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THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ANNUAL  REPORT  1 990-1 991 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Annual  Report 

For  the  Year  Ending  June  30,  1991 


Document  15 


The  Trustees  of  the  Pubhc  Library  of  the  City  of  Boston 


Trustees  of  the  Public  Library 

of 

The  City  of  Boston 

William  M.  Bulger,  President 

Arthur  F.  F.  Snyder,  Vice  President 

Robert  W.  Gonsalvo 

Berthe  M.  Gaines 

William  O.  Taylor 


ANNUAL  REPORT  FY91 

As  the  Queen  expressed  it  in  Carroll's  Through  the  Looking 
Glass,  "It  takes  all  the  running  you  can  do,  to  keep  in  the  same 
place.  If  you  want  to  get  somewhere  else,  you  must  run  at  least 
twice  as  fast  as  that!" 

The  Queen's  remarks  aptly  describe  the  pattern  of  the 
Library's  FY91.  The  year  was  characterized  by  building  on  the 
efforts  of  the  prior  years:  advancing  in  automation  and 
presentation,  restoration  of  the  McKim  building,  programming 
and  exhibitions,  and  responsiveness  to  patrons'  needs.  The 
forward  motion  was  accomplished  in  the  face  of  obstacles 
related  to  budget  reduction,  increased  materials  costs,  and  staff 
and  space  shortages. 

The  two  major  themes  of  the  year  for  the  Research 
Library  office  were  planning  for  budget  reductions  and  planning 
for  the  renovation  of  the  Mcl^m  building.  The  thrust  of  budget 
planning  was  to  preserve  public  serv^ice  as  much  as  possible.  As  a 
result,  greatest  losses  were  in  staffing  special  collections,  the 
areas  which  make  the  Library  a  major  research  institution 
throughout  the  world,  but  invite  less  general  public,  day-to-day 
usage. 

Budget  planning  commenced  in  November  and  continued 
throughout  the  year.  There  were  dramatic  cuts  in  several 
departments.  The  reassignment  of  all  staff  of  the  Jordan 
Collection  was  necessitated  by  proposed  budget  losses  as  was 
the  cutback  of  staff  in  the  Print  Department  and  in  the  Ivirstein 
Business  Branch,  also  the  continuing  vacancies  in  the 
Conservation  Laboratory,  the  Fine  Arts  Department,  and  the 
Research  Library  office — all  described  by  the  assistant  director 
for  resources  and  processing  as  "debilitating." 

Planning  for  remote  storage  of  materials  has  been  an 
activity  that  grows  in  importance.  The  necessity  to  plan  because 
of  the  renovation  of  the  McKim  building  has  meant  that  we  have 
gathered  more  information,    done  more  charts,  and  thought 


more  about  the  long  term  space  needs  of  the  Library  than  we 
may  otherwise  have  done.  We  have  used  the  personal  computer 
to  build  a  database  of  information  that  includes  materials  stored 
presently  in  various  locations,  quantified  in  linear  or  cubic  feet 
required  for  storage,  where  such  materials  will  need  to  be 
moved,  whether  repacking,  storage  in  cartons  or  on  shelves, 
special  handling,  or  special  storage  conditions  are  needed.  This 
database  has  already  proved  very  valuable  in  making 
arrangements  for  the  storage  of  materials  in  the  Gharlestown 
Service  Building. 

In  its  status  as  a  major  research  library  in  the  nation, 
several  years  the  Library  has  concentrated  on  preservation 
needs.  With  the  creation  of  a  modem  conservation  library,  with 
leadership  in  the  region  in  state-of-the-art  methods  and 
equipment,  and  with  the  production  of  an  instructive  video 
cassette  on  conservation,  the  Library  has  moved  ahead  in 
insuring  the  longevity  of  rare  items. 

