APALA Northeast Boston Trip

On April 26, 2024, 11 members of the APALA Northeast Chapter gathered at the Chinatown Branch of the Boston Public Library. Yan Wang, Branch Librarian, was our wonderful host, and she led us through a tour of the space.

Located within the large China Trade Center complex at 2 Boylston Street, the Chinatown Branch opened in 2018 as part of a multi-year Chinatown Branch Project. It serves as an important public hub that offers the community a wide-range of library and community services that the neighborhood did not have access to for decades. There is a rich history of community advocacy related to the original closure and re-opening of the Branch; you can explore a timeline dating back to 1896. Although the Branch is still in a temporary space as of 2024, there is a planned move to a larger location in the future.

The Branch is located next to the Chinese Historical Society of New England. They often cross-promote and co-host events together and are both places where people in the neighborhood can learn about local events. *Photo credit: Miriam Tuliao*

Yan Wang explained that lunchtime is typically the busiest time of the day for the Branch, which is open on weekdays with four full-time staff members. *Photo Credit: Miriam Tuliao*

The temporary space is small but every inch of the space is utilized well. From the Lucky Day collection cart filled with colorful bestsellers to the children’s section, the Chinatown Branch is vibrant and welcoming.

Yan Wang explained that bilingual and dual-language children’s books are particularly popular at the Branch, and that there is a dedicated youth services librarian for this Branch. *Photo Credit: Miriam Tuliao*

After the library tour, we visited the outdoor exhibition, Endurance Streets (耐力街道): Resilience and Response in Boston’s Chinese Community, a collaboration between the Chinese Historical Society of New England and Tisch College’s Program for Public Humanities at Tufts University.

4 APALA Northeast Chapter members talk with one another while standing in front of exhibition panels posted on the exterior of a building. — APALA Northeast Chapter members talk to one another while visiting the exhibition. The exhibition panels were mounted onto the windows of the China Trade Center complex, which houses both the Chinatown Branch of the Boston Public Library and the Chinese Historical Society of New England. *Photo Credit: Miriam Tuliao*

Our last group activity of the day was a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant, Penang Malaysian Cuisine. This APALA Northeast trip was the first time many of us were meeting each other in-person. It was so nice to have the opportunity to chat over tasty dishes. (Some of us kept the day going by visiting a few of the best boba shops in the neighborhood!)

11 APALA Northeast Chapter members pose for the camera, seated at a round table at a restaurant. — APALA Northeast Chapter members at Penang. Members included staff from both public and academic libraries in the area. *Photo Credit: Miriam Tuliao*

Many thanks to Miriam Tuliao and Janet Clarke, the APALA Northeast Chapter co-chairs, for encouraging and facilitating the Boston visit, and also to Harvard’s Gutman Library for supporting lunch!

Event write-up by Marcella Tam and Rebecca Y. Martin

Learn more about how to get involved in APALA Chapters here!