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Boston's only domed library to get revamp
By adamg on Thu, 10/05/2017 - 4:18pm
The shadows know: Possible configuration of upgraded library.
The BPL branch in Roslindale will get a $6.4-million re-do that will include a reconfigured interior and new electrical and HVAC systems.
The BPL holds a public meeting on Oct. 17 to let users and residents of the domed facility make suggestions for what they'd like to see in the mostly round library, built in 1960 on a foundation left over from an old firehouse on the site.
Officials will use a report prepared by an architect in 2013 (16.5M PDF) as a starting point for the discussions.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the library itself.
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Comments
Excuse Me
"Do you have any copies of THX-1138 that I could check out?"
Logan's Run
Anybody else trying to google "carousel" and not getting any results?
Excited
Very excited to have the library renovated, but hoping it will have a warmer feel than the drawing. The drawing makes it look like an ice castle.
Seems about right
Not the warmest bunch of librarians I've dealt with at the branch, seems apropos.
Library
Re: a freezing cold environment : The Roslindale Library plan looks like it will be freezing inside. There is a business in Fanueil Hall that gives each patrons a super duper heavy, full length poncho to keep you warm while sitting on iceblock shapes and drinking ice cold cocktails and beer. Do you think ponchos should be given to patrons?
priority
We have many schools that do do not libraries.
Why is it a priority to renovate existing staffed neighborhood libraries, and I think this one is the third or fourth Walsh has planned, before putting libraries in our schools?
Maybe
It's because 90-95% of residents don't have kids in the schools?
So
We should let our public libraries fall into a state of disrepair?
A less snarky answer is that capital improvements are a one time effort. Staffing new facilities creates ongoing and increasing costs. To wit, many Boston Public Schools have libraries. They just cut the librarians, allowing the collections to go to pot. And I will note that it's not just BPS. In Jr.'s school, they "reassigned" the librarian to the early education center (read, she was working in Jr.'s class last year.) It breaks her heart to see the condition of her old location.
Also, you should know that the 2 or 3 brand new buildings the library built were done in the Menino administration.
BPS & BPL
Two different departments with separate budgets. Each makes its own capital project requests and has its own priorities.
Public libraries serve their
Public libraries serve their entire community, from toddlers to the elderly, while school libraries only serve their small student population. In addition to a larger collection of books and magazines than any school library, public libraries have public gathering space, study space, free computer access, and cultural/community programs. While I remember my school libraries fondly, they were mostly only repositories for books, with a weekly story hour in elementary school. I spent more time at the public library.
Doomed?
Oh... domed!
Apple
Looks like an Apple store. Very uninviting.
Report
Report is a needs assessment and programming study, not a design proposal/imaging exercise.
BPL
While I'm happy to see this branch get a redo the entire BPL needs hours that reflect the needs of the population. Having a single weekday where the library is open past 6 and only 1 weekend day with limited hours is really only good for the unemployed/retired. Other towns and cities seem to have figured this out.
My town's libraries are open
My town's libraries are open from 1-4pm on Sunday. At 12:30 you start seeing cars waiting in the parking lot for the doors to open.
Other cities library hours
Worcester (main branch - neighborhood branches are only occasionally open):
Monday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Providence:
Monday & Wednesday: 12:30 – 8:30 pm
Tuesday: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Thursday & Friday: 12:30 – 5:30 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Sunday: 1:00 – 5:00 pm (through May 7; closed for summer, reopening October 15, 2017)
Springfield:
Monday 12pm—8pm
Tuesday 9am—5pm
Wednesday 12pm—8pm
Thursday 9am—5pm
Friday Closed
Saturday 9am—5pm
Sunday 12pm—5pm* (*Closed Sundays May 28-Sept. 3, 2017)
It's about time to pull this
It's about time to pull this library into the 21st century! Now, if they could only revamp the dreary post office down on Cummins Highway, then, we would really be making progress.
is there a rough timeline for the process? 2018? 2019?
Hi Adam,
Is there a rough timeline for the process? 2018? 2019? Have they shared additional info? or is this expected to languish in years of review, meetings, etc.? Thanks