BOSTON, MA – September 9, 2024 – The Boston Public Library (BPL) today announced Book it Around Boston 2024, a fun run/walk/bike event designed to reintroduce residents to BPL branches across the city while incentivizing movement across Boston’s neighborhoods.
BPL has partnered with Heartbreak Hill Running Company to offer guided routes kicking off and concluding at the Roxbury Branch. As part of the event, participants will walk, run, or bike to other BPL branches.
The family-friendly event is the kickoff of this year’s BPL Passport initiative. All participants will receive a BPL Passport: a booklet outlining routes to walk, run, or bike between each of the BPL’s 26 locations, encouraging residents to get out and explore the city. For each branch participants visit, they will receive a branch stamp in their BPL Passport. The first 200 participants to register for the event will also receive a free Book It Around Boston lapel pin.
“We are thrilled to partner again with Heartbreak Hill Running Company for Book It Around Boston and appreciate their support for the Passport program,” said Michael Colford, BPL Director of Library Services. “This event provides a fantastic opportunity for residents to get out and visit the diverse neighborhoods of Boston and their local branches, which are the heart of our community. We hope Bostonians will get out, explore, and sign up for a library card if they don’t already have one!”
Book it Around Boston will take place on October 5, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. Participants can choose one of four routes starting and ending at the Roxbury Branch, depending on how far they would like to walk, run, or bike. These include:
- Route 1 (4 miles): start at Roxbury Branch, visit Egleston Branch, Connolly Branch, end at Roxbury Branch
- Route 2 (6 miles): start at Roxbury Branch, visit Egleston Branch, Jamaica Plain Branch, Connolly Branch, Parker Hill Branch, end at Roxbury Branch
- Route 3 (9.5 miles): start at Roxbury Branch, visit Grove Hall Branch, Codman Square Branch, Jamaica Plain Branch, Conolly Branch, Parker Hill Branch, end at Roxbury Branch
- Bike Route (15 miles): start at Roxbury Branch, visit Adams Street Branch, Lower Mills Branch, Mattapan Branch, Roslindale Branch, Jamaica Plain Branch, Connolly Branch, Parker Hill Branch, end at Roxbury Branch
"We’re so excited to celebrate cross-community movement using our world-class library system,” said Dan Fitzgerald, co-founder of Heartbreak Hill Running Company. “This is the third annual Passport run, so we’re delighted and grateful to build on the momentum from previous years. BPL exists in every corner of our city offering free, democratic access to information and education. Running, for us, is always an opportunity to unite people and communities of all backgrounds in sport. I can’t wait to bring both together on October 5th!”
The BPL Passport program is open to everyone. Visit a local BPL branch to pick up a Passport, then use the routes outlined in the booklet to visit branches across the city and collect stamps. Exclusive swag is available to participants for visiting specific numbers of branches; visit bpl.org/passport/ to learn more.
To register for Book it Around Boston, visit: bpl.org/book-it-around-boston/. For a complete list of BPL branches, visit: bpl.bibliocommons.com/locations.
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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 of 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.