Continuing  a  project  begun  in  FY90,  representatives 
from  the  entire  staff  of  the  Library  participated  in  the 
Preservation  Self-Study  sponsored  by  the  Association  of 
Research  Libraries,  but  the  greatest  emphasis  of  the  study  was 
on  research  Library  materials  and  staff.  A  six-member  study 
team  began  work  in  the  fall  on  a  background  paper.  When  that 
was  completed,  five  task  forces  were  appointed  to  study  specific 
areas  of  need.  These  task  forces  worked  from  fall  to  early  March 
when  they  made  their  reports  to  the  study  team.  The  team  then 
began  to  prepare  the  final  report,  which  will  be  published  by  the 
Association  of  Research  Libraries.  It  is  hoped  that  this  study  will 
be  a  major  tool  for  the  Library  to  use  in  the  next  several  years  in 
determining  priorities  for  preservation  activities.  The  study  also 
became  a  staff  development  opportunity  with  a  project  structure 
already  identified  to  help  staff  members  formulate  goals,  do 
research,  and  come  up  with  conclusions  in  a  fairly  short  period 
of  time.  Many  people  who  worked  on  the  study  were  impressed 


with  what  they  themselves  had  accompHshed  so  it  also  became  a 
vehicle  of  confidence-building. 

Another  extremely  important  preservation  project  was 
the  awarding  by  the  U.S.  Department  of  Education  of  a  grant  to 
the  Boston  Public  Library  under  the  Strengthening  Research 
Libraries  program  for  cataloging  and  preservation  of  selected 
items  in  the  Allen  A.  Brown  Music  Collection.  This  grant  for 
^123,733  will  enable  the  Library  to  preserve  some  items  that 
have  been  withdrawn  from  serv^ice  because  they  are  so  fragile.  It 
will  enable  the  Library  to  catalog  on  a  national  database  all  the 
items  from  the  collection  that  have  already  been  filmed  so  that 
scholars  throughout  the  country  will  have  access  to  them.  The 
grant  becomes  a  reaffirmation  of  the  importance  of  the  Boston 
Public  Library's  unique  special  collections. 

A  key  achievement  this  year  was  the  completed 
conserv^ation  of  the  John  Adams  Collection.  \Vhen  the 
conservation  laboratory  in  the  Rare  Book  Department  was 
established  in  1981  with  a  grant  from  the  Office  of  Higher 
Education,  Title  II,  work  commenced  immediately  on  the 
personal  library  of  the  second  president  of  the  United  States.  All 
three  thousand  volumes  were  in  conditions  mandating 
conservation  attention.  In  FY91  all  volumes  have  become 
accessible  to  scholars.  In  celebration  of  the  completed  task  an 
exhibit  vv^as  mounted  with  photographs  of  items  before 
restoration  and  the  volumes  themselves  after  restoration.  Three 
descendants  of  John  Adams  attended  the  reception  which 
opened  the  exhibition. 

Evidence  of  the  Electronic  Age 
The  opportunities  presented  by  the  electronic  age  became  more 
and  more  visible  this  year  as  the  Research  Library  departments 
became  more  involved  in  on-line  searching,  the  use  of  CD/ROM 
databases,  and  the  electronic  links  to  other  library  catalogs  and 
databases.  On-line  access  to  the  Boston  Library  Consortium 
Union  List  promises  to  be  a  great  advantage  in  helping  patrons 


with  information  on  periodical  holdings.  It  is  expected  that  in 
the  coming  year  the  Index  to  State  and  Local  Documents, 
prepared  by  the  Government  Documents  Department,  will  be 
available  on-Hne.  The  three  CD/ROM  workstations  installed  at 
Kirstein  Business  Branch  are  regularly  in  use,  and  other 
departments  are  asking  for  workstations. 

This  demonstrated  need  to  acquire  databases  and 
equipment  has  had  major  impact  on  the  acquisitions  budget 
since  funds  for  electronic  sources  are  taken  from  funds  formerly 
used  to  purchase  books.  The  number  of  books  purchased  is 
sharply  curtailed  as  a  growing  percentage  of  the  already  limited 
funds  is  spent  for  computers,  modems,  discs,  telecommun- 
ications, and  access  to  databases.  Staff  training  in  the  use  of 
these  new  sources  is  also  costly. 

The  changing  technology  has  altered  user  expectations 
considerably.  Reference  staff  note  that  patrons  demand  ever 
quicker,  ever  more  detailed  and  sophisticated  information,  and 
want  answers  to  questions  rather  than  knowledge  of  how  to  find 
the  answers.  The  impact  is  felt  when  more  professional  meetings 
are  devoted  to  resource  sharing  since  it  is  impossible  to  buy 
everything,  and  new  technology  makes  sharing  more  feasible. 
Research  Library  staff  have  been  involved  in  committees  of  the 
Boston  Library  Consortium  and  Board  of  Library  Com- 
missioners that  are  focused  on  resource  sharing.  Each  Research 
Library  department  now  has  at  least  one  electronic  piece  of 
equipment  and  many  have  several. 

