Chinatown and the adjacent neighborhoods are dense, rapidly-growing areas of Downtown Boston, with changing racial/ethnic/linguistic composition and socio-economic mix. MDS ran many focus groups, interviews, public and organization meetings, advisory committee sessions and online-and-print surveys to solicit input and feedback and analyze the demographics, service needs, preferences and concerns of the diverse constituent populations.

Recommended services and facilities reflect the evolving nature of community-serving 21st-century libraries: providing a community center and gathering place, broadly welcoming for multi-generations, with space for programs, meetings and instructional activities, as well as culturally appropriate multi-lingual collections, staff and signage. Chinatown’s unique character, as ongoing home for Asian immigrants and hub for regional Asian populations, demand special library features: offering culturally relevant materials, multilingual staff, social-services clearinghouse, expression of Chinatown history and culture, and a beacon for the region.

Library scope includes distinct adult, children’s and teen areas, group-study and multipurpose meeting rooms, browsable rotating collections, and dispersed service points.  Recommendations include computers and free internet access, creative tech capabilities, open layout for oversight and connection among users, substantial natural light, and potential outdoor garden.