Boston Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boston Public Library |
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| Motto: Omnium Lux Civium (Latin) "The Light of All People" |
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| Country | US |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1848 |
| Coordinates | 42°20′57.55″N 71°4′41.78″W / 42.3493194°N 71.0782722°W |
| Branches | 24 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 24,079,520 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 3.69 million (FY 2013) |
| Population served | 6,547,629 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $31.2 million, plus $8.2 million from trust fund (2013) |
| Director | David Leonard, President Robert E. Gallery, Chairman of the Board |
The Boston Public Library (BPL) is a huge public library system in Boston, Massachusetts. It was started way back in 1848. This library is special because it's also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth. This means anyone living in Massachusetts can borrow books and do research there.
The Boston Public Library has about 24 million items. This makes it the third-largest public library in the United States. Only the federal Library of Congress and the New York Public Library are bigger. The main library building in Copley Square was named a Boston Landmark in 2000.
Contents
What Makes the BPL Special?
The Boston Public Library has a collection of over 23.7 million items. Most of these items, over 22.7 million, are in the main research area. Between July 2012 and June 2013, people borrowed items from the BPL 3.69 million times.
Because its research collection is so important, the Boston Public Library is part of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). This group includes top research libraries in North America. The New York Public Library is the only other public library in this group.
The BPL has amazing collections on many topics. These include Boston history, the Civil War, and Irish history. It also keeps important government documents from both the U.S. federal government and the state of Massachusetts.
Rare Books and Special Collections
The BPL's research collection includes more than 1.7 million rare books and old papers. It has many important items, like:
- Very old books from the Middle Ages.
- Early editions of William Shakespeare's plays, including the famous First Folio.
- The George Ticknor collection of Spanish literature.
- A large collection of works by Daniel Defoe, who wrote Robinson Crusoe.
- Records from colonial Boston.
- The personal library of John Adams, one of America's founding fathers.
- Important papers about the movement to end slavery, including those of William Lloyd Garrison.
- A big collection of materials about the Sacco and Vanzetti case.
The library also has huge collections of old prints, photographs, postcards, and maps. For example, it has one of the biggest collections of drawings by Thomas Rowlandson. The library is also strong in music. It holds old records from the Handel and Haydn Society. It also has music from Serge Koussevitzky and the papers and grand piano of American composer Walter Piston.
Because of all these amazing things, historian David McCullough called the Boston Public Library one of the five most important libraries in the U.S. The others he mentioned are the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and the university libraries of Harvard and Yale.
A Look at BPL's History
How the Library Started
In the mid-1800s, several people helped create the Boston Public Library. George Ticknor, a professor at Harvard University, first suggested a public library in Boston in 1826. But at that time, not enough people were interested.
In 1839, Alexandre Vattemare, a French helper, suggested combining all of Boston's libraries. He thought this would benefit everyone. Paris even sent gifts of books in 1843, 1847, and 1849 to help start a public library.
Josiah Quincy Jr., who was the mayor of Boston, secretly gave $5,000 to start funding a new library. Also, when businessman John Jacob Astor died, he left $400,000 to New York to start a public library there. This made Boston want its own public library even more!
In 1848, a law from the Great and General Court of Massachusetts allowed the library to be created. The library officially started in Boston in 1852. Edward Capen was chosen as the first librarian.
Edward Everett also helped by collecting documents from the U.S. Congress. He paid to have them bound and gave them to the new library. In 1852, a rich financier named Joshua Bates gave $50,000 to start the library. After his gift, George Ticknor traveled to buy books and visit other libraries.
The library's first home was an old schoolhouse on Mason Street. The Reading Room opened on March 20, 1854. The part where people could borrow books opened on May 2, 1854.
The first building quickly became too small. So, in 1854, the library moved to a new building on Boylston Street. This building, designed by Charles Kirk Kirby, opened in 1858. It could hold 240,000 books. But even this building became too small over time.
Growing the Library System
In 1870, the library opened its East Boston branch. This was the first branch library in the United States! To reach more people across the city, the library opened 21 more branches in Boston neighborhoods between 1872 and 1900.
By 1880, the Massachusetts government allowed an even bigger library building to be built. A spot was chosen in Back Bay on Copley Square. This was a great location, across from Richardson's Trinity Church.
After much discussion, the famous New York firm of McKim, Mead, and White was chosen in 1887 to design the new library. In 1888, Charles Follen McKim suggested a Renaissance style design. The library leaders approved, and construction began. The huge new reading room was named Bates Hall.
Modern Times
In 1972, the Johnson Building opened next to the McKim Building in Copley Square. This addition was designed by American architect Philip Johnson. In 1986, the McKim Building was named a National Historic Landmark.
In 2011, the library created a plan called the BPL Compass. This plan focused on eight "Principles for Excellence" that the community wanted.
In 2012, the city of Boston spent about $27.8 million on the library. That's about $43.74 for every person in Boston.
In 2013, the library showed off its "Collections of Distinction." These are 18 of its most amazing and important collections. The library focuses on making these collections easy to access, adding to them, making them digital, and keeping them safe.
From 2013 to 2016, the Johnson Building at the Central Library was renovated. The first part of the renovation opened in February 2015. It included a new Children's Library, Teen Central, and a community reading area. This part cost $18 million. The second part opened in summer 2016.
In 2017, the Boston Public Library won awards for its renovated Johnson Building and the East Boston Branch.
In 2017, the library had over 3.8 million visitors. People borrowed almost 5 million items. Its website had over 9.8 million visits. Also, over 82,000 new library cards were given out.
In 2019, a new fund called The Fund for the Boston Public Library was started. It began with $2.8 million from several big organizations.
Library Leaders
| President | Term | Length | Ref. |
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| Bernard A. Margolis | 1997 – 2008 | ||
| Amy E. Ryan | October 1, 2008 – July 3, 2015 | 16 years, 10 months, and 24 days | |
| David Leonard | June 14, 2016 – Present | 9 years, 2 months, and 11 days |
The Central Library Buildings
The Boston Central Library is in Copley Square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. It has two main buildings: the McKim Building and the Johnson Building. They are connected inside. Together, they cover about 930,000 square feet and hold 21 million items.
The McKim Building, finished in 1895, holds the BPL's research collection. The Johnson Building, finished in 1972, looks similar and is made of the same pink granite. The Johnson Building holds the main collection of books that people can borrow. It's also the main office for the BPL's 24 branch libraries.
What You Can Do at the Library Today
Fun Programs and Events
The Boston Public Library offers thousands of free programs every year. These include:
- Talks by authors.
- Lectures on local and family history.
- Concerts in the courtyard.
- Art and history exhibits.
The library also has daily events for kids, teens, adults, and seniors. These include story times, book clubs, movie showings, and classes on research and technology.
Computers and Internet Access
The BPL has desktop computers for public use. You can print things for a small fee. There's also free wireless internet at the Central Library and all 24 branches. If you have a library card, you can even borrow laptops to use inside the library for up to two hours.
Digital Services at Your Fingertips
The library offers many digital services. You can use the online catalog to find and reserve books, audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs. You can also download ebooks, e-audiobooks, music, and videos. Library card holders can even stream movies, TV shows, music, and audiobooks through Hoopla.
Many of the BPL's special collections are available online. These include rare books, anti-slavery papers, old children's books, and historic maps. You can find many of these on the Boston Public Library Flickr page or through their collections on the Digital Commonwealth.
Branch Libraries Across Boston
In the late 1800s, the library worked hard to open branches all over the city. The first branch library in the U.S. opened in East Boston in 1870. Today, the library has 25 branches serving different neighborhoods in Boston.
