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Boston  Public  Library 


1848  >  1998 


OUR 


150 


TH    ANNIVERSARY 


F^£:i:-TO->.LL 


This  book  and  its  companion  CD-ROM  have  been  developed  to  commemorate  the 
150th  anniversary  of  the  Boston  Public  Library— to  share  the  treasures,  resources, 
vision,  history,  and  people  of  the  Library  with  those  who  count  on  it,  those  who  support 
it,  and  those  for  whom  much  of  this  story  will  be  new. 

Consistent  with  the  Library's  mission  to  provide  information  and  inspiration  in  the  most 
appropriate  media,  this  commemorative  project  comprises  both  a  book  and  a  CD-ROM. 

The  printed  book  celebrates  the  original  vision  of  the  Library's  founders  and  shows  how 
the  spirit  of  this  vision  is  very  much  alive  today  in  a  Library  that  serves  a  city  that  has 
seen  a  century  and  a  half  of  significant  change. 

The  CD-ROM  provides  interactive,  virtual  reality  tours  of  the  main  Library  facilities  in 
Copley  Square — the  McKim  and  Johnson  buildings.  In  a  classroom,  living  room,  or  even 
at  a  computer  within  the  Library,  a  viewer  can  explore  the  most  beautiful  and  important 
spaces  of  the  Library  and  learn  about  the  behind-the-scenes  workings  of  the  nation's 
2nd  largest  public  library  system.  And  with  a  click  of  a  mouse,  art,  architecture,  and  the 
people  wlio  make — and  have  made — the  Library  special  come  (almost)  to  life. 

Cienerating  the  imagery  for  the  CD-ROM  involved  taking  more  than  4,000  digital  pho- 
tographs that  were  then  electronically  "stitched"  together  to  form  ^(io-degree  environ- 
ments within  which  a  viewer  can  wander  freely — to  a  particular  .sculpture,  down  an 
impressive  corridor,  or  ovei"  to  a  one  of  a  kind  mural. 

The  panoramic  views  shown  on  these  inside  covers  and  throughout  the  book  are  a 
byproduct  of  producing  (he  CD-ROM.  Their  sweep  and  scope  underscore  the  richness 
and  scale  of  the  Librarv  and  its  ireasures — then,  as  now,  "Free  to  All." 


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Boston  Public  Library  Chronology 

(  >«4« 
Boston  Public  Library  created  as  the  first  municipal- 
ly funded  public  library  in  tfie  nation  by  an  act  of 
the  Great  and  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  and 
its  acceptance  by  the  Boston  City  Council. 


1)  The  McKim  Building  courtyard  ca.  1920. 

2)  Entrance  to  the  McKim  Building  m  1895. 

3)  Bates  Hall  in  the  Boylston  Street  Library  build- 
ing ca.  1870.  4)  President  Bernard  Margolis  in 
the  McKim  Building's  newly  renovated  Bates  Hall. 
5)  Trustees  of  the  Library  during  the  construction 
of  the  McKim  Building  (left  to  right):  Henry  W. 
Haynes,  Frederick  0.  Prince  (former  mayor  of 
Boston),  Samuel  A.  B.  Abbott  (president  of 
trustees),  William  R.  Richards,  and  Phineas  Pierce. 
Photo  by  Charles  H.  Currier,  1894,  reproduced 
courtesy  of  the  Library  of  Congress. 


Founding  trustees  issue  the  Library's  first  annual 
report.  Upon  the  Objects  to  Be  Attained  by  tt\e 
Establishment  of  a  Public  Library:  Report  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Public  Library  of  the  City  of  Boston. 

(  '«5-l 

Library  opens  in  the  Mason  Street  schoolhouse. 

(  1858 
First  Library  building  opens  on  Boylston  Street  on 
the  site  of  the  current  Colonial  Theater. 

(  >87<> 
The  first  branch  library  opens  in  East  Boston,  inau- 
gurating the  branch  system  in  U.S.  public  libraries. 


(  189.-, 

The  new  Library,  now  known  as  the  McKim  Building 
for  architect  Charles  Follen  McKim,  opens  in 
Copley  Square. 

(  1893 

With  the  opening  of  the  Children's  Room  in  the 
McKim  Building,  the  Library  becomes  the  first  to 
offer  children's  services  in  a  dedicated  space. 

(  ^ry> 

The  first  public  business  reference  library  opens 
in  Boston's  financial  district  and  is  named  for 
Edward  Kirstein,  father  of  donor  Louis  Kirstein. 

( >9r)<> 

The  Library  becomes  the  first  to  offer  special 
services  to  seniors. 

(  19.")" 
The  Audiovisual  Department  opens,  the  first  in  a 

New  England  public  library. 


Mobile  library  services  are  inaugurated. 


(  '97^ 

A  major  addition  to  the  Central  Library,  now 
known  as  the  Johnson  Building  for  architect 
Philip  Johnson,  opens  in  Copley  Square. 


(  '99- 
The  Boston  Public  Library  Foundation  is  created  by 

entrepreneur  John  Cullinane. 

(  '991 
Legislation  is  enacted  expanding  the  Board  of 

Trustees  from  five  to  nine  individuals. 

(  '995 

The  Library  offers  public  access  to  the  Internet. 

(  '997 
The  Library's  first  president  is  appointed  by 

the  trustees. 


(  '99« 
Boston  public  high  schools  are  technologically 
linked  to  the  Library  in  a  first-in-the-nation  initiative 
allowing  students  to  use  their  school  and  public 
libraries  with  a  single  library  card. 


©  1998  Sametz  Blackstone  Associates,  Boston 


Dear  Friends: 

As  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Boston,  I  am  pleased  to  present  this  150'*'  Anniversary 
Commemorative  Report  in  honor  of  the  Boston  Public  Library.  This  resource  tells  the 
story  of  a  great  Boston~and  American-institution. 

As  the  nation's  first  free  public  library,  the  Boston  Public  Library  has  played  a 
vital  role  in  the  service  of  American  democracy,  fulfilling  our  guiding  principle  of 
"education  for  all." 

From  the  Main  Branch  in  Copley  Square  to  the  25  neighborhood  branches, 
libraries  play  host  to  learning  that  profoundly  affects  our  civic  life.  Children  learn  to 
read;  adults  learn  to  read;  new  Bostonians  learn  English-as-a-Second  Language  and  study 
for  citizenship;  and  high  school  students~and  older  adults-research  opportunities  for 
higher  education. 

I  am  proud  to  continue  the  City  of  Boston's  honorable  tradition  of  supporting  the 
Boston  Public  Library.  It  is  an  institution  that  holds  a  special  place  in  the  heart  of  all  of 
the  people  of  this  city,  many  of  whom  personally  step  forward  to  generously  assist  the 
Library.  This  document  itself  is  the  expression  of  such  a  commitment  to  the  Library  on 
the  part  of  private  citizens  and  businesses.  I  am  grateful  for  their  unswerving  dedication 
to  this  great  institution. 

I  hope  that  you  will  enjoy  the  compelling  story  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 
found  in  the  pages-and  on  the  CD-ROM-of  this  Commemorative  Report.  But  even 
more  so,  I  hope  that  you  will  be  a  frequent  visitor  to  the  libraries  that  are  our  common 
heritage. 


Sincerely, 


Thomas  M.  Menino 
Mayor  of  Boston 


^^  Printed  on  recycled  paper 


MiiL      iJ.^T...>s;. 


©  1998  Sametz  Blackstone  Associates,  Boston 


1     »- 1  U"*  L.  :  V       Lie  IVj^  jx  I 


lamn. 


Celebrating  150  years 


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the  first  public  library  in  the  United  States,  it  has  been  an  inno- 
vator since  its  founding  in  1848,  leading  the  entire  American 
public  library  movement.  The  Library's  significance  over  the 
last  150  years  and  its  vital  role  today  are  grounded  in  the  vision 
of  the  founding  trustees.  These  forward-looking  individuals 
articulated  a  plan  for  the  Library  whose  broad  outlines  are  still 
manifest  today. 


(This  150th  anniversary  annual  report  uses 
the  founders'  plan,  published  in  1852  as  the 
Library's  first  annual  report,  as  a  framework 

3'"^  for  illustrating  current  initiatives  and  the  out- 
look for  the  future.  (Language  from  the 
^  1852  report  is  rendered  in  this  type 

style.)  Despite  the  many  obvious  changes  in  the  life  of  the  city 
over  a  century  and  a  half,  this  juxtaposition  demonstrates  how 
the  founding  vision  remains  a  vibrant  source  of  inspiration  for 
the  Library's  work  now— and  for  the  years  to  come. 


An  enduring 
vision 


M      O 


5    « 


A 


free  public  library  is  not  only 
seen  to  be  demanded  bv  the 
wants  of  the  city  at  this  time,  but  also  seen  to  be  the 
natural  next  step  to  be  taken  for  the  intellectual 
advancement  of  this  whole  community.  .  .  .  [That  a 
free  public  library  can  be  formed  and]  used  to  a 
much  wider  extent  than  libraries  have  ever  been 
used  before,  and  with  much  more  important 
results,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  and  if  it  can  be  done 
anywhere,  it  can  be  done  here 
in  Boston.  .  .  . 


As  the  first  public  library  in  the  United  States,  the  Boston  Public 
Library  has  a  special  responsibility  to  uphold  and  extend  the  vision  of 
the  founders  into  the  future.  This  institution  was  created  to  acquire 
materials  so  that  information  could  be  shared  by  everyone  in  the 
community.  When  the  Library  was  founded,  those  materials  were 
print — books  and  newspapers.  Now  our  purview  has  extended  to 
include  electronic  publications,  and  we  share  their  content  just  as  we 
do  with  print.  People  can  come  here,  whether  or  not  they  have  access 
to  computers  at  home  or  at  their  jobs,  and  use  interactive  materials 
or  connect  to  people  around  the  world.  No  matter  what  the  medium, 
we  continue  to  foster  the  sharing  of  ideas.  That  sharing  helps  build  a 
sense  of  community,  no  matter  how  technology  changes.  The  Library 
continues  to  be  a  place  where  there's  plenty  of  common  ground  for 
everyone. 


{2. 


1)  Patrons  enjoy  the  Reading  Room  at  the  first 
building  constructed  specifically  to  house  the 
Library,  located  on  Boylston  Street  on  the  site  of 
the  current  Colonial  Theater.  2)  Slated  for  restora- 
tion beginning  in  1999  is  the  Sargent  Gallery  on  the 
upper  floor  of  the  McKim  Building.  John  Singer 
Sargent  devoted  more  than  25  years  to  planning 
the  architectural  details  and  painting  the  murals  for 
this  high,  narrow  space.  While  Sargent  is  remem- 
bered primarily  for  his  portraiture,  the  artist  himself 
regarded  these  murals  as  his  highest  achievement. 
3)  Master  French  muralist  Puvis  de  Chavannes 
painted  the  allegorical  wall  decorations  at  the  top  of 
the  McKim  Building's  main  staircase.  The  large  pri- 
mary panel  depicts  the  nine  muses  of  Greek  mythol- 
ogy paying  homage  to  the  Spirit  of  Enlightenment, 
while  the  smaller  panels  along  the  upper  staircase 
represent  the  major  disciplines  of  poetry,  philoso- 
phy, and  science.  4  >  6)  The  Library  had  two 
homes  before  moving  to  Copley  Square.  Shown 
here  are  the  Mason  Street  School  (4),  where  the 
Library  occupied  two  rooms  between  1854  and 
1858,  and  the  Boylston  Street  building  (5,  6),  which 
housed  the  Library  from  1858  until  the  opening  of 
the  McKim  Building  in  1895.  7)  The  Library's  hold- 
ings include  many  special  collections.  The  plates, 
letter  opener,  and  coin  shown  here  are  drawn  from 
the  Joan  of  Arc  Collection,  given  to  the  Library  in 
1975  by  Cardinal  John  Joseph  Wright.  The  collec- 
tion contains  sculpture,  paintings,  prints,  ceramics, 
textiles,  and  glassware  as  well  as  more  than  6,000 
volumes  ranging  from  children's  books  to  scholarly 
works  in  many  languages.  8)  Boston  Mayor  Thomas 
M.  Menino  reads  with  Boston  youngsters  at  the 
1997  dedication  of  the  Margret  and  H.  A.  Rey 
Children's  Room  at  the  Central  Library.  When  Mayor 
Menino  began  his  second  term  in  January  1998,  he 
acknowledged  the  central  role  of  the  Boston  Public 
Library  in  his  inaugural  address,  announcing  an 
expansion  of  Library  hours,  so  that  every  branch  in 
the  system  will  open  on  Saturdays  for  children  and 
adults  alike. 


