BOSTON, MA – March 12, 2025 - The Boston Public Library (BPL) is launching a large-scale digitization project to unlock hundreds of thousands of historically significant items previously inaccessible to the public. This multi-phase effort will give BPL the opportunity to pilot the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make vast historical collections – currently underutilized due to their age, scale, and format – freely available, modernize digitization processes, and responsibly integrate AI to expand access and discovery.
Since its founding in 1848, BPL has been collecting books, government documents, maps, newspapers, and more. While the library has continued to steward these materials and has digitized portions of these collections over time, the sheer scale of BPL’s collections has made full public access impossible. This project aims to change that by opening the library’s collections more fully and providing the public with new ways to discover and interact with its vast holdings. By centering library workers’ expertise alongside transformative digitization technologies, BPL will deepen its commitment to free and open exploration of knowledge and information.
“For more than 20 years, the Boston Public Library has been a leader in the effort to increase accessibility of cultural heritage materials by digitizing historic collections across Massachusetts and the nation, and providing a comprehensive digital repository for preserving these materials,” said David Leonard, president of the BPL. “This initiative marks the next step in enhancing usability and discovery of our materials.”
BPL’s project includes a collaboration with the Institutional Data Initiative (IDI) within the Harvard Law School Library. IDI and BPL will explore processes that balance AI technology with curatorial expertise when enhancing collection metadata and modernizing and scaling BPL’s digitization program to expand access. Additionally, by working with IDI to release large-scale public domain collections as data, BPL will support innovative research, enhance transparency in AI training, and ensure that library values and the unique needs of cultural heritage materials are represented in AI development.
“Our audience extends beyond traditional academic researchers. When patrons use our digital collections to explore family histories, neighborhoods, and cultural heritage, we want them to benefit from the same technological advancements as our academic peers,” said Michael Colford, Director of Library Services. “Expanding digital access at this scale within a public library allows us to center those patrons every step of the way.”
This initiative is also supported in part by OpenAI’s NextGenAI initiative and builds on BPL's mission of being "Free to All" by ensuring emerging AI technologies serve patrons from all walks of life, from academic researchers to lifelong learners. As a collecting institution for nearly 200 years, BPL has amassed vast historical resources, including government documents, early American literature, and unique archival materials. This project reinforces its longstanding commitment to expanding knowledge and accessibility.
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ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
