Community Corner
Boston Public Library - Looking Beyond The Books
Exploring the hidden gems inside Boston institutions
On a recent girls’ day out at the Museum of Fine Arts, my friends and I enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Museum’s Garden Cafeteria, a dining option that escaped notice on my last trip to the MFA. That got me wondering what other things I might have missed about some of our Boston institutions… and that’s just when my friend Kay emailed me about the Boston Public Library (BPL). What a find! For instance, did you know that the BPL offers:
The Boston Public Library offers free art & architecture tours highlighting the building's majestic architecture as well as the many works of famed sculptors and painters housed there. They also offer free tours of the Library's Civil War exhibition, Torn in Two: the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, which includes 50 historic maps interwoven with 40 photographs, paintings, prints, diaries, political cartoons, music and press of the period.
Find out what's happening in Medfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Library's beautiful, Italianate courtyard fills with music on Friday afternoons (12:30-1:30 p.m.) in the summer during their free lunchtime concerts that range from jazz to classical; folk to funk. Of course summer is slipping by quickly now, but you still have two chances to catch a concert at the Library:
Find out what's happening in Medfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Friday, August 19: The Cambridge-based Redline Brass Quintet, brought to the BPL by American Century Music
- Friday, August 26: The Lemonshiners featuring Sam Cornish, Boston’s Poet Laureate. The performance will include poems and music from and about the Civil War era.
Everything I’ve described here applies to the Copley Square, main branch of the Boston Public Library. Both the main branch and its 20+ neighborhood branches offer lectures on a variety of topics, are home to a large number of community groups, and more. Libraries – including our own Medford Public Library – are a fantastic resource to the communities they serve.
And next time I’m in Boston, I look forward to escaping the busy streets and enjoying a little more than just great books at the BPL.
