Honan-Allston Library
Encyclopedia
The Honan-Allston branch of the Boston Public Library
is located at 300 North Harvard Street in Lower Allston
. The MBTA’s 66 bus stops directly in front of the building. The site area is composed of 57000 square feet (5,295.5 m²) and the cost of construction was $6.5 million. The materials used to build the library include slate panels, shingles and rough sculpings, unfinished iron-wood cladding, and wood windows.
The Honan-Allston branch has more than 50,000 items for adults, teenagers and children. There is a large literacy collection, as well as more than 100 newspapers and magazines subscriptions. The adult print collections heavily feature science fiction and literary fiction, emerging technologies and online culture, career development, small business resources, cookbooks, gardening, crafts, graphic novels, foreign language, auto repair and legal information. There is also a large number of CDs, DVDs and VHS cassette tapes available for borrowing. Subject areas include how-to, classics and television shows. Children’s picture books and chapter books and teen fiction all feature current bestsellers and critically acclaimed works, and the children’s nonfiction collection equally comprises materials that can help with schoolwork and items related to children's interests.
The Honan-Allston Branch has partnered with the Jackson Mann School and the Jackson Mann Community Center as part of Mayor Menino’s Community Learning Initiative, a multi-department collaboration aimed at helping Boston’s youth reach their full capacity by combining learning and recreation. In 2010, the branch will add to its audiobooks on CD collection for both adults and children, courtesy of a grant from Boston College
.
in 1924.
The branch moved to rented space at 161 Harvard Avenue in 1929, and in 1979 celebrated its 90th anniversary. In 1981, amid statewide budget cuts, the branch was closed. Neighborhood groups lobbied for its reinstatement, however. In 1993, Mayor Menino said he would advocate construction of a new branch in the neighborhood. On January 19, 2000, ground was broken for the new facility. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates
, the branch officially opened on June 16, 2001. On March 13, 2003, the branch was renamed the Honan-Allston branch in honor of the late City Councilor Brian Honan, who died in 2002 of cancer. He served Brighton and Allston’s District 9 from 1996-2002. In 2006, tree guards and bicycle racks designed by sculptor Rich Duca were added to the property.
Computers are available throughout the branch for the public to use for office software, library catalogs and databases and the Internet. Laptop-friendly tables and study carrels
are located in the adult reading area; each has a power source at the seat and access to wired and wireless Internet connections.
A large function room for events and meetings also holds a Yamaha
baby grand piano; a private study room for small groups and a conference room for meetings and activities are also available for public use. All of the meeting rooms have wired Internet access. In addition, an art gallery showcases monthly exhibits by local artists and organizations. Semi-annual book sales are also held in these back rooms.
The Honan-Allston Branch has seen extensive community use of these spaces, including student piano recitals, a teen video production program, a monthly Asian languages "meetup" group and large meetings by local civic groups. Patrons can also obtain museum passes for various Boston organizations, including the Boston Children's Museum
, New England Aquarium
, Harvard Museum of Natural History
, Harvard University Art Museums, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
, Museum of Science (Boston) and the Wheelock Family Theatre.
was not included in the plans, although patrons asked for one that could include a fountain or stream. Instead, a funnel feature will redirect rainwater to a small wild garden at the north section of the park, thus allowing for sustainability
and the reduction of flooding in the neighborhood.
The proposed plan includes a quarter-mile of pathways, as well as half an acre of open space, a winding path to the east of the park and a coiled, low-incline ramp up a hilltop to the west. Trees and other foliage around the park’s border surround an open lawn in the center. Some areas are meant to encourage residents to use the park for gatherings or educational purposes. The park’s eastern area features an open-air "classroom" for public and library programming and has space for 50 people. A 14 feet (4.3 m) hill will be constructed near the rear of the library itself. Patrons can visit a flat meeting area at the top by climbing one of two staircases or by walking around coiled pathway to the top.
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
is located at 300 North Harvard Street in Lower Allston
Allston
-People:* Aaron Allston , an American novelist* Johanna Allston , an Australian orienteer* Robert Francis Withers Allston , a Governor of South Carolina...
. The MBTA’s 66 bus stops directly in front of the building. The site area is composed of 57000 square feet (5,295.5 m²) and the cost of construction was $6.5 million. The materials used to build the library include slate panels, shingles and rough sculpings, unfinished iron-wood cladding, and wood windows.
The Honan-Allston branch has more than 50,000 items for adults, teenagers and children. There is a large literacy collection, as well as more than 100 newspapers and magazines subscriptions. The adult print collections heavily feature science fiction and literary fiction, emerging technologies and online culture, career development, small business resources, cookbooks, gardening, crafts, graphic novels, foreign language, auto repair and legal information. There is also a large number of CDs, DVDs and VHS cassette tapes available for borrowing. Subject areas include how-to, classics and television shows. Children’s picture books and chapter books and teen fiction all feature current bestsellers and critically acclaimed works, and the children’s nonfiction collection equally comprises materials that can help with schoolwork and items related to children's interests.
