Cambridge Public Library – Collins Branch

I suppose it depends on what you want out of a library, but as a student looking for somewhere quiet to study, this does not fit the bill at all. The librarians are loud and there always seem to be several children that don’t seem to know the etiquette rules I was taught at that age on how one ought to behave in a library (that is, quietly). However, this doesn’t seem to be an expectation at the Collins branch as the librarians don’t hold by this either. It’s very family-​friendly (as a write this, there is a sing along taking place), but doesn’t fit any of my needs or meet the expectations I’ve developed of how a library should function.

Echoing all of the above. Small, friendly, helpful — and connected to all the big boys, so they can get what they don’t have, and help you with a smile.
Really, what more could one want from a library?!

The best! Not just because it’s a few houses down from me, but because they have comfy armchairs, great magazines, free printing, hot tea at the ready, a humidifier in the winter (bad for the books, good for me), and staff that knows you and remember what you’ve been reading and ask you about it.
Going here feels like going to a very well-​read friend’s house. It’s hard to leave without having an interesting conversation with a librarian or other patron.

The little library that can is also a place where everybody knows your name. When I got my now not-​so-​new job, I was worried about not having the BPL at my beck and call, only to be delighted by the super-​helpful staff at the Collins. For a recent trip to Seattle, the librarian suggested great travel books and tried to get them requested from close by so I could have them for my trip. Maybe I shouldn’t be bragging about this, but I don’t even have to show my card anymore. If you have a little patience or planning, the Minuteman network is huge and it’s a cinch to request books. Even if I need a last-​minute book, it’s not so small that I can’t find something to read. The DVDs are fun to browse through, and they have really great magazines, too.

The beauty of the Minuteman Library system, as any member knows, is that you can request pretty much anything from any library and they will bring it to your local branch. But what I love about Collins branch transcends the stock available. It is the coziness, the neighborhoodyness. I feel welcome, both by the super friendly staff and the comfortable atmosphere. It’s tiny, yes, but it has a gigantic heart. Plus I always feel like I can find a DVD I want to see even after looking at the same ones for weeks.