The  Internet  is  one  of  the  most  far-reaching  technolo- 
gies of  our  age,  and  the  Library  is  a  natural  place  for 
people  to  turn  in  order  to  gain  access  to,  and  learn  to 
use,  this  powerful  medium  for  communicating  and 
gathering  information.  Nationwide,  only  13  percent 
of  people  have  computers  with  Internet  connections 
in  their  homes  or  offices,  and  access  through  public 
libraries  is  critical  to  minimizing  the  growing  division 
between  information  haves  and  have-nots.  The 
Library  provides  this  access  free  of  charge  to  all 
library  card  holders.  At  the  Central  Library  in  Copley 
Square,  there  are  separate  Internet  facilities  for  use 
by  adults,  teens,  and  children.  All  branches  also  main- 
tain Internet  connections  for  public  use. 

As  anyone  who  has  used  the  Internet  knows,  educa- 
tion and  practice  are  required  in  order  to  make  the 
experience  worthwhile,  especially  for  those  who  are 
not  already  comfortable  with  computers.  The  Internet 
also  raises  significant  issues  about  privacy,  censorship, 
and  the  credibility  and  quality  of  information. 
Although  many  initially  hailed  the  Internet  for  its 
potential  to  give  people  direct  access  to  information 
without  such  intermediaries  as  librarians  and 
teachers,  as  the  medium  has  developed,  the  need 
for  navigational  guidance  has  become  more  and 
more  evident. 


I3- 


Wlien  the  Library  was  founded,  its  trustees  certainly 
did  not  envision  librarians  as  information  navigators, 
but  their  vision  was  broad  enough  to  enable  us  to  ful- 
fill I  hat  role  today.  We  supply  guidance  and  energy  to 
help  people  use  the  dynamic  resource  of  the  Internet 
effectively,  without  becoming  discoiuaged  by  its  chal- 
lenges or  overwhelmed  by  the  enormous,  often  unin- 
terpreted, quantity  of  information  it  contains.  As  the 
hiternet  has  developed,  much  of  its  most  valuable 
information  has  become  more  difficult  to  locate  due 
to  the  proliferation  of  commercial  messages.  The 
Library  helps  people  become  more  efficient  explor- 
ers, capable  of  mining  the  best  of  the  Internet. 


At  the  same  time,  however,  the  Library  must  be  mind- 
ful of  its  dual  role  as  an  open  information  environment 
and  as  a  safe  place  for  children  to  learn.  The  Internet 
has  raised  important  questions  about  censorship,  which 
are  now  being  debated  across  the  nation  at  local,  state, 
and  federal  levels.  The  Library  has  been  in  the  van- 
guard on  this  issue,  developing  a  model  known  as  the 
Boston  Solution  that  offers  separate  tiers  of  Internet 
access  to  children  and  adults.  Children's  access  is  sub- 
ject to  filters — -jvist  as  the  print  materials  in  the  Margret 
and  H.  A.  Rey  Children's  Room  are  carefully  selected 
to  be  age  appropriate — while  adults  have  uncensored 
access.  The  Internet  is  not  yet  a  fully  mature  medium, 
but  we  believe  that  the  Boston  Solution  is  a  practical 
one  for  this  stage  of  its  development. 


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1  >  3)  Boston's  legendary  sports  tradition  is  well 
documented  in  the  Library's  special  collections. 
These  photos  from  the  McGreevey  Collection  show 
(left  to  right)  the  Boston  Americans,  the  predeces- 
sors of  the  Red  Sox;  the  1900  infield  for  the  Boston 
Nationals,  later  the  Boston  Braves  and  now  the 
Atlanta  Braues;  and  the  Boston  Americans,  winners 
of  the  1903  World  Series,  with  their  competitors 
from  Pittsburgh.  4)  Library  users  take  advantage  of 
Internet  access  at  the  Central  Library,  which  has  12 
computers  dedicated  to  Internet  connections  for 
adults,  teenagers,  and  children.  5  >  8)  The  corner- 
stone of  the  McKim  Building  is  laid  with  pomp  and 
ceremony  in  1888.  9)  The  McKim  Building  begins 
to  assume  its  now-familiar  shape.  10)  This  photo  of 
Arthur  Fiedler  (center),  legendary  conductor  of  the 
Boston  Pops  for  50  years,  is  part  of  the  Allen  A. 
Brown  Music  Collection.  The  collection,  originally 
given  to  the  Library  in  1894,  now  contains  more 
than  40,000  books,  scores,  and  manuscripts, 
together  with  such  ephemera  as  reviews,  concert 
programs,  and  photos.  11)  This  1854  poster  is 
part  of  the  Library's  extensive  collection  of  antislav- 
ery  materials — books,  documents,  artifacts,  and 
the  papers  of  such  abolitionist  leaders  as  Wendell 
Phillips  and  William  Lloyd  Garrison. 


Free  to  all 


here  can  be  no  doubt  that  such 

reading  ought  to  be  furnished 
to  all,  as  a  matter  of  public  policy  and  duty,  on  the 
same  principle  that  we  furnish  free  education,  and 
in  fact,  as  a  part,  and  a  most  important  part  of  the 
education  of  all.  .  .  .  it  is  of  paramount  importance 
that  the  means  of  general  information  should  be  so 
diffused  that  the  largest  possible  number  of  persons 
should  be  induced  to  read  and  understand  ques- 
tions going  down  to  the  very  foundations  of  social 
order,  which  are  constantly  presenting  themselves, 
and  which  we,  as  a  people,  are 

'■         ^  than  it  did  150  years  ago.  We  serve  the  broadest  possible  audience 

constantly  required  to  decide,  in  a  very  complex  world,  in  our  community,  we  spealt  about  140  lan- 
guages. That's  literally  Arabic  to  Zulu,  an  incredible  amount  of  diver- 
sity, not  just  in  language  but  also  in  the  cultural,  political,  religious, 
and  social  perspectives  that  people  in  this  city  embrace.  We  need  a 
much  greater  range  of  materials  than  ever  before,  and  new  ways  to 
help  people  make  effective  use  of  them.  The  question  now  is:  How  do 
we  equip  people  with  the  tools  and  resources  that  they  need  to  inte- 
grate all  this  potential  learning  into  their  own  lives,  knowing  that  their 
lives  are  structured  very  differently  than  those  of  our  users  over  the 
last  century  and  a  half? 


Today,  the  Library  needs  a  much  more  diverse  collection  of  materials 


and   do   decide,    either   igno- 
rantly  or  wisely. 


c>- 


V  '^  «i^^^^ 


1)  Library  patrons  take  advantage  of  ttie  bookmo- 
bile. The  Library  began  to  offer  mobile  services  in 
1970.  2)  Tfie  General  Library  houses  the  largest 
collection  of  world  language  books  in  Massachusetts. 
The  collection,  which  includes  works  in  more  than 
40  languages— including  Esperanto! — is  available 
through  the  branch  system  and  to  other  local 
libraries  through  interlibrary  loan.  3  >  6)  The 
Library's  McKim  Building  is  one  of  the  great  monu- 
ments of  American  civic  architecture,  its  character 
defined  by  its  fundamental  design  and  works  of  art 
that  embellish  it  inside  and  out.  The  current  S65  mil- 
lion restoration  and  renovation  overseen  by  the 
Boston  architecture  firm  Shepley  Bulfinch  Richardson 
and  Abbott  looks  to  the  future  by  preserving  this  trea- 
sure for  generations  to  come.  The  current  work  also 
anticipates  future  needs  by  adding  100,000  square 
feet  of  public  space  in  a  new  lower  level,  replacing 
infrastructure,  and  incorporating  new  telecommunica- 
tions technology.  The  McKim  Building  is  shown  in  this 
group  of  photos  (top  to  bottom)  ca.  1895,  in  daylight 
and  at  night  ca.  1920,  and  with  the  newly  con- 
structed Johnson  Building  in  1974.  Photo  6  by 
Nicholas  Nixon.  7)  A  couple  attends  a  program  of 
The  Never  Too  Late  Group  at  the  Central  Library — 
established  in  1950,  this  is  the  nation's  longest-run- 
ning library-sponsored  program  for  older  adults. 
8)  The  card  catalog  in  Bates  Hall,  shown  ca.  1912, 
was  the  public's  original  gateway  to  the  Library's 
collections. 


The  words  "Free  to  Ail, "  carved  in  stone  over  the 
main  entrance  of  the  McKim  Building,  testify  to 
our  fimdamental  commitment  to  serve  all  possible 
users.  Within  20  years  of  its  founding,  the  Library 
inaugurated  the  first  branch  library  system  in  the 
nation  in  order  to  increase  access.  East  Boston,  at 
the  time  the  most  remote  part  of  the  city,  was  desig- 
nated as  the  site  of  the  first  branch,  which  opened 
in  1870,  followed  by  South  Boston  in  1  872  and 
Roxbury  in  1873.  .\s  independent  towns,  such  as 
Hyde  Park,  were  annexed  to  the  cit)',  their  libraries 
became  branches.  The  Library  now  has  25  neigh- 
borhood branches  (with  another  to  be  built  in 
AJlston)  and  one  business  branch  in  the  financial 
district,  putting  a  branch  library  within  minutes  of 
nearly  every  resident  of  Boston  and  making  the 
branch  system  the  largest  per  capita  in  the  nation. 

In  1 998  as  in  the  nineteenth  century,  we  serve  an 
important  fimction  in  helping  immigrants  learn 
English-language  skills.  Since  1992,  the  Library 
and  the  volunteer  organization  City-Wide  Friends 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library  have  collaborated  in  a 
literacv  program  for  adults  new  to  English.  This 
English  as  a  Second  Language  (ESL)  initiative 
relies  on  volimteer  tutors  recruited  and  trained  by 
the  City-Wide  Friends  and  on  study  materials  and 
meeting  space  provided  by  the  Library. 


The  ESL  program  ciurently  has  85  active  tutors, 
each  of  whom  commits  six  to  nine  months  to  tutor- 
ing following  a  12-hour  training  coiuse.  Students 
who  have  participated  represent  45  countries  and 
range  in  age  from  19  to  over  70.  More  than  100 
adults  are  now  waiting  to  be  paired  with  tutors.  In 
response  to  this  unmet  demand,  the  City-Wide 
Friends  sponsors  English  conversation  groups  held 
each  month  at  the  Central  Library  and  selected 
branches.  These  groups,  where  people  gather  to 
speak  English  with  one  another  in  an  informal, 
volunteer-led  setting,  average  about  40  enthusiastic 
speakers  at  each  session. 


