The Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library and the West Branch of the Somerville Public Library
We’ve been visiting more libraries lately and have some serious catching up to do! We recently visited two libraries in Massachusetts that had undergone long and dramatic renovations and expansions. These were the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library in Medford and the West Branch of the Somerville Public Library. Like all libraries, each was wonderful in its own special way. Let us tell you a little about each of them.
The Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library
We’ve visited the Medford Public Library on a few occasions. The first time was way back in March of 2018 - how long ago that feels! The Library Land Project was just getting started, and we were loving exploring and working in our public libraries. Then, in August of 2019, Adam made a solo visit, just in time to see the library being packed up in advance of its renovation. He also visited their temporary location, which was housed an office building. The anticipation has been building for years, but now, the new library is open, and it is amazing.
While it occupies the same footprint as the original library, the new one is much larger, much brighter, and much more engaging. It was designed by Schwartz/Silver Architects, who also did the Hyde Park branch of the Boston Public Library, which we visited way back in 2018. Things were still being unpacked on our visit, but you can already see how the new space will function.
One of the children’s room trees.
I entered from the rear parking lot - Adam parked on the side. From that back entrance, directly ahead of you is a tech lab. It wasn’t open on our visit but looks great. To the right are a community room and a makerspace, both ample in size but both, sadly, closed during our visit. To the left is the youth services area - and it is incredible.
The children’s section is a long, bright, open space. “Trees,” sprout from the floor, their leaves can be changed throughout the year to reflect the seasons, special events, or other occasions. At the far end of the space is a sensory room that kids/parents can use if they need a calming break. Along one wall are a series of nice study rooms. Each room has two doors, one into the kid’s section and another into teens, it was nice to see this creative use of space. The teen room has several booth seats/tables that are perfect for game-playing, puzzles or just relaxing with friends.
These two sections also share a program room that features a really nice range of eclectic and fun furniture. There’s a massive “back office” to the program room that is perfect for prep and storage.
Descending to the first floor, one finds an airy space with the main entrance to the street. To the right is the circulation desk and to the left, reference and a local history room. All were staffed with very approachable and engaging library workers.
The floor houses the adult collection, which is quite large. During our visit, the stacks were still under construction, but we could already get a good sense of the space and how it will function. There are a lot of seating areas in this section, as well as four or five very comfortable study rooms. We reserved a room for a call and it all went smoothly. After reserving it, though, the librarian found me to say there’d been a problem with my library card. I was impressed by his diligence and attention.
Transportation to the library is very good, with a parking lot in the back, street parking in front and beside the building, and a bus that stops right in front. It also sits in a pretty dense residential neighborhood and commercial district so there’s plenty of foot traffic. This being a new library, you’d imagine accessibility would be all taken care of, but you’d be mistaken. There are no automatic buttons on the restroom doors. This is something we keep seeing at new libraries. It makes no sense.
Sunny spaces abound!
One of the best things about visiting a new library is to see everything in its original and pristine condition and this was no exception. Is there a library equivalent of new car smell? If there isn’t, there should be, and if there is, Medford definitely has it.
We were struck by all the different kinds of spaces available at the library. It really does feel like it is a place with a space for everyone and that’s something we always love to see. And the furniture! There’s a wonderful mix of sizes, colors, and styles. It’s so interesting to see how much variety there is in contemporary library furniture. At some point, maybe we should do a post just on that!
As we were wrapping up our visit, we spent some time with Barbara Kerr, the library’s director. It was interesting to look at the new space and to hear her thoughts on the building process and new space. Covid complicated things (a ribbon-cutting event was postponed), as it has everywhere, but things have really come together. Based on what we saw and heard, Medford is going to be loving this library for decades to come.
You can find more photos from our visit on Instagram, check it out.
The edifice of the West Branch.
The West Branch of the Somerville Public Library
Just a short drive away, we found ourselves at the West Branch of the Somerville Public Library. It was closed for renovations for ages, it seemed. Now, the wraps are off and the result of all that time and effort was stunning. This was an older building (a 1909 Carnegie Library) that was in need of a radical upgrade and that’s exactly what has happened.
The library is situated just outside Davis Square, a vibrant neighborhood with lots of shops, restaurants, schools, and entertainment options. Busses and a subway are just blocks away and there is plenty of foot traffic. It’s really great to see so many ways for people to reach their library.
As with Medford, we were a little surprised by the lack of those pesky automatic door buttons on the bathrooms, which were super nice otherwise. The one other accessibility element that struck us was the fact that one needs to take stairs or an elevator to access the library’s collection or services.
A nice working space.
This isn’t a large library, but they have used the available space to great effect. There are co-working spaces (with plenty of public computers), quiet and comfortable reading areas, a marvelous children’s area upstairs, a nice social seating area, and an outdoor space that will be amazing when the weather is nice.
It’s a surprisingly quiet library given its compact size. While there were conversations taking place here and there, none were especially obtrusive - it’s a real feat of design. Speaking of which, the design features one of our favorite elements - the integration of a new expansion with a historical structure. Perhaps it’s becoming more common, but every time we see it done well (and it’s done really well in this case) it makes us happy. Hats off to designLAB architects, for so many new spaces and features!
The old and new meet at the rear of the West Branch.
One of our favorite spaces at the library was its children’s room. It’s located on the top story, which can be reached either by elevator or using an amazingly restored staircase. Either way, you’ll find yourself in a surprisingly serene space (although we imagine it can get pretty boisterous in there at times!). One little detail we loved was the silhouettes of cranes painted on the ceiling - a very nice way to illustrate ideas and imagination taking flight.
The cranes in the children’s room.
We were able to chat with library staff at the main desk and in the children’s room and found them to be approachable and happy to talk about the library. We learned that they had been doing in-person programming until Omicron arrived. When the weather is good though, they are able to do things outside.
The bulletin board told the story of active community engagement. It was full of notices for all kinds of things, including ESL and citizenship classes.
All in all, this is a charming and comfortable library. It was a fine place for us to sit and work and explore for a while. If you’re ever in Davis Square, Somerville, make a point of visiting and enjoy it for yourself!