- Chinatown, Boston
- Chinatown Branch, 2 Boylston Street. After not having a local branch for 60 years, a temporary one opened in February 2018.
- North End, Boston
- North End Branch, 25 Parmenter Street. This branch moved to its current building in 1965.
- South End, Boston
- South End Branch, 685 Tremont Street. This branch moved to its current building in 1971.
- West End, Boston
- West End Branch, 151 Cambridge Street. The current building opened in January 1968.
- Brighton
- Brighton Branch, 40 Academy Hill Road, Brighton. A new branch building opened here in 1969. It reopened in 2018 after big renovations.
- Faneuil Branch, 419 Faneuil Street, Brighton. This art-deco style building opened in 1931. It closed for renovations in 2020 and is expected to reopen by the end of 2025.
- Allston
- Honan-Allston Branch, 300 North Harvard Street, Allston. This branch officially opened in June 2001. It was renamed in 2003 to honor City Councilor Brian Honan.
- Charlestown
- Charlestown Branch, 179 Main Street, Charlestown. This branch became part of the BPL in 1874. It moved to its current spot in 1970.
- Dorchester
- Adams Street Branch, 690 Adams Street, Dorchester. The 1951 building was replaced by a new, larger building in 2021.
- Codman Square Branch, 690 Washington Street, Dorchester. Opened in 1905, it moved to its current building in 1978.
- Fields Corner Branch, 1520 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester. This branch opened in 1969.
- Grove Hall Branch, 41 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester. The new branch library opened in April 2009.
- Lower Mills Branch, 27 Richmond Street, Dorchester. This branch opened in 1875 and moved to its current location in 1981.
- Uphams Corner Branch, 500 Columbia Road, Dorchester. This branch expanded into a former pool area, turning it into a children's room.
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- East Boston
- East Boston Branch, 365 Bremen Street, East Boston. This was the first public branch library in the U.S., established in 1869. The current building opened in November 2013.
- Hyde Park
- Hyde Park Branch, 35 Harvard Avenue, Hyde Park. This branch became part of the BPL in 1912. A new addition and renovation were finished in 2000. It's now the third-largest branch.
- Jamaica Plain
- Connolly Branch, 433 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain. This beautiful limestone building opened in 1932. It was renamed in 1940 to honor Monsignor Arthur T. Connolly.
- Jamaica Plain Branch, 12 Sedgwick Street, Jamaica Plain. The current building opened in 1911. It was renovated and reopened in May 2017.
- Mattapan
- Mattapan Branch, 1350 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan. The new Mattapan Branch building opened in 2009.
- Roslindale
- Roslindale Branch, 4238 Washington Street, Roslindale. The current semi-circular building opened in 1961.
- Roxbury
- Roxbury Branch, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury. This branch opened in 1978.
- Egleston Square, 2044 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury. This branch opened in 1953.
- Parker Hill Branch, 1497 Tremont Street, Roxbury. This Gothic-style building opened in 1931.
- South Boston
- South Boston Branch, 646 East Broadway, South Boston. This was the second branch library in the U.S., opening in 1872. The current building opened in 1957.
- West Roxbury
- West Roxbury Branch, 1961 Centre Street, West Roxbury. This branch became full in 1896. A new addition with community rooms and a reading garden opened in 1989. It's now the second-largest branch.
Images for kids
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Temporary building, Mason Street, 1854-1858
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Exterior of Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1858–1895
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Lower hall stacks, Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1858–1895
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Upper (Bates) hall, Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1858–1895
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Lower hall indicator, Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1858–1895
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Lower hall reading room, Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1858–1895
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Engraving of exterior, Kirby Building, Boylston St., 1850s
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McKim Building construction 1889
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McKim Building courtyard, soon after opening, c. 1895.
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Dartmouth Street facade of McKim Building during the holiday season, December 2015
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Pública de Boston para niños
- Boston Public Library, McKim Building
- List of public libraries in Massachusetts
- Library system
