Waltham Public Library is an easily-accessible downtown library where the whole family can spend the day!

As a resident of Waltham, I have spent so much time both as an individual and as a parent at the Waltham Public Library. A visit here is consistently one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a morning with my young children. 

The children's room is a wonderful-sized space that offers many different activities. There's a child-sized storefront where the kids can climb in and out. You can find a large dollhouse, a train table, and an indoor see-saw most days. Multiple computers are available for use, and child-sized tables and chairs to sit at and read. There is a private family bathroom with a changing table and other restrooms throughout the building.

The children's librarians are friendly and always willing to provide coloring activities, puzzles, or other small manipulatives upon request. In addition to the large collection of books, career kits, toys, DVDs, audiobooks, video games, and music albums are available to borrow. The librarians run weekly storytimes for babies and toddlers, and since the pandemic, they also run a virtual pajama storytime in the evenings. One of the wonderful things the librarians have provided in the children's room is themed bins with a few books each. This allows my kids to choose a literary character that they enjoy and access a small selection of books to read. It also makes it easy to pack the books away once they're finished. 

The rest of the library has some fantastic offerings as well. A Library of Things is available for checkout, including beach supplies, gardening tools, puzzles, a sewing machine, a luggage scale, a telescope, Rokus for streaming, and a Nintendo switch. In addition, there are Book Clubs, English Language Learning services, Genealogy, and Local History resources, to name a few. The library spans two floors, with numerous stacks and quiet workspaces.