This  year  saw  continued  development  in  the  area  of 
applying  computer  technology  to  services  and  operations  in 
Community  Library  Services.  During  the  year,  retrospective 
barcoding  was  completed  on  the  collections  of  nine  more  branch 
libraries.  As  of  this  time,  18  of  the  25  branches,  in  addition  to 
the  central  library,  are  offering  fully  automated  circulation 
services  on  the  new  DRA  system. 

Early  in  the  year,  the  DRA  system  use  was  expanded  to 
include  the  "reserve"  system  component.  This  means  that  a 


reserv^e  request  for  a  patron  anywhere  in  the  system  can  now  be 
filled  with  any  copy  from  the  central  library  or  a  branch.  As  a 
result  of  this  system,  the  waiting  lists  and  waiting  time  for  very 
popular  titles  such  as  best  sellers  have  been  dramatically 
reduced,  and  at  some  sites,  eliminated.  From  Adams  Street 
Branch  came  a  commentary  repeated  frequently:  "All  our 
public,  young  and  old,  now  make  wide  use  of  the  computerized 
reserv^e  system.  Previously,  it  was  rare  for  a  child  to  reserv^e  a 
book.  Now  it  is  becoming  routine  through  the  wonders  of 
barcoding.  It  has  also  affected  the  type  of  books  reserved.  Before 
it  was  mainly  best  sellers.  With  the  advent  of  the  computer, 
older  titles  and  more  diverse  titles  are  ordered.  The  collection 
has  literally  been  open  up  to  the  public,  and  is  used  more  widely 
than  ever." 

The  newest  development  in  the  Audio-Visual  Department 
was  the  circulation  of  the  compact  disc  collection.  In  addition, 
the  circulation  of  audio-cassettes  and  recordings  has  continued 
to  increase. 

Microcomputer  technology  was  or  will  be  added  at  four 
sites  in  Community  Library  Services.  An  APPLE  computer  and 
"Book  Brain"  software  were  added  to  the  resources  of  the 
central  library's  children's  room  through  a  "Boston  Works 
Smarter"  award.  Based  on  answers  given  by  the  child  to  a  series 
of  questions  that  define  reading  levels  and  interests,  this 
computer  software  can  be  used  by  a  child  to  compile  lists  of 
books  to  read.  Also  as  a  result  of  a  "Boston  Works  Smarter" 
award,  a  microcomputer  was  installed  in  the  Mobile  Library 
Services  Department.  With  the  eventual  addition  of  database 
management  software,  the  computer  will  allow  staff  to  automate 
complex  records  of  reading  interests  and  histories  of  homebound 
individuals  whom  the  department  serves. 

Local  businessman  Reinhard  Goethert  presented  the 
Brighton  Branch  Library  with  an  APPLE  II  Plus  computer  and 
software  for  use  by  children.  The  computer  and  games  have 
been  very  popular  with  children  ranging  in  age  from  3  to  14. 


A  grant  from  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Library 
Commissioners  under  the  LSGA  Title  I  program  was  awarded  to 
the  Access  Center  for  a  second  phase  of  technological 
development.  Through  this  grant,  access  will  be  provided  for 
disabled  patrons  to  CD/ROM  reference  materials  and  eventually 
to  the  Library's  on-line  public  access  catalog,  through  the  use  of 
an  IBM  compatible  computer  and  large  print.  Braille,  and  speech 
peripherals. 

Exhibitions  and  Programming 
The  Research  Library  departments.  General  Library,  and 
branches  continued  to  acquaint  the  public  with  the  richness  and 
diversity  of  the  Library's  collections  through  exhibitions. 
"Marching  to  the  Tune  of  the  Union"  was  inspired  by  Ken 
Burns's  Civil  War.  "Politics  and  Polkas"  was  timed  to  coincide 
with  the  gubernatorial  election.  A  list  of  exhibits  numbered  in 
the  hundreds.  And  the  interests  of  adults,  young  adults,  and 
children  were  represented  in  hundred  of  programs.  For  example, 
a  series  of  workshops  utilized  puppetry  and  storytelling  to 
highlight  "Tales  of  Women  in  History."  And  for  young  adults, 
Sedric  Jones  of  the  New  England  Patriots  described  his  life  as  an 
athlete.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  device  of  capturing  viewer  and 
audience  attention  with  imaginative,  interpretive,  timely 
exhibits  and  programs  was  pursued  with  a  flourish. 

