Direct. ANGST! OUTRAGE! ENTITLEMENT TO MY BOOKS!!!!!111111 read more

Somerville Public Library - West Branch - The Branch of Shame - Libraries Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

You ever read one of those reviews where the star rating and the body just don't gel? "Food was awesome. Spicy where it needed to be, and bursting with flavor. Servers smiled all the time and never let our water empty. Couldn't believe how cheap the final bill was - four people with a beer each for under $80? This place is my new favorite!" Two stars. Huhsaywha? Well strap in, faithful reader. I'm about to get all up on irrational rationale. What makes this building, nay structure, so lovable is that every element begs to be hated. The musty smell, the division of materials, the sticky anachronistic keyboards that seem to transfer data at the speed of traffic. Author (hourglass) "B-E-N..." (hourglass) "D-E-R-,-A" (hourglass) "I-M" (hourglass) Oh for fuck's sake. (Shhhh!) Sorry. It's just an old codger of a library, tech adverse with silent screams to the olden days of handwriting hold requests and putting ultraviolent graphic novels in the kids section because "that's who reads comic books." They never have the book you want, but maybe, if you're lucky, they'll slip you the first season of The Wire on DVD and Kenny G's Hits on wax. So grumpy, so old, so... adorably primitive? Anyway, I get my books here. You should too. read more

We LOVE this library. The staff members are friendly and helpful. The children's floor is well stocked. The busyness level is moderate--enough to give the place a homey feel. Walk up the stairs on the creaky (but well maintained) wooden steps and you're enjoying a bit of Somerville history. Interlibrary loan means we can get just about any book from the Minuteman network. The libraries in Cambridge, Boston, Concord, and other towns are great to visit, but it's especially nice to have books from those libraries show up at your local library, just down the street, and so close to Davis Square. We have awesome libraries in Massachusetts. This is one of those awesome libraries. read more

This branch of the Somerville Public Library definitely needs some upgrading. After years of using the main branch, I find this one very small and a very limited selection. I understand that libraries are funded and the city has to delegate more money for this and for that. Well please do so! The Audio Visual Selection of CDs and DVDs is tiny, while they do have a huge selection of VHS, nobody has a VHS player anymore! I find the layout of this branch rather confusing and not well labeled, I know my way around a library. My first job was in a library all through high school. I just wish they'd put more money and effort into improving their library because it seems all I do now is look up online from home what I want, request it, wait for the email to say its in, and pick it up. I miss the days of spending hours roaming the stacks until something called out to me. read more

Somerville Public Library - West Branch - Libraries Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I can have books from anywhere in the Minuteman library system delivered to a mausoleum-style building located within walking distance of my house? Uhm, okay! Yeah, it's a pretty lousy library in and of itself...but since we're all lucky enough to be living in 2010, that doesn't really matter. Internet technology and a hyper-efficient mail system makes this library a lot bigger than it seems. Also, it's one of the few public restrooms in Davis Square that won't make you feel guilty for walking out without buying something. I'm a fan! read more

We really enjoy this library. The staff in the children's room are always really friendly, and it's a greatly little space that they have set up downstairs. I am admittedly much less familiar with the adult sections of the library, since I'm usually there with a child in tow. I know that there are plans to renovate the library in the near future, and I look forward to seeing what they plan to do (although I hope that it won't have a big impact on the "old" feel of the building). I do wish that they wouldn't keep the bathroom locked (especially if they don't have someone at the front desk at the children's room, where the bathroom is located). Since they give the key to anyone who asks, and it often just gets handed off between people waiting for the bathroom, I'm not sure why they keep it locked, and if there's no one covering the children's room, the key is up at the main desk (which would be less of a problem if it didn't involve hauling a child who urgently needs to pee up and down the spiral staircase....) The hours can be a bit of a bummer as well. I found out the hard way one week that they are only open 2pm-6pm on Fridays. I had one very sad kid that evening. read more

I love this libraries outstanding inter library loan program. Sometimes it's a bit slow--takes almost a week--but that's a small price to pay for a free book. Sometimes the guy behind the counter here comes off as a grump, but as is the case with everyone, they're really nice once you dig deeper. It's certainly not a state of the art facility, but they do a more or less good job. They also recommended everyone in the community read "the Martian", which thank god they did, because that book is incredible and I would have never read it otherwise. Advice: ramp up the website with some interactive professional help, and get more recommendations out to the locals! Update: they literally have every book I've ever looked for-- and movies and audio books too. Incredible. We're lucky to have this. *adding one star! read more