THE    LIBRARY'S    HISTORIC    COMMUNITY   PRESENCE 


1  1 

LrUlilL 

Bpjv^ 

^      J 

■■■■H^^L  >.               MJ^^^^^^m 

Branch  libraries  pictured: 


1)  Adams  Street,  1950s 
4)  Codman,  ca.  1910 
7)  Parker  Hill,  1930s 


2)  Jeffries  Point,  1930s 
5)  West  End,  1890s 
8)  South  End,  ca.  1910 


3)  West  Roxbury,  1930s 

6)  Connolly,  1936 

9)  Egleston  Square,  1950s 


1)  Marilyn  Rodriguez  (shown  in  photo 
sequence)  and  Barbara  Findley  (not  pictured), 
library  assistants  at  the  Connolly  Branch  in 
Jamaica  Plain,  are  on  the  front  lines  of  the 
Library's  effort  to  be  accessible  to  all  its  con- 
W  V  stituencies.  "The  first  job  of  the  library  is  to 
make  people  feel  welcome,"  Marilyn 
Rodriguez  says.  "Even  if  we  don't  have  the 
information  they're  looking  for,  or  in  a  lan- 
guage they  can  read,  they'll  keep  coming 
back  if  they  feel  comfortable  here."  Barbara 
Findley  is  acutely  conscious  of  the  need  to 
serve  everyone.  "Jamaica  Plain  is  an  incredi- 
bly diverse  neighborhood,"  she  observes. 
'About  30  percent  of  our  users  speak  no 
English  and  about  65  percent  are  native 
Spanish-speakers.  But  as  big  as  our  Hispanic 
community  is,  it's  not  the  whole  story.  We've 
got  African  Americans,  Indians,  Chinese, 
Japanese,  people  from  Eastern  Europe,  and 
others  straight  from  Ireland.  I  make  it  a  point 
to  learn  to  say  at  least  'Hi,  how  are  you?'  to  all 
of  tfiem  in  their  own  languages.  It's  a  small 
tfiing,  but  it  makes  a  difference." 


2  >  S)  Photos  from  the  Library's  Leslie  Jones 
Collection  document  elements  of  Boston  life  that 
would  otherwise  be  lost  (from  left  to  right): 
Chinatown  ca.  1930,  a  North  End  hot  dog  stand  in 
1937,  an  elephant  at  the  Franklin  Park  Zoo  in  1929, 
and  a  mounted  policeman  in  about  1930.  The  family 
of  Leslie  Jones,  a  photographer  for  the  Boston 
Herald  Traveler,  donated  this  collection  of  his  pho- 
tographs to  the  Library  after  his  death.  6)  The  Hyde 
Park  Branch  Library  is  currently  undergoing  a  nearly 
S7  million  renovation  with  new  construction  that  will 
double  the  size  of  the  present  building  while  provid- 
ing the  community  with  state-of-the-art  technology, 
new  meeting  rooms,  expanded  children's  facilities, 
and  increased  exhibition  space.  The  project  is 
scheduled  for  completion  in  September  1999  to 
coincide  with  the  centennial  of  the  original  Classical 
Revival  structure.  7  4  8)  From  the  beginning,  news- 
papers have  been  an  important  part  of  the  Librar/s 
collections.  Shown  here  are  the  former  newspaper 
reading  room  in  the  McKim  Building  (8)  and  the  cur- 
rent one  in  the  Johnson  Building  (7). 


Life-long  learning 


S    ^■ 

O    3 


hy  should  not  this  prosperous 

and  hberal  city  extend  some 
reasonable  amount  of  aid  to  the  foundation  and 
support  of  a  noble  public  library,  to  which  young 
people  of  both  sexes,  when  they  leave  the  schools, 
can  resort  for  those  works  which  pertain  to  general 
culture,  or  which  are  needful  for  research  into  any 
branch  of  useful  knowledge?.  .  .  The  trustees  sub- 
mit, that  all  the  reasons  which  exist  for  furnishing 
the  means  of  elementary  education,  at  the  public 
expense,  apply  in  an  equal  degree  to  a  reasonable 
provision  to  aid  and  encourage  the  acquisition 
of  the  knowledsfe  required  to 

^  ^  learn  what  they  want  to  know  about  the  world.  We  provide  that  edu- 

COmplete      a     preparation     for  cation  formally,  through  activities  such  as  lecture  series  and  authors' 

1  •  p  r  ■ .      readings.  But  education  also  happens  every  time  someone  picks  a 

active   lire   or   to   pertorm   its 

'  book  off  a  shelf  and  opens  it.  And  it  happens  every  time  someone 

duties.  walks  up  to  the  readers'  assistance  desk  and  says,  "I  want  to  learn 

about  oceanography.  I  want  to  learn  about  archeology.  I  want  to  learn 
about  baking  bread."  We  encourage  and  guide  people  in  using  the 
Library  to  get  closer  to  their  dreams,  or  at  least  to  improve  their  next 
loaf  of  bread. 


For  many  people,  the  Library  serves  as  their  university,  the  place  they 


lio. 


We  support  adult  learners  in  varied  ways.  The 
Dudley  Literacy  Center,  at  Roxbury's  Dudley 
Branch,  includes  a  computer  lab  equipped  with 
software  to  facilitate  adult  literacy  and  basic  educa- 
tion, together  with  books,  magazines,  and  video- 
and  audiotapes  geared  to  adults  who  are  learning 
to  read.  The.se  are  essential  services  in  a  commu- 
nity where  information  needs  are  very  high,  and 
the  results  can  be  dramatic.  There  are  actual  cases 
of  people  first  visiting  the  Dudley  Literacy  Center 
unable  to  read,  and  in  a  few  months  progressing  to 
the  point  where  they  are  not  only  reading,  but  writ- 
ing their  resumes. 

Sometimes  people  who  have  been  schooling  them- 
selves at  the  Library  decide  they  want  to  pursue 
a  formal  education.  It  is  a  natiual  step  for  them 
to  take  advantage  of  the  Higher  Education 
Information  Center,  located  at  the  Central  Library. 
The  center  offeis  individualized  help  in  aptitude 
testing  and  skills  assessment  and  in  applying  to 
schools  or  career  training  programs. 


Business  people  were  among  the  first  adult  learners 
to  take  advantage  of  the  Library,  and  as  early  as 
1918  the  trustees  urged  the  formation  of  a  business 
branch  in  the  financial  district.  This  branch 
became  a  reality  in  1928  when  businessman  and 
Library  trustee  Louis  E.  Kirstein  gave  a  building  to 
house  it.  The  branch,  which  opened  in  1930,  was 
an  immediate  success,  serving  an  average  of  more 
than  400  readers  a  day,  and  more  still  as  the 
Depression  proceeded.  Serving  small  and  large 
businesses,  nonprofit  organizations,  and  individual 
investors,  the  branch  subscribes  to  print  and  elec- 
tronic reference  materials — periodicals,  manuals, 
and  directories,  many  of  them  too  costly  to  be  prac- 
tical purchases  for  individuals  or  businesses. 


1)  Many  people  have  expressed  their  gratitude  to 
the  Library  for  giving  them  the  means  to  educate 
themselves  long  after  their  formal  schooling  ended, 
but  none  with  such  far-reaching  results  as  John 
Deferrari.  Born  in  the  North  End  in  1864  to  Italian 
immigrant  parents,  the  young  Deferrari  left  school 
at  the  age  of  13  and  followed  his  father  into  the 
fruit-peddling  business.  By  the  1890s,  he  owned  the 
Quality  Fruit  Store  adjacent  to  the  Library's  earlier 
home  on  the  site  of  the  Colonial  Theater.  At  that 
time,  he  began  to  use  the  Library  to  learn  about 
investing  in  securities  and  real  estate.  By  the  age  of 
28,  Deferrari  left  the  fruit  business  to  devote  him- 
self to  his  investments,  continuing  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  information  available  at  the  new  Copley 
Square  Library  and  later  the  Kirstein  Business 
Branch.  As  an  elderly  man,  he  decided  to  make  the 
Library  his  beneficiary;  he  is  shown  here  in  1948 
with  the  portrait  the  Library  commissioned  to 
acknowledge  his  generosity.  At  his  death  in  1950, 
John  Deferrari  left  the  Library  3850,000  with  com- 
plex provisions  that  called  for  developing  the  princi- 
pal to  fund  a  new  wing  for  the  building.  This  gift  was 
realized  with  the  construction  of  the  1972  addition 
of  the  Johnson  Building,  which  houses  the  Central 
Library's  circulating  collechon.  2)  The  Library's 
programs — including  lectures,  readings,  workshops, 
conferences,  and  book  discussion  groups — draw  a 
wide  cross-section  of  adult  learners.  3)  The  dra- 
mahc  expanse  of  the  stacks  in  the  Johnson  Building 
provides  a  graphic  sense  of  the  materials  the 
Library  makes  available  for  life-long  learning.  4)  The 
Library's  neighborhood  branches  have  a  tradition  of 
intensive  use  by  people  seeking  information  long 
after  they  have  left  school;  pictured  here  is  the 
South  End  Branch  in  1928.  5)  The  specialized 
resources  of  the  Kirstein  Business  Branch  are  a 
magnet  for  adult  learners. 


Books  to  borrow 


s  » 
o  = 
a  a 


opies   should   be   provided   in 

such  numbers,  that  many  per- 
sons, if  they  desire  it,  can  be  reading  the  same 
work  at  the  same  moment.  .  .  .  Additional  copies.  .  . 
should  continue  to  be  bought  almost  as  long  as  they 
are  urgently  demanded,  and  thus,  by  following  the 
popular  taste.  .  .  we  may  hope  to  create  a  real  desire 
for  general  reading;  and,  by  permitting  the  freest 
circulation  of  the  books  that  is  consistent  with  their 
safety,  cultivate  this  desire  among  the  young,  and  in 

.1        r         •!•  J      ^  ^1        r-         'J        Our  Stock  in  trade  is  bool<s  being  checked  out  and  returned  across 

the  lamilies  and  at  the  hresides 


of  persons  in  the  cit)'. 


the  counter.  With  that  simple  transaction,  based  on  a  free  library 
of  the  greatest  possible  number  card,  people  use  the  Library  to  help  accomplish  all  sorts  of  things:  to 

entertain  themselves,  to  learn,  to  get  new  jobs,  to  build  new  homes 
or  renovate  old  ones,  to  fix  their  cars,  to  invent.  The  Library's  most 
critical  function  is  lending  books  to  people  every  day  to  help  them  in 
fulfilling  their  aims.  It's  a  simple  idea,  but  as  powerful  now  as  it  was 
150  years  ago.  You  come  in  to  this  collective  resource,  find  what  you 
need,  present  your  library  card,  take  books  home,  and  use  them  to 
make  your  life  better  in  whatever  way  you  define.  And  the  magical 
part  of  it  is  that  when  you  find  what  you  need,  it  might  turn  out  to  be 
something  you  never  imagined  needing— like  a  good  laugh. 


1)  Readers  can  browse  through  the  open  stacks  in 
the  Johnson  Building,  which  houses  the  General 
Library's  circulating  collection — more  than  six  miles 
of  shelving  containing  books  and  audiovisual  materi- 
als for  library-card  holders  to  borrow.  2)  In  the 
Johnson  Building,  books  are  processed  for  distribu- 
tion to  the  General  Library  and  the  branches.  While 
processing  is  conducted  at  this  central  location,  the 
choices  of  books  are  made  by  individual  librarians 
throughout  the  Library  system.  3)  Horses  and  bug- 
gies queue  up  outside  the  McKim  Building  to  deliver 
books  to  the  branches,  ca.  1912.  4)  The  audiovi- 
sual collection  at  the  Central  Library  includes  music 
on  audiocassette  and  CD;  audiotapes  tor  world  lan- 
guage and  English  as  a  Second  Language  instruc- 
tion; books  on  audiocassette;  and  more  than  6,000 
videotapes,  with  an  emphasis  on  titles  that  are  not 
generally  available  for  commercial  rental. 


Lending  books:  from  the  perspective  of  1998,  most 
people  take  thai  function  for  granted  as  the  mis- 
sion of  a  public  library.  But  at  the  Boston  Public 
Library's  founding,  it  was  a  revolutionary  concept. 
The  1852  trustees'  report  is  highly  specific  in  its 
insistence  that  the  Library  not  only  lend  books,  but 
that  it  provide  multiple  copies  of  popular  works 
available  for  circulation. 