The Honan-Allston Branch has partnered with the Jackson Mann School and the Jackson Mann Community Center as part of Mayor Menino’s Community Learning Initiative, a multi-department collaboration aimed at helping Boston’s youth reach their full capacity by combining learning and recreation. In 2010, the branch will add to its audiobooks on CD collection for both adults and children, courtesy of a grant from Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
.
History
Library service began in 1889 in a delivery station in Frank Howe's drugstore at 26 Franklin Street. Horse-drawn carriages delivered books from other branch libraries to local businesses, which in turn displayed the books for customers. The demand for books increased as the delivery station grew, and volunteers organized expanded library services. In 1905, the Allston Reading Room at 354 Cambridge Street replaced the 16-year-old delivery station. A Boston Public Library librarian staffed the reading room. It became a full-service branch of the Boston Public LibraryBoston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
in 1924.
The branch moved to rented space at 161 Harvard Avenue in 1929, and in 1979 celebrated its 90th anniversary. In 1981, amid statewide budget cuts, the branch was closed. Neighborhood groups lobbied for its reinstatement, however. In 1993, Mayor Menino said he would advocate construction of a new branch in the neighborhood. On January 19, 2000, ground was broken for the new facility. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates
Machado and Silvetti Associates
Machado and Silvetti Associates is an architecture and urban design firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1985, the firm's principals Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti have been in association since 1974...
, the branch officially opened on June 16, 2001. On March 13, 2003, the branch was renamed the Honan-Allston branch in honor of the late City Councilor Brian Honan, who died in 2002 of cancer. He served Brighton and Allston’s District 9 from 1996-2002. In 2006, tree guards and bicycle racks designed by sculptor Rich Duca were added to the property.
Programs
For adults, the Honan-Allston Branch offers a monthly book discussion group, weekly English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) conversation groups and basic computer instruction. Children’s activities include storytimes for babies through preschoolers, creative drama instruction, chess instruction, summer reading activities, hands-on science programs and a playgroup for young children and their caregivers.Computers are available throughout the branch for the public to use for office software, library catalogs and databases and the Internet. Laptop-friendly tables and study carrels
Carrel desk
A carrel desk is a small desk featuring high sides meant to visually isolate its user from any surroundings either partially or totally. They were a predecessor to the more recent cubicle desk.- Description :...
are located in the adult reading area; each has a power source at the seat and access to wired and wireless Internet connections.
A large function room for events and meetings also holds a Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
baby grand piano; a private study room for small groups and a conference room for meetings and activities are also available for public use. All of the meeting rooms have wired Internet access. In addition, an art gallery showcases monthly exhibits by local artists and organizations. Semi-annual book sales are also held in these back rooms.
The Honan-Allston Branch has seen extensive community use of these spaces, including student piano recitals, a teen video production program, a monthly Asian languages "meetup" group and large meetings by local civic groups. Patrons can also obtain museum passes for various Boston organizations, including the Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the United States...
, New England Aquarium
New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is an aquarium located in Boston, Massachusetts.In addition to the main aquarium building, attractions at the New England Aquarium include the Simons IMAX Theatre and the New England Aquarium Whale Watch, which operates from April through November...
, Harvard Museum of Natural History
Harvard Museum of Natural History
The Harvard Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.It has three parts:* the Harvard University Herbaria* the Museum of Comparative Zoology* the Harvard Mineralogical Museum....
, Harvard University Art Museums, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, Museum of Science (Boston) and the Wheelock Family Theatre.
The Branch's Future
In the spring of 2011, the branch expects its new 1.74-acre park, located at the rear of the library building, to be finished and open to the public. Construction began in 2009 and drew heavily upon residents’ and patrons’ suggestions. A water featureWater feature
In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, pools, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, though the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon are described by Strabo as...
was not included in the plans, although patrons asked for one that could include a fountain or stream. Instead, a funnel feature will redirect rainwater to a small wild garden at the north section of the park, thus allowing for sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
and the reduction of flooding in the neighborhood.
The proposed plan includes a quarter-mile of pathways, as well as half an acre of open space, a winding path to the east of the park and a coiled, low-incline ramp up a hilltop to the west. Trees and other foliage around the park’s border surround an open lawn in the center. Some areas are meant to encourage residents to use the park for gatherings or educational purposes. The park’s eastern area features an open-air "classroom" for public and library programming and has space for 50 people. A 14 feet (4.3 m) hill will be constructed near the rear of the library itself. Patrons can visit a flat meeting area at the top by climbing one of two staircases or by walking around coiled pathway to the top.