Programs  in  central  and  branches  repeatedly  called  on 
authors  as  speakers.  Noting  the  accelerated  importance  of 
nonprint  media,  the  special  projects  officer  in  central  said:  "No 
matter  how  modern  and  automated  libraries  become,  most 
people  still  think  of  libraries  as  places  where  they  can  borrow 
books,  and  it  is  a  major  goal  of  library  programs  to  enhance  and 
promote  books  and  their  authors." 

In  still  other  programming  efforts  offered  in  cooperation 
with  local  groups,  the  annual  lecture  sponsored  with  the  Society 
of  Architectural  Historians,  New  England,  this  year  featured 
architect  Gerhard  Kallmann.  And  Harvard  Professor  Richard 


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Pipes  spoke  about  his  widely  acclaimed  book  The  Russian 
Revolution,  and  still  with  a  Russian  setting,  Joseph  Finder  spoke 
on  his  thriller  The  Moscow  Club.  Art  historian  Henry  Augustine 
Tate  celebrated  Valentine's  Day  with  a  lecture:  "Arts,  Hearts, 
and  Valentines:  The  Theme  of  Lovers  in  Art  from  Ancient  Times 
to  the  Contemporary  Scene."  The  Calumet  Quintet  performed 
at  the  Library  as  part  of  the  Library's  announcement  of  the 
receipt  of  a  grant  of  iS123,000  from  the  U.S.  Department  of 
Education  for  cataloging  and  microfilming  the  Brown  Collection. 
Quintet  members  are  regular  users  of  the  Music  Department  and 
performed  at  a  much  reduced  performance  fee. 

The  Rare  Book  Department  celebrated  the  90th 
anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Boston  Authors  Club  with  a 
lecture,  reception,  and  an  exhibit.  The  traditional  Dwiggins 
Lecture  was  offered  this  year  by  Keeper  of  Prints  Sinclair  H. 
Hitchings.  Columbus  was  approached  from  a  Spanish  point  of 
view  with  a  lecture  by  Professor  Francisco  Morales  Patron  from 
the  University  of  Seville. 

Grants  and  Gifts 
More  than  $1,000,000  in  grants  was  received  by  the  Library  in 
FY91,  including  $400,000  from  the  National  Endowment  for  the 
Humanities  for  the  bibliographic  implementation  phase  of  the 
Massachusetts  Newspaper  Program;  a  grant  of  $123,000  for  the 
cataloging  and  preservation  of  materials  from  the  Allen  A. 
Brown  Collection;  the  fourth  payment  of  a  $1  miUion  pledge 
from  the  Boston  Globe  Foundation  directed  to  the  endowment 
for  literacy  and  reading  enhancement  programs;  $50,000  from 
the  Associates  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  targeted  for  special 
collections  and  projects;  a  grant  of  $75,000  from  the  SURDNA 
Foundation  for  a  visiting  scholar  to  work  on  prints;  almost 
$20,000  for  the  Access  Center  to  expand  its  computer 
technology;  $2,036  from  the  Massachusetts  Council  on  the  Arts 
and  Humanities  for  a  joint  project  between  the  Library  and  the 
Handel  &  Hayden  Society  to  microfilm  concert  programs  and 


9 


scrapbook  materials;  and  27  passes  to  the  Museum  of  Science 
(valued  at  )^13,500),  a  gift  from  the  Lowell  Institute. 

A  grant  of  ^119,750  (LSGA  Title  III)  was  received  by  the 
Boston  Library  Consortium  that  will  allow  the  Library  access  to 
NEARnet  (New  England  Academic  Research  Network);  also 
received  by  the  Consortium  was  a  grant  of  )^195,734  from  the 
Higher  Education  Act  for  Library  Technology  that  will  support 
the  installation  of  a  computer  system  and  components  to  serve 
as  a  platform  for  Union  List  searching. 

