This is a lecture on the history of The Boston Public Library given by Catherine J. Willis on October 13, 2011 at the Boston Public Library branch in Jamaica Plain, MA. The Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first large municipally funded public library in the United States. Although the library was founded in 1848, the original idea was first proposed by French ventriloquist Alexandre Vattemare in 1841. In 1854, the library opened to the public in two rooms in a schoolhouse on Mason Street. Just four years later, the building on Boylston Street opened with 88,789 items. In 1871, the BPL was the first library in the country to open a branch, and by 1895, when the new central library was opened in Copley Square, 29 branches and reading rooms had opened. Charles Follen McKim was the principal architect of the new building, which is noted for its perfect proportions, magnificent murals, and beautiful ornamentation throughout the building. The tremendous growth of the library made it necessary to build an addition, and in 1972, the new building designed by Philip Johnson was opened.
Catherine J. Willis has worked in libraries since 1978. She first visited Boston in 1984 and loved the area so much, she knew it would eventually be her home. In 2002, she finally moved to Boston and became the manager of technical services of the BPL.

It is recommended that you open the .ppt file shown at the bottom of this page and then click on the play button on the top right of the page. This will allow you to page through the slides while you listen to the audio. If you don't have Powerpoint installed on your computer, you can download the free Powerpoint viewer program from: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=13

Look for the book at your local bookseller:
Boston Public Library (Images of America)
Catherine J. Willis (Author), Amy E. Ryan (Foreword)
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (July 25, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0738575062
ISBN-13: 978-0738575063

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