Did You Know?
The Print Department has a selection of prints and paintings that you can look at under special conditions?
Call 617-859-2280.
Research Services
Books and periodical titles (indicated in the catalog by a location of Book Delivery) can be requested with a library or guest card at the Book Delivery and Periodical Desk. These materials are for in-library use only. Requests are taken up to the last 25 minutes before closing time. Magazines over five years old are in remote storage and may take at least 24 hours to retrieve. You may also call ahead to request a title.
The Fine Arts Department services reference and non-circulating books about art history, architecture, painting sculpture, drawing, design, illustration, decorative arts, and antiques, as well as magazines, journals, and microforms in these subject areas. The department also holds some City of Boston Building Department records of Boston Buildings, c.1879 to 1966. The department houses many special materials focusing on the art and architecture of New England that are viewed by appointment only.
The General Reference Department provides reference services on all subjects as well as in-depth reference in the sciences and humanities. General Reference also accepts requests for interlibrary loan materials (items not owned by the library). Librarians also assist with the microfiche catalog, which covers materials collected by the library before 1974, as well as the many online catalogs and electronic databases.
The Government Documents Department collects and houses publications from all levels of government including federal, state and city, as well as select publications of foreign governments. The department is also a depository for patents and trademarks as well as for many United Nations publications. Some legal materials such as case law, statutes, and regulations can also be found.
Kirstein Business Library is a specialized business reference and research service in the lower level of the Johnson building of the Central Library.
The Microtext Department has the majority of the library's microfilm, microfiche, and microprint research collections. The department also houses the historical newspaper collections. Access to newspaper print indexes, city directories, and genealogy and obituary resources is also available here.
The Music Department services reference and non-circulating books about musical study including biography, ethnomusicology, history and criticism, music education, and theory and composition, as well as the collected editions of all the major composers, many musical first editions, and other rare items. Music periodicals and microforms are also available.
The Newspaper Room receives over 260 national and international newspapers. It keeps the latest three months for viewing. Older newspapers can be viewed in the Microtext Department across the hallway.
The NBL Map Center seeks to preserve, catalog, study, and exhibit the BPL's historically significant collection of 350,000 (World, European, and United States) maps.
Please visit our new, expanded website.
If you would like more information regarding the map center, please contact us at 617-859-2506 or e-mail maps@bpl.org.
The Print Department has built collections that today total over 100,000 prints and drawings and 650,000 photographs, making it one of the largest public collections of prints in the United States. Among the outstanding holdings are works by Rembrandt, Durer, Rowlandson, Goya, Daumier, Toulouse-Lautrec and Boston Artists. Service is by appointment only.
The Rare Books and Manuscripts Department houses more than 600,000 printed items and 1 million manuscripts. Among the important holdings are large collections on Colonial and Revolutionary Massachusetts, The Presidential Library of John Adams, Anti-Slavery Manuscripts, the Barton Collection of Shakesperiana, The Theodore Parker Collection, the William Addison Dwiggins Collection, and the Galatea Collection on the History of Women. In addition there are many important examples of medieval manuscripts, incunabula, and fine printing.
The Social Sciences Department maintains a reference collection covering topics as diverse as anthroplogy, business and economics, coins, and medals, criminology, education, family studies, history, political science, social history, sociology, transportation, and women's studies. Among the many highlights of the department are the genealogy and local history resources. The department houses the Foundation Center Cooperating Collection for those researching foundations, grants, and grant writing.
The Boston Public Library holds special collections in a wide variety of subjects. Special collection material does not circulate and must be used under staff supervision within the Central Library. Titles from the Alice M. Jordan Children's Literature Collection can be requested at Book Delivery to be viewed in the Rare Books Reading Room.
Special Services
Need a good book to read? Visit our booklists for ideas.
Find books for teens in a variety of subjects.
Find books for kids in a variety of subjects.
If the Boston Public Library does not own a particular book or publication, we can get it for you through our Interlibrary Loan services.
Just for Kids! Fun links and homework help.
The Boston Public Library offers a wide range of materials for adults learning to read, and those learning to speak English.
The Boston Public Library is also a publisher. See a list of our titles and the souvenirs we have available.
Teen Stuff! MCAS help and College Advice.
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