U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Image of books on shelves

Learn About Borrowing Policies

Cambridge Public Library

Learn more about our borrowing periods, renewals and fines.

Item Time                    Renews?
Books & Audiobooks (includes Playaways & Launchpads) 4 weeks Yes
*New books (Ground Floor) 2 weeks Yes/No if EXPRESS
*New J/YA books (3rd Floor & Teen Room) 4 weeks Yes/No if EXPRESS
DVDs 2 weeks Yes/No if EXPRESS
Music CDs 2 weeks Yes
STEAM Kits 2 weeks Yes
Takeout Tech (Chromebooks, Hotspots, GoPros, etc) 2 weeks Yes
Magazines 1 week No
Video Games 1 week No
Commonwealth Catalog items 4 weeks No

ILL items**

**Interlibrary Loan (ILL) items are picked up from the Question & Answer desk, and loan periods on these items vary

varies No
 

Renewing Materials

All materials eligible for renewal will automatically renew for up to two additional load periods. 

The automatic renewal will not happen if: 

  • The item has already been renewed twice
  • It is an Express book or DVD, or a Video Game
  • The item was borrowed from a library outside of the Minuteman Library Network
  • The item has been requested by other patrons

 

Fine Free Library

We no longer charge fines on late returns or renewals! Overdue fines were removed in 2021 to promote equal access to our materials for all in our community. Please return your materials promptly so that other patrons may enjoy them.

 

Billed, Lost and Damaged Materials

When a borrowed item becomes 4 weeks overdue, the Minuteman Library Network will email you a bill for the replacement charge of the item. If you still have the item and return it in good condition, all billed charges will be automatically cleared from your account as soon as the item is checked in.

If you lose an item in our collection or return it with serious damage, you will be assessed the replacement charge listed in the item record. Payment can be made online, or in person by check at any Minuteman library.

We do not accept replacement copies instead of payment and are unable to issue refunds after payment has been made.

To support families and young readers, we will clear billed replacement charges for lost/damaged Cambridge-owned children's and young adult items under most circumstances, even if you cannot return the item.

Contact Us

How can we help?

Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry:

As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.

Read our complete privacy statement


Service Requests

Enter a service request via SeeClickFix for things like missed trash pickups, potholes, etc., click here