This  attention  to  the  tastes  of  our  users  still  informs 
our  acquisition  process.  The  collection  is  devel- 
oped branch  by  branch,  a  highly  autonomous 
process  that  is  unusual  in  public  libraries.  Each 
week,  the  shelves  of  the  inspection  room  of  the 
Central  Library  are  stocked  with  all  the  new  titles 
in  adult  fiction  and  nonfiction  distributed  by  the 
major  publishing  houses  in  the  nation.  Dining 
the  week,  the  librarians  from  the  General  Library, 
the  Research  Library,  and  all  the  branches  visit 
Copley  Square  to  browse  through  this  bookstore- 
equivalent,  to  handle  the  books  and  read  sections, 
and  to  decide  what  they  want  to  order  for  their 
readers.  For  any  book,  a  librarian  may  decide  to 
order  one  copy,  multiples,  or  none  at  all.  This 
same  process  is  followed  on  separate  schedules  for 
children's  and  young  adult  books,  world  language 
publications,  and  reference  works,  with  variations 
for  periodicals  and  nonprint  materials.  Librarians 
actually  inspect  the  books,  in  addition  to  using 
second-hand  sources  such  as  reviews  and  authors' 
tours.  This  process  contrasts  with  the  centralized 
ordering  process  followed  by  most  public  libraries, 
and  it  results  in  strong,  imique,  and  reader-driven 
collections  throughout  the  city,  selected  by  librari- 
ans who  truly  know  their  communities  and  their 
readers. 


Ii3- 


1  &  2)  The  Library  draws  users  of  all  ages  and 
Interests.  3)  The  South  End  Branch  is  small,  so 
library  assistant  Deborah  Madrey  has  gotten 
to  know  her  readers  during  her  four  years 
there,  just  as  she  did  at  Uphams  Corner  for  10 
years  before  that.  These  branches  both  have 
many  regulars  who  come  in  every  few  weeks 
and  take  out  armloads  of  books.  "/  enjoy 
learning  what  they  like  and  helping  them 
choose  things  to  read,"  she  observes.  "When 
people  are  looking  for  suggestions,  I  ask  them 
about  books  or  authors  they've  enjoyed  in  the 
past.  Sometimes  I'll  even  suggest  something 
I've  read  myself,  especially  if  they're  fans  of 
romance  novels  and  adventure  stories." 
4*7)  The  check-out  process  is  the  central  trans- 
action between  a  reader  and  the  Library.  Shown 
here  are  the  lobby  of  the  Johnson  Building  (4)  and  a 
reader  checking  out  books  there  (7).  S)  A  book  cart 
In  the  McKim  Building  courtyard  facilitates  summer 
reading,  ca.  1923.  6)  The  Library's  popular  book 
discussion  groups — like  this  one  at  the  Connolly 
Branch  in  Jamaica  Plain — cover  a  diverse  selection 
of  classics  and  contemporary  works. 


Ii4- 


■  .    . 

aiin^flirflll 

^m  1 

c 

^^ 

After  the  selection  process  is  complete,  the  books 
are  ordered  through  the  Central  Library.  They 
arrive  at  the  loading  dock  by  truck  and  travel  by 
freight  elevator  to  the  Technical  Services 
Department,  where  they  are  catalogued.  It  is  here 
that  a  book  truly  becomes  a  "library  book,"  gaining 
its  familiar,  sturdily  bound  transparent  overjacket, 
its  back  pocket,  its  embossed  mark  reading  "Public 
Librarv  of  the  Cit\'  of  Boston,"  and  its  barcode  for 
checkout. 

Our  lending  activity  is  staggering  in  its  volume.  Last 
year,  more  than  2.2  million  items  were  checked  out 
and  taken  home  by  Library  users — more  than  the 
combined  number  of  all  circulating  items  in  the 
Central  Library  and  all  branches  at  that  time. 


Books  for 
research 


X   a 
i- 

S   "= 

O    3 
0!     =! 


ooks    that    cannot    be    taken 

out  of  the  Library,  such  as 
Cyclopaedias,  Dictionaries,  important  public  docu- 
ments, and  books,  which,  from  their  rarity  or 
costliness,  cannot  be  easily  replaced.  .  .  .  The  last 
class  of  books  to  be  kept.  .  .  consists.  .  .  of  periodical 
publications.  Like  the  first  class,  they  should  not  be 
taken  out  at  all.  .  .  but  they  should  be  kept  in  a 
Reading  Room  accessible  to  everybody;  open  as 
many  hours  of  the  day  as  possible,  and  always  in  the 
evening;  and  in  which  all  the  books  on  the  shelves 
in   every  part  of  the   Library 

^     ^  ■^    was  to  create  a  comprehensive  research  collection,  including  unusual 

should         be         lUrnished        tor  and    expensive   works   that   were   beyond   an   individual's   ability 

1  r  1 .    .  •  to  acquire.  The  Library  would  collect  for  the  good  of  the  whole  com- 

perusal  or  tor  consultation  to 

*■  munity.  We  have  continued  this  focus,  while  expanding  our  concept  of 

all  who    may   ask  for   them.  .  .  .    community  beyond  Boston  to  include  scholars  from  all  over  the  world 

who  consult  our  research  collections.  Whether  you're  researching 
egrets  or  existentialism,  the  Library  can  help.  We  have  among  our 
resources  some  enormously  rare  and  valuable  things— manuscripts, 
books,  and  online  databases  that  no  one  could  individually  have 
access  to,  but  which  the  Library,  as  a  community  enterprise,  makes 
available  to  all.  Everyone  benefits,  because  everyone  is  enriched  by 
the  depth  and  breadth  of  this  communal  resource.  You  don't  have  to 
be  doing  full-fledged  research — if  you  have  a  burning  question  about 
Mo  Vaughn's  batting  average  or  El  Nino's  effect  on  last  year's  rainfall, 
you  can  probably  find  the  answer  by  calling  our  telephone  reference 
service. 


At  the  Library's  founding,  one  of  the  fundamental  ideas  of  the  trustees 


|i6. 


THE    LIBRARY   AS    BOSTONS    SOCIAL    CHRONICLER 


1)  The  Great  Fire  of  1872,  photo  by  J.  W.  Black 

3)  Public  viewing  of  Sacco  and  Vanzetti,  1927,  from  the 

Leslie  Jones  Collection 
6)  Coasting  on  Boston  Connnnon,  ca.  1930,  from  the 

Leslie  Jones  Collection 


2)  Plymouth  Hospital,  nursing  school  class  of  1911 
4)  African-American  workmen  in  the  early  1900s 
7)  New  England  Telephone  switchboard,  1922,  photo 
by  E.  E.  Bond 


5)  Joe  DiMaggio  at  Fenway  Park,  1939,  from  the 
Leslie  Jones  Collection 

8)  A  1946  dinner  with  (left  to  right)  an  unidentified 
priest,  Boston  fi/layor  James  Michael  Curley, 
Congressman  John  Fitzgerald  Kennedy,  and  Kennedy's 
grandfather,  former  Mayor  "Honey  Fitz"  Fitzgerald 


1)  Fred  Allen,  radio's  funniest  social  satirist,  worked 
as  a  stack  boy  at  the  Library— where  his  father  was 
a  bookbinder— while  attending  Boston  High  School 
of  Commerce  for  Boys.  As  a  youngster,  Allen  was 
fascinated  by  vaudeville,  where  he  got  his  start  in 
show  business.  His  personal  ties  with  the  Library 
prompted  him  and  his  widow,  Portland  Hoffa  Rines, 
to  leave  his  papers  to  the  Library.  The  Fred  Allen 
Collection  comprises  scripts,  correspondence,  and 
photos.  2)  The  Library  has  one  of  the  world's 
largest  collections  of  fore-edge  painted  books, 
whose  front  edges  contain  painted  images  that  dis- 
appear when  the  books  are  closed.  3)  The  conser- 
vation of  books  and  other  works  on  paper  requires 
many  painstaking  steps.  4)  The  Library  houses  the 
books  of  John  Adams,  the  second  president  of  the 
United  States  and  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  The 
Adams  Collection  was  deposited  at  the  Library  in 
1894  and  makes  this  institution  the  nation's  only 
public  library  that  is  also  a  presidential  library.  The 
more  than  3,000  volumes  in  the  Adams  Collection 
represent  the  intellectual  tastes  of  an  18th-century 
gentleman-politician,  and  they  include  Greek, 
Roman,  and  European  classics  and  works  on  law, 
history,  philosophy,  and  science.  Equally  important 
to  scholars  as  the  works  themselves  are  the  numer- 
ous marginal  notes,  annotations,  and  signatures 
they  contain.  5)  Historian  David  McCullough  has 
used  the  Librat7's  research  collections  for 
more  than  30  years,  consulting  books,  manu- 
scripts, newspapers,  prints,  and  paintings.  He 
Is  currently  working  with  the  Adams  Collection 
tor  his  forthcoming  book  about  John  Adams, 
WW  Abigail  Adams,  and  Thomas  Jefferson.  "Boston 
is  the  best  of  all  places  to  research  18th-cen- 
tury America,  and  the  Adams  Collection  is 
remarkable — for  the  books  themselves,  and 
for  John  Adams'  amazing  marginal  notes,  in 
which  he  carried  on  debates  with  authors," 
David  McCullough  explains.  "To  have  materiaf 
/;ke  this  available  free  to  anyone  with  a  serious 
interest  is  an  attainment  few  cities  anywhere 
can  match.  It's  especially  important  to  me, 
because  I'm  an  independent  scholar,  without 
the  access  a  university  affiliation  provides. 
One  of  the  main  reasons  why  /  became  a 
trustee  of  the  Library  is  to  help  ensure  that  its 
research  collections  are  preserved  for  the 
next  generation."  6)  The  Rare  Books  and 
Manuscripts  Exhibit  Room  in  the  McKim  Building 
contains  the  Adams  Collection. 


The  Research  Library  in  the  McKim  Building  is  the 
repository  for  the  Library's  comprehensive 
research  collections.  The  Depailmciit  of  Rare 
Books  and  Manuscripts  offers  a  prime  example  of 
the  kinds  of  unique  and  valuable  materials  the 
Library  preserves,  exhibits,  and  makes  available  for 
study.  The  varied  holdings  of  this  department 
include  the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  the  first  book  printed 
in  the  American  colonies;  Shakespeare's  first, 
second,  third,  and  fourth  folios;  the  library  of 
President  John  Adams;  rare  autographs;  the 
correspondence  of  New  England  abolitionists; 
papers  relating  to  the  legal  defense  of  Sacco  and 
Vanzetti;  and  the  papers  and  memorabilia  of 
comedian  Fred  Allen. 


Ii7- 


With  such  collections,  the  function  of  preservation 
for  continued  use  is  of  paramoimt  importance. 
In  recognition  of  this  role,  we  formed  the 
Conservation  Department  in  1982,  the  second 
such  facility  in  a  major  American  public  library. 
The  Conservation  Department  makes  it  possible  for 
the  Library  staff  and  researchers  to  have  access  to 
fragile  or  damaged  materials  that  might  otherwise 
not  be  available  for  study.  The  department  works 
with  boimd  books  and  other  works  on  paper  from 
the  Library's  special  collections,  many  of  which  are 
unique  or  irreplaceable,  to  stabilize  and  restore 
them.  Items  may  require  cleaning  or  repair  or 
special  housing  in  order  to  be  handled  or  displayed, 
and  acid  may  need  to  be  removed  in  order  to 
preserve  the  paper  itself.  The  Conservation  Depart- 
ment's first  projects  were  the  restoration  of  the 
Adams  Collection,  manuscripts  of  the  American 
Revolution,  and  the  papers  of  early  American 
scientist  and  astronomer  Nathaniel  Bowditch. 
The  department's  staff  also  offers  advice  to  the 
genera!  public  for  maintaining  collections  of 
books  and  papers. 


■ 
i 

1 

1 

,1 

A 

,  1 

(! 

\  i 

li 

!, 

1l 

1 

1 1 

THE  HEBCULCS  Or  THE  UNION. 


