North Cambridge Neighborhood Study Group

To provide access to all the people of Cambridge and to insure that we manage our resources well, Library 21 is gathering information from as many groups as possible about what the people want.

What would you like in the library?

A. Community Activity Center

• Special events and programs

• Good architectural ambiance

• Drawing activities

• Outdoor activities at the main library

• Programs

• Potlucks

• Toy exchange

• Music programs

• Book fair

• Branch libraries are essential neighborhood centers

• Summer reading programs

B. Community Information Center

C. Formal Education Support Center

• School children reference

• School class use

• School/ school library /branch collaboration

D. Independent Learning Center

• Yearly tour to acquaint people with services and new technologies

E. Popular Materials Lending Library

• Computer access

• Newspaper reading

• Neighborhood history

• History and economics of resident nationalities

• Video collection

• Tape collection

• Language collections of residents

• Need more terminals but space problems arise

• Cambridge Cable access

F. Preschoolers Door to Learning

• personal reading

G. Reference Library

• Reference for personal interests

• Encyclopedia type reference work

H. Research Center

I. Other- important functions missing from list

• Reading cubicles

• School media center could be used at night

• Accessibility building conformance

• Coordination with school for shared use spaces to alleviate conflict with some simultaneous library uses( quiet and noisy)

• Furnishings improvements (shades, rugs)

• Quiet space

• Parking problem

• Not real convenient access

• Better shelving of children’s books in main library like the North branch

• Comfortable chairs

• Pleasant setting of main branch

• Saturday and Sunday hours

• Question use of Minuteman network rather than Boston Public Library network

• Solarium would be nice for North Cambridge

J. An Important Civic Building