Cambridge Public Library

The Cambridge Public Library serves as a doorway to opportunity, self-development and recreation for all its residents, and as a forum where they may share ideas, cultures and resources among themselves and with people around the globe. The free availability of information, the lively interaction of people, and the open exchange of ideas animate and extend the democratic mission of the library.

The library is a dynamic, community-oriented system providing excellent services, collections and programs to all members of the community. We are dedicated to affording the people of Cambridge resources for recreational reading, independent learning, and the introduction of children to the world of literacy and learning.

The Cambridge Public Library is designed to work as a unified system with a strong main library and six active branch libraries each tailored to the unique constituencies and needs of its immediate neighborhood.

The Main Library has been located in the geographic center of the city since 1889 and consists of two facilities: the Van Brunt and Howe Richardsonian building constructed between 1889 and 1902 and the new addition which opened in 2009. The Main Library is accessible by both bus and subway.

  • 449 Broadway
    Cambridge, MA 02138
  • 617-349-4041
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Cambridge Public Library building

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Boudreau Branch

The Cambridge Public Library's Boudreau Branch is a small, busy library located in the heart of West Cambridge.

  • 245 Concord Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02138
  • 617-349-4017
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Boudreau Branch, Cambridge Public Library

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Central Square Branch

The Cambridge Public Library's Central Square Branch is the city’s largest and busiest branch. Just steps from the Central Square MBTA stop on the Red Line and next door to the Green Street parking garage, the Library is conveniently located no matter what your form of transportation. Home to the Cambridge Public Library Literacy Project and the Rotary Technology Learning Center.
  • 45 Pearl Street
    Cambridge, MA 02139
  • 617-349-4010
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Central Square Branch, Cambridge Public Library

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Collins Branch

Beginning life as the Gale Lumber Company, the Cambridge Public Library's Collins Branch in West Cambridge has been a library since 1936.  Detailed with outstanding oak accents, the floors, doors, and windows are testaments to the workmanship of a day long gone.  The glass in the transom shimmers with age, and the fireplaces give evidence to the building’s beginnings.  Because of advances in other areas, both are no longer used but they still remind everyone who enters the library of its original purpose, its character, and its long association with the neighborhood.  While some value its quaintness above all else, the library is vibrant and dynamic, offering a comprehensive collection of books, DVDs, audio books, children’s materials and magazines.
  • 64 Aberdeen Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02138
  • 617-349-4021
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Collins Branch, Cambridge Public Library

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O'Connell Branch

The Cambridge Public Library's O'Connell Branch is an intimate one-room library that serves as the informal gathering place for longtime residents and newcomers to East Cambridge.

The O’Connell Branch strives to bring everyone in the neighborhood together not just as a community, but also as a family. It’s a branch with a little bit of everything to accommodate everybody of different background and tastes.

  • 48 Sixth Street
    Cambridge, MA 02141
  • 617-349-4019
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O'Connell Branch, Cambridge Public Library

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O'Neill Branch

Opened in 1902, the Cambridge Public Library's O’Neill Branch in North Cambridge is one of the larger and busier branches in the city. This active branch shares its site with the Peabody School and the Center for Families, making it a popular destination for neighbors, students and their parents.

  • 70 Rindge Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02140
  • 617-349-4023
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O'Neill Branch, Cambridge Public Library

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Valente Branch

The Valente Branch of the Cambridge Public Library is located between Lechmere and Inman Square, in an area which receives many of Cambridge's new immigrants. The branch plays host to a community that includes large populations from the Caribbean and the Portuguese speaking countries of Cape Verde, Portugal and Brazil.

  • 826 Cambridge Street
    Cambridge, MA 02141
  • 617-349-4015
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Exterior of Valente Branch Library. Bicyclists are passing by.