Viva la biblioteca! I love libraries, but wish they were better funded. I particularly wish this one were open longer hours (weekends and more weeknights). Also I've been frustrated by how slow and inefficient some of the staff members are. Still, the this library delivers the things that are really important to me. It's located near the Davis T stop, and you can use it to borrow and return items from the Minuteman system. read more

i am a recent rediscover-er of this thing called a "library"! after living in somerville for four years now, i am proud to say i finally have a SPL card. i've only spent about ten minutes in their physical location, but the card is still powerful (actually it's not even a card, it's a tag for my keychain), letting me browse books online and request anything from the minuteman network. so far, i've checked out Monsoon Wedding and ten travel guides on Singapore (hey, these are expensive). i feel like i'm abusing the system, but they didn't give me any nasty looks. it's really easy to check the book status online, and they send you emails when your request has arrived. my newest awesome discovery: museum passes!! you can check out passes for the MFA, Isabella Stewart, Peabody Essex, Harvard Museum of Art, Harvard Museum of Natural History, Aquarium, Museum of Science, the list goes on... (you have to get these from the main branch on highland). how awesome is that! there is room for improvement, but i don't blame them for that. it's not an especially cozy place to hang out or study, and the selection is small so it's better to request books. the weekday hours are pretty good (open till 9pm on mon & thurs), but they are closed on weekends :( still, it's a great free resource to take advantage of. read more

I just have to say I appreciate this library very much. It is so nice to be able to just go someplace nearby and not have to schlep down to the main branch every time I want to pick up some books. That said, they don't have a huge collection, much better to go online and request whatever you want and go pick it up when it comes in. I've always found the staff to be very nice and accommodating. As far as the hours: yeah, they kinda stink, but, really, they are trying. They've been expanding the hours bit by bit (they didn't used to be open Wednesdays at all, then they went to 2-6, now they're open 10-6) and they know it's not great, but I really think they're doing what they can. (There's this whole bit where they're publicly funded. not the easiest way ever to get more money.) current hours are: Monday 10-9 Tuesday 10-6 Wednesday 10-6 Thursday 10-9 Friday 2-6 read more

A cute little library right outside of the Davis T stop, but they don't have a lot of room or books inside. Lots of chairs to sit in and read the books. It is also a fairly small place with some odd hours, but having a library in the area is always a good thing. read more

I am trying to be a good Somerville resident and support my local library, but this branch makes it hard to do so. The rule that you can only renew a book twice, regardless if there are 5 other copies on the shelf or not, is just downright pointless. The book I have been reading has 4 other copies sitting on the shelf at this current branch! In addition there were no reservations for this particular book that would hinder a renewal. What was accomplished by having me return the book? Following rules for the sake of following them? So much for a friendly, neighborly establishment. I will go back to buying books at the local bookstore- it's too much of a headache to do otherwise. read more

I am really happy to have a library so close to me, and this place is small, but they have many of the classics here. Whenever I come in, the librarians are very helpful, and if I can't find a book I would like I can order it from another library through inter-library loans. Although this library is very old and not very conducive to sitting down and reading a book, it gets the job done. This place could use a little more love, but with so many local libraries closing down lately, I can't really complain. read more

This is my new neighborhood library. I've only actually browsed here once as I usually put holds on things I want and pick them up here. For a branch library, they have great hours, they're even open until 9 two nights a week! The staff is very friendly. I once was behind someone I knew in line who is a regular from way back and they bent over backwards to find what she needed. Good stuff. read more

Like some other posters on this page, I have had some very bizarre experiences with this branch of the Somerville Public Library. Although I'm a former library employee and a library lover, it's safe to say I won't be visiting this location again, even though it's just a few minutes from my house. To begin, when I first put in a request for a library card I gave the librarian there my name and address. When I arrived back at my apartment a few minutes later, I saw that I had received a LinkedIn notification that I had a new connection request. Guess who? The librarian. This is someone I had never seen before in my life, and with whom I'd only exchanged only a few words in passing, yet she felt that it was okay to take my personal information and then look me up online. That type of invasion of privacy is inappropriate on so many levels and left me truly uncomfortable. In addition, I have also had strange experiences with the rude man who often works at the circulation desk. I recently saw on my online account that a DVD that I had already returned was marked as overdue and was accruing fines - even though I was sure that I had returned the item. When I went to the library to return some books I checked the shelves and saw that it was there, confirming my suspicions that someone had simply forgotten to scan it after it had been returned. No harm, no foul, right? It was a completely understandable mistake that I politely informed him of. Somehow, I left feeling like the whole ordeal had been my fault because of his head shaking, sighing, and not-so-subtle eye rolling. When asked him to erase the fines, he acted as if I was asking for some ridiculous favor on my part, and barely acknowledged that he had heard me. Look, I've worked in public-facing jobs before - I GET IT. I understand that dealing with the public can be overwhelming and hectic sometimes, but to be overtly rude to your patrons for no reason and to violate their trust through weird online contact is simply not okay! At this point it saddens me to say that I won't be visiting this branch anytime in the near future. **To be fair, my only experiences have been with the circulation desk staff - so the rest of the library could be amazing!** read more

I mean, I like the fact that this is a library, that it exists and provides me with books, but beyond that the hours are incomprehensibly stupid and that one guy who works there is always really rude to me -- like, he sighs loudly every time I come in to check out a book, to the point that I'm trying to figure out his schedule so I can avoid coming in when he's working. I'm sorry I interrupted your staring-off-into-space time, dude, but taking 20 seconds of your life to DO YOUR JOB shouldn't be that difficult and/or soul-crushing. Everyone else who works there is super nice, though! read more

The best librarians in town! Especially enjoy the children's section with my son. Support your local library!