1)  The  Microtext  Department  makes  such  fragile, 
bulky  documents  as  newspapers  and  genealogical 
records  available  to  researchers  in  formats  includ- 
ing microfilm,  microfiche,  and  microcard. 

2)  Sinclair  Hitchings  presides  over  the  Library's 
Print  Department.  Containing  over  700,000  prints, 
drawings,  and  photographs,  this  department  is 
among  the  largest  public  collections  of  its  kind  in 
the  nation.  3)  The  Dwiggins  Collection  contains  the 
work  and  correspondence  of  William  Dwiggins 
(1880-1956),  a  multifaceted  illustrator  and 
designer.  Shown  here  some  of  the  many  mari- 
onettes Dwiggins  created  for  the  puppet  plays  he 
staged  for  neighborhood  children  at  his  home  in 
Hingham.  4)  A  sample  from  the  Wiggin  Collection  is 
Les  Fiacres  IParavent  a  quatre  feuilles),  an  1899 
color  lithograph  by  the  pnntmaker  Pierre  Bonnard 
(French,  18671947).  5)  This  1861  print,  Tribute  to 
Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  Commander  of  the  Union 
Forces,  from  the  Americana  Collection,  is  thought  to 
be  by  Currier  &  Ives.  6  &  7)  The  Print  Department 
houses  the  Boston  Pictorial  Archive,  a  treasure-trove 
of  historical  photos.  In  these  examples  from  1926, 
Emerson  College  students  exercise  in  the  Library's 
courtyard. 


Iig. 


Starting  young 


a  = 


s  to  the  terms  on  which  access 

should  be  had  to  a  City  Library, 
the  Trustees  can  only  say,  that  they  would  place  no 
restrictions  on  its  use,  except  such  as  the  nature  of 
individual  books,  or  their  safety  may  demand; 
regarding  it  as  a  great  matter  to  carry  as  many 
of  them  as  possible  into  the  home  of  the  young.  .  .  . 
the  Trustees  would  endeavor  to  make  the  Public 
Library  of  the  City,  as  far  as  possible,  the  crowning 

1  r  ^  r    r^- ^     The  founding  trustees  envisioned  the  Library  as  a  continuation  of 

fflory   oi    our    system    oi    City 

^         ■'  ^  ^    Boston's  school  system,  a  relationship  that  has  grown  even  closer 

Schools.  .  .  .  over  150  years.  And  today's  trustees  have  organized  an  education 

committee  including  representatives  from  the  Library  and  the  schools 
to  further  this  relationship.  The  Library  maintains  an  active  partner- 
ship with  the  Boston  public  schools,  and  with  private  and  parochial 
schools  as  well.  These  partnerships  serve  children  and  youth  directly, 
and  they  introduce  young  people  to  the  idea  that  learning  is  an  excit- 
ing, life-long  process.  When  children  first  encounter  Maurice  Sendak 
or  Curious  George",  not  only  do  they  make  a  new  friend — they  dis- 
cover a  stimulant  for  learning,  for  activity,  and  for  the  process  of 
imagination  itself.  Reading  is  a  way  of  entering  a  larger  world. 


|20. 


44 


1)  School  programs  bring  students  and  teachers  to 
the  Library  together.  2)  This  line  drawing  from  the 
Boston  Pictoral  Archive  shows  two  eager  young 
readers  at  the  West  End  Branch.  3)  Story  hours, 
shown  here  at  various  branches  over  time,  are  a 
beloved  Library  tradition.  4)  Curious  George-  him- 
self attended  the  1997  dedication  of  the  Children's 
Room  at  the  Central  Library  as  the  Rey  Children's 
Room  in  honor  of  the  late  authors  Margret  and  Hans 
A.  Rey,  creators  of  the  Curious  George"  series. 
5)  Gabe  Escoto  of  Roslindale  got  involved  with 
the  Picturing  Our  World  program  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  his  librarian  at  West  Roxbury  High 
School.  During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1997, 
Gabe,  then  a  sophomore,  worked  on  a  mural 
that  is  now  installed  at  the  West  Roxbury 
Branch.  "There  was  a  group  of  about  10  of  us 
working  with  Karen  Duff,  a  librarian  at  the 
West  Roxbury  Branch,  and  David  Levine,  a 
professional  artist  from  Brook/ine,"  Gabe 
explains.  "We  brainstormed  about  how  we 
would  portray  the  city.  It  was  a  real  group 
process,  which  is  different  from  the  way  I  think 
about  art.  It  was  a  challenge  to  work  together 
to  produce  the  mural,  but  it  felt  really  good  to 
go  to  the  unveiling  at  Copley  when  it  was  fin- 
ished." Soon  after  the  mural  was  completed, 
Gabe  started  two  new  projects— taking  art 
lessons  at  the  Harriet  Tubman  House  in  the 
South  End  and  working  as  a  part-time  library 
assistant  at  the  West  Roxbury  Branch. 


WTien  the  McKim  Building  opened  in  1895,  the 
Boston  Public  Library  became  the  first  library  ever 
to  offer  services  to  children  in  a  specially  desig- 
nated space.  The  Children's  Room  contained  3,000 
books  for  the  use  of  young  readers,  and  the  space 
was  doubled  in  size  only  three  years  later.  In  1902, 
the  Library  introduced  storytelling,  now  a  staple 
of  virtually  all  children's  library  programs.  Today, 
story  hours  are  popular  throughout  the  Library 
system,  and  some  branches  feature  pajama  story- 
times  in  the  early  evenings,  when  youngsters  and 
librarians  alike  appear  in  the  best  possible  attire 
for  listening  to  stories. 

The  Library  offers  children's  programs  targeted 
at  all  developmental  levels.  Reading  Readiness 
serves  preschoolers  and  kindergartners,  exploring 
concepts  a  child  needs  to  master  before  learning 
to  read,  such  as  numbers,  colors,  shapes,  and  sizes. 
The  prograiB,  which  operates  at  the  Central 
Library  and  all  25  neighborhood  branches,  is 
led  by  a  children's  librarian  and  a  musician. 
Reading  Readiness  is  funded  by  the  Richard  and 
Susan  Smith  Family  Foundadon,  sisters  Carol 
Goldberg  and  Helene  Kaplan,  the  Cabot  Family 
Charitable  Trust,  and  the  Keel  Foundation. 


We  actively  promote  summer  reading  among  young 
readers  ages  5  to  1 7  through  the  Read  Your  Way  to 
Fenway  program,  supported  annually  by  Boston 
Public  Library  Fotmdation  board  member  John 
Harrington  and  the  Boston  Red  Sox.  During  the 
summer,  students  who  check  oiu  books  at  their 
local  branches  receive  entry  forms  on  which  they 
list  the  last  three  books  they  have  read,  explaining 
their  favorite  choices.  In  1997,  Read  Your  Way  to 
Fenway  went  to  Fenway  Park  on  August  10,  with 
1,250  enthusiastic  readers — and  baseball  fans — in 
attendance. 


Some  of  the  Library's  most  exciting  programs  are 
collaborations  with  high  schools.  Farlier  this  year, 
we  introduced  the  joint  library  card  program,  a 
first-in-the-nation  initiative  that  enables  students  in 
Boston  public  high  schools  to  use  both  the  Boston 
Public  Library  and  their  high  school  libraries  with 
one  library  card.  Now,  students  can  access  the  cata- 
log of  the  Boston  Public  Library  online  from  their 
school  libraries  and  \'iew  their  school  library  cata- 
logs from  the  Central  Library  or  any  branch.  This 
project  is  yet  another  way  to  reinforce  the  concept 
of  the  Library  as  a  life-long  learning  resource.  We 
are  collaborating  with  the  schools  in  other  ways  as 
well,  such  as  developing  joint  reading  lists.  Our 
librarians  visit  schools  and  introduce  teachers,  stu- 
dents, school  librarians,  and  administrators  to  the 
full  scope  of  our  resources.  One  important  aspect 
of  the  program  is  helping  students  tap  into  all  the 
technological  resources  that  the  Library  has,  many 
of  which  are  accessible  from  their  school  libraries. 

The  Library  also  engages  in  broad  outreach, 
including  Pictiuing  Our  World  (POW),  an  after- 
school  program  geared  toward  adolescents  and 
their  needs  in  such  critical  areas  as  competence 
and  achievement,  creative  expression,  literacy,  and 
positive  social  interactions  with  other  young  people 
and  adults,  hi  1997,  POW,  which  was  fimded  by  a 
grant  from  the  Boston  Fotmdation,  focused  on  the 
creation  of  a  mtual,  a  video  promoting  library  ser- 
vices for  teens,  and  a  decorative  tile  frieze  as  well  as 
photography,  creative  writing,  and  dramatics. 


1)  Since  1895.  the  Library  has  served  children  with 
special  services  and  programs.  Today,  the  offerings 
extend  from  a  chance  for  parents  and  children  to 
spend  a  quiet  moment  together  to  reading  promo- 
tion programs  such  as  Read  Your  Way  to  Fenway. 

2)  The  new  Margret  and  H.  A.  Rey  Children's  Room 
at  the  Central  Library  was  renovated  through  a  gift 
from  the  internationally  acclaimed  children's  author 
Margret  Rey.  Cocreator  of  the  Curious  George" 
series,  Margret  Rey  pledged  Si  million  to  the 
Library  on  the  occasion  of  her  ninetieth  birthday, 
months  before  her  death  in  December  1996.  This 
gift  also  enabled  the  Library  to  refurbish  the  well- 
worn  children's  rooms  in  all  branches  and  to  aug- 
ment youth  programs  and  children's  collections. 

3)  In  addition  to  serving  children,  the  Library  main- 
tains a  noted  collection  for  the  study  of  children's  lit- 
erature from  1870  to  the  present.  The  collection, 
which  includes  157,000  items  and  is  continually 
adding  new  materials,  is  named  in  honor  of  Alice  M. 
Jordan,  the  founder  of  children's  services  at  the 
Boston  Public  Library  and  a  pioneer  in  the  field  of 
children's  librarianship.  The  Jordan  Collection  cov- 
ers a  comprehensive  spectrum  of  books  for  infants 
to  young  adults  in  English  and  foreign  languages, 
representing  100  countries.  It  includes  both  clas- 
sics and  popular  titles  to  reflect  trends  in  children's 
publishing  over  time.  4)  In  1895,  the  Boston  Public 
Library  opened  the  first  children's  library  space  in 
the  nation,  pictured  here  ca.  1929.  5)  Computer 
and  Internet  access  are  important  parts  of  the 
Library's  offerings  for  children.  6)  Audiovisual 
resources  are  nothing  new  at  the  Library,  as  this 
1920  photo  of  students  listening  to  a  Victrola  at 
the  North  End  Branch  proves. 


THE  DIVERTING  HISTORY           ,                 OF  JOHN  OILPIN 

So  "Feir  and  soflly"  Joh 

cried, 
But  John  he  cried  in  voin; 
That  trot  became  a  gallop  a 
In  spite  ol  curb  and  rein. 

So  Hooping  down,  as  neetU  he 
Who  cannot  sii  uprighi, 
Ht  p'tpei  ittc  tnaoe  wiOi 

his  hand*. 
And  eke  with  all  hu  mighi. 

be                   Mia  hone,  who  never  in  Ihal  ion 
Had  handled  been  before. 
What  thing  upon  ho  back  had 
oon.          1              KOI 

Did  wonder  more  and  more, 

Timl                  Away   went  Gilpin,  neck  or 

naught ; 
t>oth                  Away  wcnl  hat  and  wig; 

1        Helmledreamedwhenhesetowt 
or  runninsiuchariE. 

I23. 


