City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Committee: Community Resources

Cost: $72,500

Location: Central Square Library Branch

Short Description: Update the Central Square library and expand the variety of items for loan. Proposed enhancements are new furniture, a laptop kiosk, and fun, non-traditional items for loan. These improvements would benefit the neighborhood and community.

Long Description: Some 15,000 people use the library each month. Services include afterschool programs, job counseling, and ESOL instruction. There are frequent lectures and film showings. The library staff is outstanding.

Modern, comfortable furniture and tables, fun items for on-site loan such as board games, and high-demand, non-traditional items such as laptops, phone chargers, and bike locks will make the library more inviting. A laptop kiosk, already in use at the main branch, would enable research and learning not tied to a specific location in the library. Both the library users and the Central Square community would benefit from improvements to this much-used library.

The $72,500 cost estimate includes $50,000 for 12 laptops/chromebooks and a dispenser, $20,000 for new furniture, and $2,500 for games/non-traditional items for loan.

Photos/Images:

Laptop kiosk at Main Library:

Current furniture at Central Square Branch: