They are judged on overall quality and appeal. Materials are selected by a Russian speaking staff member with assistance from the Russian Advisory Committee and public requests. The collection includes a broad selection of books with an emphasis on fiction, biography and memoirs, and political topics. Coolidge Corner serves a greater proportion of older readers and therefore places slightly greater emphasis on lighter, more popular reading. The collection also includes audio cassettes of popular poets and musicians and videos of Russian films.
Periodicals allow the Russian community to follow cultural interests and current events.
Children's books and videos provide new immigrants with material in their own language. The Library also seeks to support the community's expressed interest in maintaining Russian language ability and culture among their children with books and especially videos. The collection consists of books, periodicals, audio-tapes, CDs and videos of interest to the Chinese community. Periodicals cover a wide range including news, literature and popular culture. Recordings reflect the communities cultural interests from popular singers to classical and folk music.