A  substantial  number  of  major  gifts  was  received  this 
year,  among  them:  a  splendid  copy  of  Through  the  Looking 
Glass  by  Lewis  Carroll,  illustrated  by  Barry  Moser;  Surinomo: 
PHnts  by  Elbow,  a  limited  edition  with  special  paper  and 
bindings  related  to  the  graphic  arts;  volumes  1-7  of  Louis  L 
Kahn  Archives:  Completely  Illustrated  Catalogue  of  the 
Drawings  in  the  Louis  L  Kahn  Collection;  the  archives  of 
Impressions  Workshop,  gift  of  Stephen  Andrus;  a  portfolio.  Stone 
with  the  Angel,  poems  by  Leo  Bronstein  and  ten  lithographs  by 
Arthur  Polansky;  a  limited  facsimile  edition  of  The  Book  of  Kells, 
gift  of  Daniel  Rea;  40  newspapers  from  1828-1898,  including  the 
New  York  Times  April  1865  edition  reporting  the  assassination 
of  President  Lincoln;  and  hundreds  of  other  important  gifts. 

The  gift  items  received  in  FY91  numbered  26,309  and 
represented  the  full  range  of  formats:  hardcovers,  paperbacks, 
magazines,  newspapers,  records,  cassettes,  videos,  compact 
discs,  sheet  music,  and  more.  Gifts  were  checked  against  the 
holdings  of  the  Library  for  titles  not  already  in  the  collection 
and  also  underwent  comparative  checking  with  materials 
already  in  the  Library  to  determine  the  better  items.  A  total  of 
10,310  were  added  to  the  Research  Library  including  82  items 
which  merited  inclusion  in  the  Rare  Book  Department. 

Behind-the-Scenes/Book  Activities 
Before  the  books  and  other  materials  appear  on  shelf  there  is 
much  behind-the-scenes  preparation:  from  examination  of  new 


10 


books  for  ordering  consideration,  then  ordering,  then  cataloging, 
and  finally  physical  preparation  of  the  item  for  circulation  or 
research  use. 

Numbers  of  acquisitions  this  year  diminished.  Although 
the  Library  budgets  in  FY90  and  FY91  were  not  significantly 
different,  the  purchasing  power  of  the  present  year  was  lower. 
Inflation,  the  high  cost  of  non-print  material,  and  the  number  of 
non-book  bibliographic  services  cut  into  the  book  budget.  The 
range  of  what  is  broadly  referred  to  as  "books"  is  broad:  works 
for  adults  and  children,  from  major  publishers,  universities,  and 
small  presses;  U.S.  and  foreign,  current  and  replacement  titles, 
paperbacks  and  large  print  books. 

Added  to  the  print  materials  here  described  are  the 
essential  serials  acquisitions.  The  Library  remains  in  the 
forefront  of  serials  control  with  a  planned  installation  of 
INNOVAGQ,  which  goes  well  beyond  a  check-in  system  by 
offering  managerial  reports  and  the  ability  to  tapeload  invoice 
information.  Budget  restrictions  led  this  year  to  the  curtailment 
of  many  serial  orders.  Mentioned  earlier,  in  terms  of  budget 
allocation  for  materials  acquisition,  is  the  considerable 
percentage  now  dedicated  to  CD  ROM  subscriptions. 

During  FY91  the  Library  purchased  50,576  titles  and 
152,387  volumes.  The  Library  added  18  CD  ROM  products  and 
14  new  Infotrac  work  stations. 

The  work  of  Automated  Cataloging  Support  encompassed 
several  operations  in  addition  to  generating  cards  and  labels  for 
the  Library,  the  Eastern  Region  deposit  centers,  and  the 
approximately  55  members  of  the  GGP  (Cooperative  Cataloging 
Program).  The  department  conducted  ongoing  development  for 
the  new  SPECTRUM  system  for  the  CCP  and  gave 
demonstrations.  More  work  remains  to  be  done  before  the 
system  becomes  operational. 

Staff  training  was  provided  on  PRISM,  OCLC's  new  on- 
line cataloging  and  searching  database.  In  continuing  support  of 
other  OCLC  services,  the  department  busily  implemented  new 


11 


software  programs,  handled  hardware  trouble-shooting, 
telecommunications  programs,  installation  of  new  equipment, 
and  writing  and  distribution  of  documentation.  A  few  statistics 
demonstrate  the  intensive  activity  of  the  department:  total 
catalog  cards  produced  numbered  1,005,944,  and  281,197 
labels. 

The  Book  Preparation  section  prepared  book  and  non- 
book  materials  (cassettes,  mixed  media,  books  on  tapes,  sound 
recordings)  for  circulation  in  an  effort  that  included  barcoding 
and  relabeling.  A  total  of  280,959  items  were  "prepped"  in 
FY91. 