Focus  on 
the  future 


h 
S    ^ 

O    = 


he  old  roads,  so  to  speak,  are 

admitted  to  be  no  longer  suffi- 
cient. Even  the  more  modern  turnpikes  do  not  sat- 
isfy our  wants.  We  ask  for  rail-cars  and  steam-boats, 
in  which  many  more  persons — even  multitudes — 
may  advance  together  toward  the  great  end  of  life, 
and  go  faster,  farther  and  better,  by  the  means  thus 
furnished  to  them,  than  they  have  ever  been  able  to 
do    before.  .  .  .    What   precise  '''  '""""^  '^ '  """^  '"'*^' '°  '  "  ''"'''  ^"""^ '"'  '''"^'"^' 

continually  adapting  to  new  circumstances.  Technology  is  a  good 

plan     should     be     adopted     for  example— in  1998,  the  focus  is  on  the  Internet,  but  the  Library  has 

1  i'i  •       •  ^  continually  incorporated  new  technology.  Since  our  founding,  we 

such  a  library,  it  is  not,  per- 

^  have  added  paperbacks,  pocket  books,  and  resources  on  microform, 

haps,    possible    to    settle   before-  mlcrotext,  microfilm,  and  microfiche.  We  have  adapted  to  different 
1  J     T...    ■  .^1    ■  contexts  for  magazines  and   newspapers  and   incorporated  film, 

hand.  It  is  a  new  thing,  a  new 

audiotapes,  and  videotapes.  Now  we  have  gone  on  to  collect  more 

Step  forward  in   general   educa-  dynamic  media  in  the  form  of  online  resources,  from  CDs  to  full  text 

1  ^   r      ^  online.  The  idea  of  technology  and  its  impact  is  not  new,  but  with  the 

tion;  and  we  must  reel  our  way 

^    internet,  the  process  of  change  and  adaptation  has  become  more 
as  we    advance.  rapid,  and  the  public  demand  has  increased  dramatically.  As  we 

continue  to  add  formats  and  media,  we  cannot  neglect  our  print  and 
manuscript  collections.  Our  challenge  is  to  preserve  existing 
resources  while  adding  new  ones  so  that  our  collections  will  continue 
to  represent  the  full  range  of  knowledge  and  expression,  from 
Babylonian  cuneiform  tablets  to  the  latest  e-zine. 


\-^4- 


THE    LIBRARY  AS    MUSEUM 


1)  Jackie  Robinson  and  Sam  Jethroe,  ca.  1953,  from  the 

Leslie  Jones  Collection 
4)  Augustus  John  etching  of  William  Butler  Yeats,  1907 
7)  Rembrandt  etching  and  drypoint, 

Christ  Heafing  the  Sick.  ca.  1649 


2)  Mary  Cassatt  print 

5)  Daniel  Chester  French  doors  to  the  McKim  Building 

8)  Photo  of  an  ad  for  a  black-owned  restaurant,  ca.  1920 


3)  Abbey  Room 

6)  Yosemite  Valley  photo  by  Carleton  Watklns,  ca.  1860 

9)  Across  the  Continent  on  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad, 

photo  taken  at  Fort  Mojave  on  the  Colorado  River 

by  Alexander  Gardner,  1869 


1)  Computers  and  Internet  access  represent  the 
latest  technology  the  Library  has  adopted  in  its 
150  years.  2)  Katherine  Dibble,  the  Library's 
supervisor  of  Research  Library  services,  and 
Gunars  Rutkovskis,  assistant  director  for 
resources  and  Research  Library  services,  help 
carry  out  the  Library's  commitment  to  com- 
prehensive collections  and  to  collecting  for  the 
future  because  it  is  not  possible  to  say  now 
what  will  be  important  tomorrow.  As  Katherine 
tw  Dibble  explains,  "As  an  individual,  you  proba- 
bly toss  out  your  old  phone  book  when  the  new 
one  arrives  on  your  doorstep.  But  the  Library 
keeps  all  the  Boston  telephone  directories,  so 
if  you  wanted  to  find  who  had  telephones  the 
first  year  that  t/ie  telephone  company  pub- 
lished a  directory,  you  could.  You  could  trace 
people  from  directory  to  directory  to  see  how 
often  they  moved,  or  you  could  determine  in 
which  neighborhoods  telephones  first  prolifer- 
ated. Even  the  most  mundane  publication  has 
stories  to  tell  and  insights  to  yield."  3)  In  the 
Newspaper  Room  In  the  Johnson  Building,  research- 
ers ferret  out  information  that  other  kinds  of 
sources  are  not  likely  to  contain,  such  as  advertise- 
ments and  obituaries.  4)  The  Library  has  incorpo- 
rated into  its  collections  such  artifacts  as  this 
commemorative  gold  medal  presented  to  George 
Washington  by  the  U.  S.  Congress  for  his  victory  at 
Dorchester  Heights  in  1776,  which  ended  the 
British  occupation  of  Boston. 


5)  In  Its  history,  the  Library  has  weathered  its  share 
of  controversy.  This  statue  of  a  mythological  bac- 
chante— or  follower  of  Bacchus,  the  Roman  god  of 
wine — caused  a  fervor  when  it  was  presented  to  the 
Library  as  the  centerpiece  of  the  courtyard  fountain 
by  architect  Charles  Follen  McKim.  McKim  eventu 
ally  withdrew  the  gift,  giving  the  statue  to  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  New  York.  The  artist, 
Frederic  Macmonnies,  benefited  from  the  notoriety 
and  sold  copies  of  the  statue.  One  of  these  copies, 
cast  from  the  original  plaster  model,  was  eventually 
donated  to  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  Boston. 
Inspired  by  the  renovation  of  the  McKim  Building, 
the  MFA  and  the  Library  worked  together  to  arrange 
for  a  copy  of  the  MFA  Bacchante  to  be  cast  for  the 
courtyard  by  sculptor  Bob  Shore.  With  the  contro- 
versy safely  at  rest  after  a  century,  the  bacchante 
will  once  again  grace  the  fountain  when  the  restora- 
tion of  the  courtyard  is  complete. 


In  addition  to  incorporating  new  technology,  the 
Library  has  come  to  serve  new  constituencies  over 
its  150  years.  The  founding  trustees,  for  example, 
did  not  think  of  the  elderly  or  people  with  varied 
physical  limitations  as  special  categories  of  library 
users,  but  these  groups  have  become  important 
Library  constituencies. 


{25. 


In  1930,  we  became  the  first  public  library  to  cre- 
ate programs  specifically  for  elderly  users  with  the 
inauguration  of  the  Never  Too  Late  Group,  now 
the  longest-running  library-sponsored  program  in 
the  country  for  older  adults.  The  Never  Too  Late 
Group,  which  is  open  to  anyone  aged  60  or  over, 
meets  weekly  from  October  to  June  at  the  Central 
Library.  It  offers  varied  and  informal  programs  of 
particular  interest  to  seniors,  and  it  is  comple- 
mented by  senior  offerings  at  branch  libraries. 
Other  senior  services  include  the  collection  of 
large  print  books,  which  can  be  borrowed  through- 
out the  branch  system,  and  multimedia  kits  that 
help  older  people  invoke  and  share  memories 


among  themselves  or  with  younger  people  in  set- 
tings such  as  senior  centers,  nursing  homes,  and 
youth  service  agencies.  Our  mobile  services,  begun 
in  1970,  bring  books  and  other  materials  to  peo- 
ple, including  the  elderly,  who  cannot  easily  visit 
the  Library. 

The  Library's  Access  Center  provides  special  tech- 
nologies and  individualized  assistance  and  training 
to  enable  Library  users  with  physical  disabilities  to 
use  our  resources.  Included  in  access  services  are 
Braille  books  and  Talking  Books,  both  on  loan 
from  the  Braille  and  Talking  Book  Library  at  the 
Perkins  School  for  the  Blind;  periodicals  in  Braille; 
videotapes  that  offer  closed  captioning  and 
American  Sign  Language  interpretation  for  deaf 
and  hard-of-hearing  people  and  narrative  descrip- 
tions for  blind  and  visually  disabled  people;  large 
print  books;  periodicals  and  reference  materials 
relating  to  disabilities;  and  reading  and  printing 
equipment. 


I26. 


1)  The  Print  Department  sponsors  changing 
exhibits  throughout  the  year  in  its  Wiggin  Gallery, 
Boston's  only  full-time,  free  public  art  gallery. 
2  >  7)  The  scope  of  the  Print  Department's 
Collections  is  illustrated  by  such  varied  works  as  a 
1971  drawing  by  American  artist  Marianna  Pineda 
(2);  19th-century  European  masterworks  by  Goya 
(3),  Toulouse-Lautrec  (4),  Gauguin  (5),  and  Daumier 
(6);  and  a  1924  lithograph  by  American  artist 
George  Bellows  (7).  8)  The  Abbey  Room,  where 
books  are  delivered  to  readers  in  the  Research 
Library,  is  shown  before  (right)  and  after  its  restora- 
tion. This  room  is  adorned  by  a  series  of  murals 
collectively  titled  The  Quest  for  the  Holy  Grail. 
Edwin  Austin  Abbey,  an  American  artist  who  lived 
in  England,  based  these  paintings  on  Alfred  Lord 
Tennyson's  Idylls  of  the  King,  a  19th-century 
retelling  of  the  legends  of  King  Arthur  and  the 
Knights  of  the  Round  Table.  9)  One  of  the  Library's 
greatest  treasures  is  the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  the  first 
book  published  in  the  American  Colonies,  which 
was  printed  in  Cambridge  in  1640. 10)  On  May  8, 
1998,  the  Boston  Public  Library  Foundation  closed 
a  month-long  celebration  of  the  150th  anniversary 
of  the  Library  with  a  grand  dinner  raising  more 
than  $1  million  for  the  ongoing  revitalization  project. 
The  evening  began  with  a  reception  in  Bates 
Hall,  followed  by  the  dinner  under  a  tent  in 
Copley  Square. 


The  Library's  founders  knew  better  than  to  plan  in 
great  detail  for  an  unknown  future.  They  could 
not,  for  example,  have  envisioned  that  the  McKim 
Building,  which  opened  nearly  50  years  after  the 
creation  of  the  institution,  would  become  a  destina- 
tion for  visitors  from  around  the  world  because  of 
the  quality  of  its  architecture  and  decorative  arts. 
We  recognize  our  responsibility  to  preserve  and 
interpret  this  landmark  building  and  the  museum- 
quality  collections  of  books,  manuscripts,  and  arti- 
facts it  contains.  The  Library  offers  visitors  a  pro- 
gram of  tours,  given  by  trained  volunteer  guides, 
highlighting  Library  history  and  the  art  and  archi- 
tecture of  the  Central  Library,  hi  addition,  the 
Associates  of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  an  active 
friends'  group,  presents  outreach  programs  and 
special  events — such  as  the  annual  Literary  Lights 
dinner — to  raise  the  visibility  of  the  Central 
Library.  The  Associates  also  provides  support  for 
exhibitions  drawn  from  the  Library's  collections. 


I27. 


A  tradition 
of  support 


I    M 
i- 

s  ^ 

O     3 


ith  aid  to  this  extent  on  the  part 
of  the  city,  the  Trustees  beUeve 
that  all  else  may  be  left  to  the  public  spirit  and  liber- 
ality of  individuals.  They  are  inclined  to  think 
that,  from  time  to  time,  considerable  collections  of 
books  will  be  presented  to  the  library  by  citizens 
of  Boston,  who  will  take  pleasure  in  requiting 
in  this  way  the  advantages  which  they  have 
received  from  its  public  institutions,  or  who  for 


more  universal  than 


public  improvement. 


^1  1       •  In  1998,  the  context  of  giving  has  become  much 

any  other  reason  are  desirous 

it  was  150  years  ago.  The  public  at  large,  not  only  wealthy  individuals, 
of     increasing     the     means     of  wants  to  support  the  Library,  and  we  welcome  each  contribution.  At 

the  same  time,  there  are  doubters  who  say,  "This  is  a  public  library. 
The  founders  created  it  as  municipal  institution,  supported  with  taxes. 
Why  can't  the  Library  meet  its  needs  with  that  governmental 
support?"  The  answer  is  a  simple  one:  the  demands  for  service  are 
greater  than  ever  before — measured  in  numbers  of  users  and  in  the 
complexity  of  their  needs  and  expectations.  And  the  requirements 
for  an  educated  constituency  are  greater  than  what  those  public 
resources  currently  support.  Our  founders  believed  that  individuals 
would  support  their  effort.  They  were  right,  and  we  are  grateful  that 
so  many  individuals  and  businesses  are  continuing  that  tradition  today. 


