The Week in Library Land: November 10 to November 16

Wow, we sometimes have very quiet weeks in Library Land and this week might be one of the quietest in a long, long time. Just four libraries over the course of the week.

The Boxford Library.

On Tuesday, we went back to where it all started, the Newton Free Library. Our first visit, way back in November 2017, was super. And all the visits we’ve had since have cemented this library firmly in our hearts. This time was no different really, plenty of parking and a study room - but this time we used one of the many study closets. It might have been a tad cramped and stuffy, but we were no less productive! Library Land Score: 4.55.

Every now and then we just decide to hit the open road to visit a library we’ve never seen before. Oh, wait, we do that all the time! On Wednesday, we decided to head north of Boston to see what we would see. Our first stop was the Boxford Town Library. This is a small library, just a few rooms on the ground floor of the town hall. There's just one place to work, a small round wooden table in the adult non-fiction section. There is a meeting room (in the town hall portion of the building) that we were told we could use for a call. We did get a lunch recommendation and found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Library Land Score: 3.73.

Inside the Cinderblock Palace.

After Boxford, it was on to Groveland, where we visited the Langley-Adams Library. The “Cinderblock Palace” is the moniker the staff used to describe this squat building from the 1970s. It's got a green theme and a Scandinavian design aesthetic. It definitely has its limitations, space being the primary one (the palace has more treasures in the form of. books and other materials than it can hold) and rooms for programming are limited.

Groveland is not far from Plaistow, the town where I grew up. One of the librarian’s grandparents lived in the town and it turned out we had a few mutual acquaintances. It’s making connections like this that makes traveling around Library Land so much fun! The staff is super friendly and we really enjoyed our visit! Library Land Score: 3.91.

To cap off the work week, Adam ventured over to one of our tried-and-true favorites, the Woburn Public Library, after his yoga class. He had a productive visit and time in a reserved study room. Libraries and yoga are the perfect end-of-week combination. Namaste. Library Land Score: 4.91

Wow, seriously, that was one of the lightest Weeks in Library Land ever.