Boston Public Library

Check the website for the daily tour timings on the Art and Architecture of this beautiful library . Well worth your time as the docent was excellent. If not, just go in anyway and enjoy the courtyard .

The McKim Building courtyard and Bates Hall are two of my favorite spots in Boston. Beautiful, inspiring, and FREE. #gooduseoftaxdollars

Very pretty inside with lots of marble . The newer central library at the back contesting children's and teen books is nice to sit and work in and is a lot quieter than the main reading room .

This marvelous public is adapted to 21 century. People come here to read and study . Don’t miss visiting the Abbey room and Bates Hall.

Highly-trafficked, but with ample study space in various formats. Bates Hall is the gorgeous reading room , but the older rooms also charm.

Half-domes bookend either end of an impressive barrel-arched ceiling in Boston Public Library's Bates Hall. The 1895 library on Copley Square was designed by Charles Follen McKim. Read more

Everyone raves about the McKim building , but don't forget to spread the love to the Johnson building, especially with the renovation by William Rawn. Great for all architecture buffs.

Awesome library ! Be sure to go to McKim second floor to see Bates Hall and the Abbey Room.

Don't miss a visit to this beautiful library with a lovely courtyard . So conducive to read! Tours available daily but timing differs. Best to check the website.

The library was founded in 1848 by an act of the Massachusetts legislature and first opened in 1854 in a former schoolhouse located on Mason Street. It moved here to its current building in 1895.

Check out the old section of the library . The second floor has some beautiful rooms and if you can find it there are usually good art shows tucked away here and there.

Large selection of books , and large comfortable spaces . Great for reading & studying .

The reading room upstairs is a must see. It's also a good place to read and work. The lions on either side of the staircase are also impressive. Don't miss the courtyard either.

Best public library ever? Make sure to head on over to the old building - it’s what libraries are all about.

Look at all the great art and architecture (like on BPL's Art and Architecture Tour ), but also look for cool books ! Favorite finds include Outwitting Bears , a guide on outwitting bears .

Cool place to study with lots of space and great views . The stench coming out of the men’s bathroom is atrocious

There are now four self check-out stations in the library -- three at the Boylston Street entrance and one at the Dartmouth Street entrance. Use self check-out for everything except DVDs and videotape

Bates Hall is named for the Library’s first great benefactor - Joshua Bates (1788-1864). It is 218 long, 42 feet wide, and 50 feet high, to the crown of its barrel vaulted ceiling.

free "Art and Architecture Tour " of the building Sundays at 2 p.m., Mondays at 2:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Offers a fascinating (and free) architecture and art tour of its historic 1895 McKim Building (Sun. at 2 p.m., Mon. at 2:30 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. at 6 p.m., and Fri.–Sat. at 11 a.m.). Read more

Great place for a quick stop in cafe get warm and head out or studies

Magnificent facade and exquisite interior art .

An amazing location, in the heart of Boston that is incredibly free.Stroll down this marble infused building and enjoy the scent of aged pages. There is nothing like the feel of worn paper.

Best library especially kids section ????????. sometimes they have afternoon Tea with delicious scones ☕️

The main branch, like the city 's smaller branches, offers free WiFi , though not necessarily a place to plug in your laptop. Read more

The exquisite original McKim, Mead and White building received a modernist, referential extension by Phillip Johnson, architect of the famed Glass House and chippendale Sony Center in NYC.

Beautiful historical library with a great cafe !

The original side is absolutely breathe taking! Ceiling murals , huge lion statues , and life size statues of some of the most famous people in american history!

Grab a seat anywhere and enjoy this oasis. Concerts during lunch hour on Fridays in the summer.

Gorgeous courtyard . Not only do they have free events (including movie screenings) this is also an amazing spot to get hitched. Read more

Incredibly gorgeous library . Wow! Take time to explore all of this place.

If studying is your objective, grab a seat in the McKim Building and join the other students furiously typing papers on their laptops or reading woolly mammoth-sized test prep books . Read more

There are two places to eat inside the library -- try the Map Room Cafe for a quick bite or the Courtyard Restaurant for a lovely lunch or afternoon tea . Read more

Real historical library , just like museum . Even Though you don't like read you should see this place

Be sure to finish up your food and drink before you enter the library or make sure you make it obvious to the security guard you're headed for the Courtyard ...serious people them folk are.

Founded in 1848, by an act of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, the Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first large free municipal library in the United States . Read more

Free wifi , nice fountain , a good place to relax after having a long working or walking day;)

Stop in to see the new printmaking exhibition "reThink INK" open through July 31, 2012. The exhibition is so large, it's installed in three spots around the building. Read more

Take time and walk the halls of BPL. You'll observe the patrons sitting/reading/internetting inside the Bates Hall. Gander through the current exhibit in the lobby and enjoy the fine architecture .

This place is beautiful, I love to go here to relax and read something from the library .

Reading books is fun. I love the old world architecture . It really brings out the scholar in me.

No, really. You’ll find loads more activities than you would ever expect. What might not surprise you is the price: it’s all free (one of the reasons public libraries rock). Read more

Various seating areas. Numerous computers. Helpful staff . Their arts and philosophy sections are kinda underwhelming though.

Meet Emmy Award-winning journalist Hank Phillippi Ryan on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 6:30 PM as she reads from her new mystery novel The Other Woman, also with Hallie Ephron and Archer Mayor. Read more

If you visit on a weekend when most schools are having finals, dont expect to find a seat to study/read anywhere in the McKim building .

"The Boston Public Library is a great place to get away from the finals crowd when Mugar gets loud and crowded ." - Arden, VP Chapter Development

The murals ! The muses, the quest of the holy grail, John Singer Sargent’s Triumph of Religion

The courtyard and reading room are stunning.

Stop in for a free, 12:30pm concert in the BPL courtyard every Friday in June, July, and August 2013. Read more

Check out one of the rotating exhibits , they're very interesting and change often.