Resources  and  Processing  managed  several  activities  that 
enhanced  the  organization,  preservation,  and  accessibility  of 
materials  already  part  of  the  Library's  holdings.  Completed  in 
December  1990  was  a  project,  supported  by  the  Library  Services 
and  Construction  Act,  which  had  begun  in  August  1989.  This 
project  led  to  the  processing  of  a  backlog  of  some  30,000 
volumes.  In  still  another  effort,  the  preparation  of  the  inventory 
of  nonprint  items  in  the  Joan  of  Arc  Collection  continued. 
Targeted  for  the  inventory  are  more  than  500  pieces — pictures, 
figural  items,  and  other  nonprint  items  in  the  gift  from  John 
Cardinal  Wright.  In  the  Brown  Collection  project,  attention  was 
given  to  the  cataloging  of  music  scores,  to  technical 
implications,  and  to  formulation  of  protocols. 

The  Massachusetts  Newspaper  Program  advanced  this 
year  with  completion  of  the  cataloging  of  all  titles  (a  total  of 
1,663)  held  on  microfilm  by  the  Library,  as  well  as  many  Boston 
newspapers  on  film  (463).  In  related  activities,  the  Library 
generated  interest  in  the  project  with  the  exhibit  of  the  only 
extant  copy  of  Piiblick  OccuiTences;  participated  in  a  panel 
sponsored  by  the  New  England  Press  Association;  and  took  part 
in  a  program  of  the  New  England  Library  Association  on  the 
regional  newspaper  projects. 

A  major  book-centered  activity  is  the  Interlibrary 
Loan/Catalog  Information  Department.   In  FY91,  the  proverbial 


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wires  buzzed  with  thousands  of  transactions.  Aided  by  the  DRA 
automated  circulation/reserve  system  and  facsimile  trans- 
mission, staff  were  able  to  supply  patron  requests  throughout 
the  Library  branch  system  and  Eastern  Regional  System. 

Testament  to  the  accelerated  response  to  patron  requests 
were  the  repeated  acknowledgments:  a  96-year-old  blind  woman 
on  Gape  God  was  "happy  to  remember  again"  a  verse  by  Edwin 
Markham;  A  Foxborough  patron  gratefully  acknowledged 
receiving  a  needed  article  from  the  Jouimal  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  in  one  day.  In  FY91  Massachusetts  public 
libraries  were  sent  26,497  items;  non-public  libraries,  5,597 
items.  Information  conveyed  by  Gatalog  Information  reached  a 
total  of  28,253  phone  calls,  and  staff  answered  22,813  ready 
reference  questions.  Key  words  in  Interlibrary  Loan  as  it  shipped 
books,  FAXes,  and  answers  by  phone  are  "fill  Rate"  and 
"turnaround  time."  The  statistics  for  both  were  positive  in 
FY91 — and  mounting. 

To  the  reader,  the  researcher,  and  the  visitor,  the  Library 
emerges  as  the  center  of  books,  exhibits,  and  programs.  To  make 
such  materials  and  services  possible,  the  Library  is  necessarily  a 
major  business  operation.  Behind  the  scenes,  the  Business 
Office,  supported  by  Accounting,  handles  the  full  spectrum  of 
contract  management,  ordering  of  all  supplies — everything  from 
pencils  and  paper  towels  to  acid-free  storage  containers  and 
snow  removal  equipment  to  the  books  themselves.  All  the  steps 
of  acquisition  include  shipping  arrangements,  storage,  and 
inventory  control,  and,  of  course,  the  receipt,  payment,  and 
eventual  auditing  of  the  costs  encumbered. 

The  Shipping  Department  is  charged  with  the  in  and  out 
flow  of  mail,  library  materials,  supplies,  and  equipment.  The 
processes  include  receiving,  sorting,  and  distributing  arriving 
materials.  Shipping  serves  all  central  library  units,  branch 
libraries,  members  of  the  Eastern  Regional  Library  System,  and 
the  Boston  Library  Gonsortium.  Daily  delivery  service  this  year 


13 


handled  79  locations  on  four  truck  routes.  The  department 
processed  208,752  pieces  through  the  U.S.  Postal  System.  The 
central  library  received  approximately  1,250,000  pieces  of  mail. 
In  response  to  requests  for  items  from  central  and  branches,  the 
stock  room  of  the  Shipping  Department  received  1,200  supply 
requisitions  requesting  approximately  12,912  items  of  which 
93%  were  supplied. 