(28. 


In  1992,  the  tradition  of  private  support  for  the 
Library  was  extended  and  strengthened  tiy  the  for- 
mation of  the  Boston  Public  Library  Foundation. 

Charged  with  raising  fimds  to  support  the  revital- 
ization  of  the  Library,  the  Foundation  has  in  six 
years  raised  more  than  $24  milHon  from  individu- 
als, corporations,  and  foimdations,  and  it  has 
attracted  dozens  of  local  leaders  to  serve  on  its 
board  of  directors. 


1)  In  1852,  Joshua  Bates,  a  senior  partner  of  the 
London  investment  banking  firm  Baring  Brothers, 
read  the  newly  published  report  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Boston  Public  Library.  This  powerful  document 
caught  Bates's  imagination,  reminding  him  of  his 
early  days  in  Boston,  when  he  had  educated  himself 
during  the  evenings  by  reading  the  wares  in  a  book- 
shop whose  owners  were  generous  to  an  aspiring 
young  clerk.  Bates  realized  at  once  how  a  truly  pub- 
lic library  could  help  many  more  young  people  and 
promptly  pledged  550,000 — the  equivalent  of  SI 
million  today,  which  he  later  increased  to  $100,000 
— to  buy  books  for  the  fledgling  institution,  on  the 
condition  that  it  be  free  to  all  users.  This  generous 
gift,  together  with  others  in  the  early  years,  pro- 
vided the  inspiration  for  ongoing  private  support  of 
this  public  institution,  2)  Continuing  in  the  tradi- 
tion of  Joshua  Bates  and  other  early  support- 
ers of  the  Library  are  those  who  are  now 
making  new  programs  and  the  restoration  of 
the  landmark  McKim  Building  possible. 
Elisabeth  Davis,  an  avid  reader  and  gardener, 
has  made  a  gift  in  honor  of  her  late  husband, 
Stanton,  to  bring  the  Library's  inner  courtyard 
back  to  its  original  beauty.  Structural  work  on 
the  courtyard  is  now  in  progress,  with  land- 
scaping to  follow  in  1999.  Elisabeth  Davis  has 
affectionate  personal  memories  of  the  Library 
— as  a  young  Wellesley  College  graduate,  she 
worked  at  a  branch  in  Roxbury  and  at  the 
•  V  KIrstein  Business  Branch.  "/  remember  how 
much  /  enjoyed  living  on  Beacon  Hill  and  walk- 
ing across  the  Common  to  the  bustle  of  down- 
town," she  recalls.  "It  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
Depression  and  I  shelved  books,  earning  $14 
a  week.  I've  always  loved  reading  and  books 
and  Boston,  so  now  I'm  especially  pleased  to 
be  able  to  help  the  Library."  Here,  sculptor 
Lloyd  Lillie  shows  the  bas-relief  tablet  pictur- 
ing Elisabeth  and  Stanton  Davis  and  the  photo- 
graph he  worked  from.  The  tablet  will  be 
Installed  in  the  courtyard  to  commemorate  the 
Davis  gift. 


3)  Another  recent  gift  is  the  John  D.  Merriam 
Collection,  an  endowed  collection  of  thousands  of 
prints,  drawings,  and  photographs  left  to  the  Library 
by  the  Boston  collector  for  whom  it  is  named. 
Shown  here  is  Architectural  Fantasy:  Baroque  and 
Gothic  personified,  laughing  at  Bauhaus,  a  ca.  1930 
pen  and  watercolor  drawing  by  Heinrich  Kley. 

4)  Among  the  innovative  notions  in  the  1852 
trustees'  report  was  its  call  for  "a  Reading  Room 
accessible  to  everybody;  open  as  many  hours  of 
the  day  as  possible.  .  .  ."  Bates  Hall,  the  mam  read- 
ing room  in  the  Copley  Square  McKim  building,  is  a 
monumental  architectural  space,  218  feet  long, 
42-and-a-half  feet  wide,  and  50  feet  to  the  crown  of 
Its  arches.  In  1997,  Bates  Hall  was  reopened  after 
a  12-month  renovation  that  restored  its  original 
beauty  and  incorporated  new  technology. 


The  Library  is  fortunate  to  have  many  loyal  and 
enthusiastic  supporters.  Thou.sands  of  individuals 
have  responded  to  our  fundraising  appeal  with 
membership  gifts  ranging  from  $25  to  $1,000. 
Larger  contributions,  such  as  a  $1  million  gift  to 
restore  the  magnificent  courtyard  within  the 
McKim  Building,  are  speeding  the  progre.ss  of 
particular  initiatives. 

While  a  majority  of  the  contributions  support  physi- 
cal enhancements,  many  other  gifts  have  been  des- 
ignated for  programming  and  technological  needs. 
Teresa  Heinz  and  Peter  Lynch  have  endowed  our 
Collaborative  Schools  Program  with  Boston's  pub- 
lic, parochial,  and  private  schools.  Thousands  of 
children  are  enjoying  new  and  expanded  youth 
programs  each  year  thanks  to  revenue  generated 
from  the  William  Randolph  Hearst  Foundation 
Children's  Endowment.  NYNEX,  Raytheon, 
Millipore,  BankBoston,  and  other  corporations 
have  underwritten  advancements  in  technological 
resources  and  services,  an  area  of  vital  importance 
to  all  Library  users. 

With  all  we  have  accomplished,  there  is  still  much 
left  to  do.  The  ongoing  restoration  of  the  McKim 
Building  demands  additional  support.  Enhancing 
the  services  and  facilities  of  the  branch  libraries, 
whose  needs  vary  greatly,  is  a  major  priority.  We 
need  funds  to  complete  the  cataloguing  and  preser- 
vation of  our  special  collections,  unique  on  the  face 
of  the  globe,  so  that  future  generations  can  enjoy 
these  singular  treasures.  In  addition,  the  rapid  pro- 
liferation of  advanced  technology  has  challenged 
us,  as  it  has  all  libraries,  to  provide  the  best  of 
today's  learning  tools  to  our  users. 

For  1 50  years,  many  partners  in  the  public  and 
private  sectors  have  helped  the  Boston  Public 
Library  deliver  on  the  promise  "Free  to  All."  The 
Boston  Public  Library  Foundation  looks  forward 
to  a  future  of  condnued  partnership  on  behalf 
of  America's  first  free  public  library. 


I29. 


{ 


Forward  from  today 


The  current  trustees  of  the 
Library  reflect  the  diversity  of 
the  community  the  Library  serves.  They  include  scholars  and  teach- 
ers, business  leaders,  and  community  activists.  Perhaps  more  than 
anyone  else,  the  trustees  maintain  a  constant  awareness  of  the 
need  to  extend  the  vision  of  the  Library's  founders  into  the  future. 
What  do  the  trustees  see  as  they  look  fonward  from  today? 

The  Library  will  pursue  its  mission  as  an  educational  resource  that 
is  free  to  all,  assuming  an  even  greater  social  role  as  a  welcoming, 
community-based  meeting  ground  for  ideas  and  projects  of  all 
km6s.  This  role  will  emphasize  the  importance  of  the  branches. 
Users  will  come  to  the  Library  with  ever  more  diverse  needs 
and  interests,  so  understanding  disparate  backgrounds  and  per- 
spectives and  communicating  effectively  to  many  different  con- 
stituencies will  grow  as  priorities. 

Throughout  the  institution,  the  Library  will  become  more  and  more 
collaborative,  using  its  resources  in  concert  with  those  of  other 
organizations  to  create  programs  that  enhance  learning  in  new  and 
sometimes  unexpected  ways.  The  leaders  of  the  Library  must  be 
ready  to  deal  with  constant  and  accelerating  change.  Technology 
will  continue  to  develop,  changing  the  role  of  librarians  as  the 
Internet  has  today. 

These  predictions  for  the  Library's  future  show  how  the  current 
trustees  are  building  on  the  vision  of  the  founders  and  on  a  century 
and  a  half  of  accomplishments. 


Boston  Public  Library 
Board  of  Trustees 

Joseph  E.  Mul!ane\-,Jr. 
Chairman 

Pamela  Seigle 

Vice  Chair 


President's  Administrative  Cabinet 
IVIembership  Directory 

Bernard  .\.  Margolis 
President 


Frank  .■\ltieri 

Acting  Assistant  to  the  Director 

Systems  and  Services 

Bruce  K.  Cole 

Chief  Financial  Ofjicer 

Katherine  Dibble 

Supervisor  oj  Research  Library  Services 

All  Diinphy 

Public  Relations  Officer 

June  Eiselstein 
Assistant  to  the  Director  for 
Community  Library  Services 

Ruth  Kovval 

Regional  Administrator,  BMRLS 

Lesley  Loke 
Assistant  Director 
Community  Library  Ser'vices 

Jamie  McGlone 

Staff  Office)  for  Special  Projects 

Cvnthia  Phillips 
Assistmit  to  the  Director  for 
Community  Library  Services 

Joe  Raker 

Coordinator  of  Technical  Services 

Dana  Rizzotti 

Program  Development  Analyst 

Veronica  Rock 

Head  of  Human  Resources 

Gunars  Rutkovskis 

Assistant  Director  for  Resources  and 

Research  Library  Services 

Joseph  Sarro 

Superintendent  of  Library  Buildings 


Boston  Public  Library 
Department  Heads 

Janice  Chadbourne 
Fine  Arts 

Gail  Fithian 
Government  Doniments 

Bill  Grealish 
Humanities  Reference 

Dorothy  Keller 

Interlibrary  Loan 

Dolores  Schueler 
Kirstein  Business  Branch 

Charles  Longley 
Miavtext/Newspapers 

Diane  Ota 

Music  Reference 

Sinclair  Hitchings 
Print  Department 

Roberta  Zonghi 

(Acting  Head) 

Rare  Books  and  Manuscripts 

Marilyn  McLean 

Science  Reference 

Mary  Frances  O'Brien 
Social  Science  Reference 

Sallv  Beecher 
Telephone  Reference 


Community  Library  Services 
Department  Heads 

Fran  Majusky 
GL  Adult  Services 

Catherine  Clancy 

GL  Young  Adult  Services 

Paula  Hayes 

GL  Children 's  Services 

Stephen  Olson 
Audiovisual  Semices 


William  M.  Bulger 
Libby  Lai-Bun  Chiu 
v.  Paul  Deare 
Donna  M.  DePrisco 
Berthe  M.  Gaines 
David  McCullough 
William  O.  Tavlor 


Jeff  Cramer 
Circulation  6f  SItelving  Services 


(;(')• 


Boston  Public  Librat7  Foundation 
Board  of  Directors 

OFFICERS 

Kinin  C.  Plielan 
Chairmini  of  llii'  Board 
Kxeciitive  Vice  Presideni 
Meredith  &  Grew,  Inc. 

Prudence  S.  Crozier 

Vice  Chair 

Trustee,  Welleslev  College 

Nader  F.  Darelishori 

Vice  Chair 

(Chairman,  President  &  CEO 

Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

Jeffrey  B.  Rudnian,  Esq. 
Chairman  ofDinvlopmenl 
Partner,  Hale  and  l^orr 

James  S.  DiStasio 
Chairman  of  finance 
Managing  Partner,  Ernst  &  Yoinig 

Kitryn  M.  Wilson 
Frcsidrnt 


DIRECTORS 


Paula  Alxary 
Hotfman  Alvary  Sc  Co. 

