Belmont Public Library
General Information

From the North or South: Take Route 128 to Route 2 East and follow the directions from the West.

From the West: Take Route 2 East and exit at the Route 60 exit. Turn right at the ramp onto Pleasant Street. At the second light, turn left onto Leonard St. Go through Belmont Center and under the stone railroad bridge. Turn left onto Concord Avenue. The Library is located on the right approximately one-quarter mile up Concord Avenue, opposite the Mobil gas station.

From the East: Follow Storrow Drive into Cambridge and continue onto Fresh Pond Parkway. (Alternatively, come out of Cambridge on Concord Ave.) Follow the Parkway around the first rotary and at the second cross the traffic onto Concord Avenue, keeping Fresh Pond on your left and the Ground Round on your right. Continue on Concord Avenue, through one traffic light, past the high school. The Library is located on the left, opposite the Mobil gas station.

9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Holiday Closings: The Belmont Public Library will be closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Easter, Patriot's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Library cards are issued at the Belmont Memorial Library to Belmont residents and any Massachusetts resident. To get a card, please provide identification with current address. Ask at the desk or call 617-993-2855 for registration information. Library cards should be presented to check out materials. The welcome brochure highlights the Library's services and covers information such as phone numbers, loan periods, and overdue fines.

The Belmont Public Library has a circulating collection of books, videos, audiobooks, music cds, magazines and CD-ROMs. Use the library catalog to search our holdings. Or you can browse our new items lists of books, videos, audiobooks, and music acquired the previous month. Your library card also provides you direct borrowing privileges (except at Framingham State) and interlibrary loan access to all Minuteman Library Network libraries.

Use the My Account feature to access your library account, check on due dates, renew items, place holds, and check on the status of holds. (If you do not have a PIN, leave this field blank and it will give you a chance to create one.) Add your email address to your account, in the personal information section, for email notification of reserves and overdues.

The Library's collection is also composed of a growing amount of online resources. These databases provide a wealth of resources available for free, only through the library's website. For example, you can use General OneFile to locate magazine and journal articles from thousands of publications, Massachusetts Newstand for Boston Globe articles back to 1980 and the Historic New York Times for New York Times articles back to 1851. By using Learning Express Library you can prepare for standardized tests, explore Novelist to find a great book to read or visit Recorded Books to download eaudiobooks to your PC. Just click the database you want to use and enter your library card number. If you have any queststions, please ask a librarian for details or assistance - 617-993-2870.

LOAN PERIODS

FINES AND CHARGES - Fines are charged for all library materials which are returned overdue. The schedule per item is as follows:

OTHER CHARGES

RETURNS: Most items may be returned in any of the Library's book slots. To prevent damage and a fine charge, some specifically labeled materials must be returned at the desk during library hours.

Check Availability and Make Reservations Online

Belmont residents with a library card may borrow a museum pass that admits the user free or at a reduced rate. Passes may be reserved online, in person or over the phone by calling 617-993-2870.

PLEASE NOTE: Loss of a pass, failure to pick up a pass, or failure to cancel a reservation will result in the loss of museum pass borrowing privileges for 3 months. Weekday passes must be returned before 9 AM the next morning; Saturday and Sunday passes before 9 AM on Monday morning. A $5.00 per day late fee will be charged.

• AQUARIUM, Boston (Sept. - June)
• AUDUBON SOCIETY RESERVATIONS, various locations including Drumlin Farm and Habitat
• BOSTON BY FOOT, Boston (May - October)
• CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, Boston
• DeCORDOVA MUSEUM & SCULPTURE PARK, Lincoln
• DISCOVERY MUSEUMS, Acton
• PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM, Salem
• MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, Boston
• FRANKLIN PARK & STONE ZOOS, Boston & Stoneham
• GARDNER MUSEUM, Boston
• HARVARD ART MUSEUMS, Cambridge
• HARVARD NATURAL HISTORY & CULTURAL MUSEUMS, Cambridge
• INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Boston
• JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY & MUSEUM, Boston
• PLIMOTH PLANTATION, Plymouth (April-November)
• MASSACHUSETTS PARKS PASS, various locations
• MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, Boston

The mission of the Belmont Public Library is to provide free and equal access to information and ideas through a wide range of resources, including materials, services and programs, that meet the diverse interests of the Belmont residents and other users; and to support and encourage a well-informed society. The library strives to create an environment which welcomes users of all ages and abilities.