A  busy  arm  of  the  Business  Office  is  the  Duplicating 
Section  that  is  charged  with  the  production  of  print  items: 
flyers,  invitations,  programs,  posters,  reading  lists,  bookmarks, 
booklets,  and  forms  for  the  Library,  the  Boston  Library 
Consortium,  the  Metro  Boston  Library  Network,  the  Office  of 
Higher  Education,  the  Eastern  Region,  and  the  Associates  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library.  The  procedures  involved  in  the  print 
operation,  in  addition  to  printing  itself,  are  numerous  and 
mandate  special  equipment:  the  creation  of  plates  or  duplicating 
impressions,  copying,  collating,  stapling,  folding/perforating, 
scoring,  padding,  shrink  wrapping,  inserting,  addressing,  and — 
finally — distribution.  In  FY91  the  items  produced  in  the 
Duplicating  Section  numbered  1,023  jobs  which  utilized 
1,162,138  sheets  of  paper. 

Buildings 
This  year  the  McKim  building  achieved  full  readiness  for  the 
actual  beginning  of  restoration/renovation.  By  February  the 
trustees  had  successfully  attained  all  permits  necessary  to  issue 
formal  construction  bids  for  Phase  I.  Plans  were  made  for  the 
removal  of  the  extensive  Research  Library  holdings  to  the 
Gharlestown  Service  building.  At  least  100,000  items  need  to  be 
transferred. 

By  the  end  of  March,  plans  and  specifications  for  the 
project  were  advertised  with  bids  from  sub-contractors 
(masonry,  metal  fabrications,  waterproofing,  glazing)  due  May  2 
and  general  contractor  bids  due  May  30.  With  the  conclusion  of 
FY91,  the    lowest  bidder,    Peabody    Construction  Company  of 


14 


Braintree,  having  complied  fully  with  specifications  and  legal 
obligations,  was  awarded  the  contract.  Gerald  E.  Dopp  was 
named  clerk  of  the  works. 

The  scope  of  activities  in  the  Buildings  Department 
remained  demanding  and  extensive  in  FY91.  Attention  was 
directed  to  electrical/mechanical/plumbing  systems  in  central 
and  the  branches,  to  security,  communications,  custodial  and 
laborer  services,  repairs,  painting,  carpentry,  and  extermination. 
Carpentry  projects  ranged  from  building  bookcases  to  repairing 
damages  from  storms  or  vandalism.  The  frequent  installation  or 
dismantling  of  central  library  exhibits  often  called  for  carpentry. 
Painting  assignments  included  refurbishing  branches  and 
central,  removal  of  graffiti,  and  refinishing  furniture. 

Particular  attention  went  to  Inspection  and  Information 
Services  with  the  objective  of  training  and  educating  staff  in 
relations  with  the  public  and  consistency  in  enforcing  library 
policies  related  to  security. 

Custodial  Services  experienced  great  turnover  in  FY91, 
leaving  staff  coverage  thin.  The  plan  to  create  a  travel  crew  of 
custodians,  ready  to  serve  as  branch  replacements  or  to  respond 
immediately  to  units  needing  custodial  attention  failed  to 
become  a  reality. 

Cost  containment  was  a  major  focus  this  year.  The 
department  worked  with  Boston  Edison  Energy  Conservation  in 
relamping  Dudley  Branch  and  the  central  cafeteria.  Branch 
buildings  were  monitored  to  control  costs  of  lighting  and 
mechanical  equipment. 

Preparation  moved  ahead  for  the  expansion  of  data 
processing  by  planning  for  laying  out  cables  and  terminals 
throughout  the  system.  Air-conditioning,  essential  for  central 
data  processing  equipment,  was  constantly  monitored. 

The  Buildings  Department  worked  in  close  cooperation 
with  the  Boston  Athletic  Association  for  the  Boston  Marathon 
that  finishes  in  front  of  the  Library  on  Boylston  Street. 


15 


The  supervisor  of  Library  buildings  summed  up  his 
department's  mission:  "Since  the  operation  of  the  Buildings 
Department  reflects  the  Library  visually,  we  will  continue  to 
perform  its  duties  with  a  goal  of  improving  the  quality  of  work 
with  high  standards." 

Friends 
Since  last  year,  two  more  neighborhood  Friends  of  the  Library 
groups  have  been  formed  at  the  Godman  Square  and  Uphams 
Corner  Branch  Libraries.  There  are  now  20  such  neighborhood 
groups,  in  addition  to  the  City-Wide  Friends  and  the  Associates. 
The  combined  membership  of  these  groups  is  now  estimated  at 
more  than  two  thousand  individuals. 

In  addition  to  continuing  their  financial  support  of 
library  programs,  Friends  groups  also  contributed  to  other 
special  projects.  In  Charlestown,  for  instance,  the  Friends 
underwrote  the  costs  of  restoring  the  branch  library's  painting 
by  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse.  In  the  West  End,  the  Friends  received  a 
second  two-thousand-dollar  grant  from  the  Boston  Foundation 
under  the  Greenspace  Alliance  Program  to  continue  im- 
provements to  the  library  grounds.  The  Faneuil  Branch  Friends 
contributed  40  stackable  chairs  to  augment  available  seating  for 
branch  programs. 

Of  particular  note  was  an  initiative  of  the  City- Wide 
Friends  to  underwrite  the  costs  for  provision  of  admission  passes 
to  the  New  England  Aquarium  at  all  25  branch  libraries  and  the 
central  library.  The  passes  complement  Museum  of  Science 
admission  passes  which  were  donated  for  the  first  time  this  year 
by  the  Museum  under  a  grant  it  had  received  from  the  Lowell 
Institute.  Both  passes  are  in  constant  use  and  are  proving  to  be 
an  effective  means  of  encouraging  greater  use  of  these  Boston 
institutions  by  local  neighborhood  residents. 


16 


Staff 
Many  staff  members  were  recognized  this  year  for  their 
achievements  and  special  contributions.  Euclid  (Ed)  Peltier, 
founder  of  the  Library's  Audiovisual  Department,  retired  after 
more  than  40  years  of  service.  In  their  meeting  of  27  February 
1991,  the  Trustees  voted  to  bestow  on  Ed  Peltier  the  title  of 
Curator  of  Films,  Emeritus,  citing  his  extensive  contributions  to 
the  Library  and  its  patrons,  to  libraries  across  the  nation,  and  to 
the  film  industry.  In  an  overflow  Rabb  Lecture  Hall,  Ed's  friends 
and  colleagues  gave  a  special  tribute.  Michael  Blowen,  film  critic 
for  the  Boston  Globe,  called  Ed  "one  of  Boston's  most  important 
protectors  of  film  art." 

Ruth  Chamberlain  Kowal  was  named  this  year  to  the  post 
of  Regional  administrator  of  the  Eastern  Massachusetts  Regional 
Library  System.  Kowal  came  to  the  Library  from  her  position  as 
Regional  Administrator,  Central  Massachusetts  Regional  System 
in  Worcester.  She  had  previously  served  in  executive  library 
positions  in  southeastern  Massachusetts  and  in  New  York  State. 

Concluding  Thoughts 
Once  again  as  FY91  draws  to  a  close  the  Library  is  faced  with 
budget  problems  and  the  need  to  plan  alternatives  in  terms  of 
hours  of  service  and  staffing  for  FY92.  Let  me  quote  the  ever 
quotable  David  McCord,  who  wrote  at  the  time  of  the  Library's 
centennial:  "The  problems  of  adapting  this  great  building  to  the 
present-day  pressures,  with  the  periodic  need  for  more  space,  is 
not  easy  of  solution." 

Almost  forty  years  later,  adapting  the  central  library  and 
branches  to  current  problems  is  not  easy,  but  we  are  moving  in 
double-time  to  find  solutions. 

Arthur  Curley 
Director  and  Librarian 


17 


Library  Resources 

General  Book  Collections 


Volumes 

5,904,605 

Special  Collections 

Rare  Books  and  Manuscripts 

1,238,612 

Prints 

725,924 

Patents 

9,435,056 

Maps 

319,218 

Government  Documents 

2,110,908 

Musical  Scores 

96,910 

Periodicals 

Current  Subscriptions 

16,923 

Non-Print  Materials 

Audio-Recordings 

329,618 

Films  &  Video  Cassettes 

17,445 

Microforms 

4,416.851 

TOTAL 

24,612,070 

Library 

Use 

Visitors 

2,085,716 

Programs 

5,024 

Program  Attendance 

168,029 

Items  Borrowed 

2,127,039 

Volumes  Consulted 

976,033 

Reference  Inquiries 

1,339,049 

Photocopies 

1,498,000 

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