Joel  B.  Alvord 

President  &  Managing  Director 

.Shawmut  Capital  Partners 

The  Honorable 
Thomas  F.  Birmingham 
President  of  the  Senate 
Commonwealth  of  Ma.ssachusetts 

Arnold  Bloom,  Esq. 
Bloom  &  VMiitkin 

Diane  Bodman 

Leo  R.  Breitman 
Chairman  &  CEO 
Fleet  National  Bank 

Michael  E.  Bronner 
('hief  Executive  Officer 
Bronner,  Slosberg  and  Humphrey 

Robin  A.  Brown 
General  Manager 
Four  Seasons  Hotel 

Wayne  A.  Budd,  Esq. 
Group  President  of  N.  E. 
Bell  Adantic 

William  M.  Bulger 
President 

Universit\'  of  Massadiusetts 


Lewis  Burleigh,  Esq. 
Day,  Berry  &  Howard 

(ireg  C.  (^arr 
Chairman 
Prodigy,  Inc. 

James  F.  Cleary 
Advisory  Director 
PaincWcbber,  Inc. 

William  F.  Connell 
C;hairman  &;  CEO 
Connell  Limited  Partnership 

G.  Drew  Conway 
President  Sc  CEO 
Renaissance  Worldwide,  Inc. 

Diddy  Cullinane 

President 

Black  &■  Wliite  Boston 

John  J.  Cullinane 

President 

The  Cullinane  Group 

V.  Paul  Deare 

Consultant 

Public  Affairs  and  Comminiication 

Stephen  C.  Demirjian 
Senior  Vice  President 
Westfield  Capital 

Donna  M.  DePrisco 

DePrisco  Diamond  Jewelers  &  Co. 

Lawrence  S.  DiCara,  Esq. 
Peabody  &;  Brown 

Gerard  F.  Doherty,  Esq. 

Ed  Eskandarian 
Chairman  &  CEO 
Arnold  Communications 

Katherine  W.  Fanning 
Adjunct  Professor 
Boston  University 

The  Honorable 
Thomas  M.  Finneran 
Speaker  of  the  House 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

Robert  P.  Fitzgerald 
Associate  Director 
International  Insurance 

Charles  J.  Fox 
Vice  President 
Medtac 

Robert  B.  Fiaser,  Esq. 
Chairman  (Retired) 
Goodwin,  Procter  &  Hoar 

Berthe  M.  Gaines 

Trustee 

Boston  Public  Library 

Carol  R.  Goldberg 

President 

The  AVCAR  Group,  Ltd. 

Jerome  H.  Grossman,  M.D. 
Chairman  S:  CEO 
Health  Quality  LLC 


L.  Carl  Gustin 
Senior  Vice  President 
Boston  Edison  Company 

John  I„  I  lai  rington 

Trustee  &  Executive  Director 

The  Yawkey  Foimdation 

Ri(  hard  1  lartei,  Esq. 
Bingham,  Dana  &  Gould 

Alice  Hennessey 

Special  Assistant  lo  the  Mayor 

Elizabeth  B.Johnson 

Hubert  E.  Jones 
Senior  Fellow 
McCormack  Institute 

Barbara  R.  Jordan 

Owner 

Bjoux 

Paul  A.  La  Camera 
President  &:  General  Manager 
WCVB-TV  Channel  5 

Charles  R.  LaMantia 
President  &  CEO 
Ai  thin  D.  Little,  Inc. 

Peter  S.  Lynch 
Vice  Chairman 
Fidelity  Management  & 
Research  Company 

Irma  S.  Mann 

Chairman  &  CEO 

Irma  Mann  Strategic  Marketing,  Inc. 

David  McCullough 
Historian 

Beth  Pfeilfer  McNay 
President  &  CEO 

Gamewright 

Cathy  E.  Minehan 

President  &  CEO 

Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  Boston 

Sandra  O.  Moose 
Senior  Vice  President 
Boston  Consulting  Group 

Joseph  E.  MuUaney.Jr. 
Vice  Chairman  (retired) 
Gillette  Company 

Paul  C.  O'Brien 

President 

The  O'Brien  Group.  Inc. 

John  J.  O'Connor 
Managing  Partner 
Coopers  &  Lybraird 

Kendra  O'Donnell 
Principal  (retired) 
Phillips  Exeter  Academy 

Ronald  P  O'Hanley 

Chief  Operadng  Officer 

Mellon  Global  Asset  Management 

Group 


Thomas  W.  Payzant 
Superintendent 
Boston  Public  Schools 

David  E.  Place,  Escj. 
Choate.  Hall  &  Stewart 

Robert  ('.  Po/t'ii 

Presideni  &  CEO 

Fidelity  Management  &  Research  (x>. 

Neil  L.  Rudenstine 
President 
Harvard  Univcisity 

George  A.  Russell.  Jr. 
.Senior  Vice  President 
State  Street  Bank 

Michael  R.  Sandler 
Chairman  &  CEO 
EduVentures,  Inc. 

Elaine  Schuster 
Continental  Wingate 

Pamela  Seigle 

Director 

Reach  Out  To  Schools 

Wellesley  College 

William  N.  Shiebler 

President 

Putnam  Mutual  Funds 

Susan  F.  Smith 

Chairman  -  National  Advisory 
Council  of  Dana  Farber  Women's 
Cancer  Program 

Micho  F.  Spring 

President 

Bozell/Sawyer  Miller  Consulting 

Ira  Stepanian 

Chairman  &  CEO  (Reured) 

Bank  of  Boston 

Jacquelynne  Stepanian 

Earl  Tate 
President  &  CEO 
Staffing  Solutions 

William  O.  Taylor 

Chairman 

The  Boston  Globe 

Joan  D.  Wheeler 
Owner 
Russian  Gallery 


Boston  Public  Library  Foundation 
Staff 

Blake  Jordan 

Director  of  Developvient 

Tara  Evin 

Public  Relations  Coordinator 

Valerie  Ketton 
Office  Manager 


I31. 


Dedicated  to  the  advancement  of  learning 

The  Boston  Public  Library  Foundation  gratefully  acknowledges  the  generous  support  of  the  follmmng  who  have  contributed 
$2^,000  or  more  toward  the  revitalizatwn  of  the  Boston  Public  Library.  (As  of  August  1,  ig^8) 


31   MIL 

The  Boston  Globe  Foundation 

Stanton  and  Elisabeth  Davis 

The  Kiesge  Foundation 

Members  of  the  Jordan  and  Taylor  Families 

John  D.  Merriam 

Amelia  Peabody  Charitable  Fund 

Hans  A.  and  Margret  E.  Rey 


$500.000  —  $999,999 

The  Jordan  Charitable  Foundation 

The  William  Randolph  Hearst  Foundation 

David  G.  Mugar 

Rosemary  and  Joseph  Mullaney 


Coopers  &  Lybrand  LLP 

Jessie  B.  Cox  Charitable  Trust 

Diddy  and  John  Cullinane 

Helene  R.  Cahners-Kaplan  and  Carol  R.  Goldberg 

The  Estate  of  Esther  Lissner 

Eastern  Enterprises/Boston  Gas  Company 

Fleet,  Trustee  of  the  Alfred  E.  Chase  Charity  Foundation 

Susan  Fried  and  Jeffrey  Rudman 

Harcourt  General  Charitable  Foundation 

Goodwin,  Procter  &  Hoar 

KPMG  Peat  Marwick 

The  Andrew  W.  Mellon  Foundation 

Polaroid  Corporation 

Rosalyn  and  Richard  Slifka 

The  Stride  Rite  Charitable  Foundation 

WCVB-TV',  Channel  5 


$250.000  -  $499,999 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company 

Teresa  Heinz 

New  England  Telephone/NrVNEX 

Richard  and  Susan  Smitli  Family  Foundation 


BankBoston 

Cabot  Family  Charitable  Trusts 

Drew  and  Kim  Conway/Renaissance  Worldwide 

Fleet  Bank 

The  Gillette  Company 

John  Hancock  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 

The  Henry  Luce  Foundation 

Carolyn  and  Peter  Lynch 

Raytheon  Company 

The  Mabel  Louise  Riley  Foundation 

Shawiiiut  Bank 


$100,000 


S149.999 


A.  U.  Bird  Trust 

Vernon  and  Marion  Alden 

Blue  Cross  and  Blue  Shield  of  MA,  Inc. 

Birmingham  Foundation 

The  Edward  Ingersoll  Browne  Fund 

William  F.  and  Margot  C.  Connell 

Jane  and  John  Fitzpatrick 

Hale  and  Dorr 

Charles  Hayden  Foundation 

Keel  Foimdation 

Liberty  Mutual  Insurance  Company 

Mellon  Trust/The  Boston  Company 

Amelia  Peabody  Foundation 

The  Harold  Wliitworth  Pierce  Charitable  Trust 

Putnam  Investments 

Maria  and  Ray  Stata 

State  Sueet  Bank  and  Trust  Company 

Millipore  Corporation 

Barbara  and  Patrick  Roche 

The  Yawkey  Foundation 


$50. C 

Arnold  Communications 

Arthur  D.  Little,  Inc. 

Associates  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 

The  Baring  Foundation 

BavBank 

The  Boston  Foimdation 

Boston  University 

Frank  Bowman 

Barbara  and  Jim  Cleary 


Frank  W.  and  Carl  S.  Adams  Memorial  Fund,  BankBoston,  Trustee 

Boston  Edison  Company 

Bushrod  H.  Campbell  and  Adah  F.  Hall  Charity  Fund 

Catherine  and  Paul  Buttenwieser 

Cabot  Corporation  Foundation 

Gregory  C.  Carr 

Prudence  and  William  Crozier 

Day,  Berry  &  Howard 

The  DePrisco  Family 

Electronic  Data  Systems 

Ernst  &:  Young  LLP 

Genzyme  Corporation 

The  Germeshausen  Foundation 

H.J.  Heinz  Company 

Litde,  Brown  &  Company 

Rosemary  and  Caleb  Loring 

Mellon  Trust/ Alice  P.  Chase  Trust 

Northeastern  LIniversity 

The  Parthenon  Group 

Anne  and  Kevin  Phelan 

Susanna  and  David  Place 

Elaine  and  Gerald  Schuster 

Jacquelynne  and  Ira  Stepanian 

USTrust  Bank 


(n-Kind  Gifts 


$100,00'' 


VE 


AK  Media 

Arthur  D.  Litde,  Inc. 

Blue  Cross/Blue  Shield  of  MA, 

Boston  Consulting  Group 

Coopers  &  Lybrand  LLP 

Electronic  Data  Systems 

Hale  and  Dorr 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company 

NYNEX-New  England 

Sametz  Blackstone  Associates 

WCVB-rV,  Channel  5 


Inc. 


$2: 


9.999 


Arnold  Communications 

Jonathan  L.  Barkan,  Communications  for  Learning 

Boston  Red  Sox 

Clarke  and  Company 

The  Cullinane  Group 

The  Four  Seasons  Hotel 

Global  Graphic  Management 

John  P.  Pow  Printing 


I32. 


Boston  Public  Library 

Fiscal  1997  Annual  Report 

Total  expenditures 


FY97 


FY96 


FY95 


A)  Salaries  and  wages 

City  of  Boston 

Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

State  Aid 

EMRLS 

Library  of  Last  Recourse 

Federal/State/Private  Grants 

Total  salaries  and  wages 


$1  5,560,690 

$15,061,262 

$14,252,328 

8,245 

42,550 

2.50,794 

1. 238,470 

1,321,109 

1,209,018 

2,589,002 

2,472,241 

2.205,597 

71.394 

59.297 

99,669 

$19,467,801 

$18,956,459 

$18,017,406 

B)  Books  and  other  library  materials 

City  of  Boston 

Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

State  Aid 

EMRLS 

Library  of  Last  Recourse 
Trust  Fund  Income 
Federal/State/Private  Grants 

Total  books  and  other  library  materials 


$2,598,880 

14.355 
1,103,381 

2.994.466 

618,823 
67,059 


$2,513,928 

156.347 
1,007,122 
2,377,064 

693,824 
65.285 


$2,327,778 

65,706 

1.143.259 

2.446.939 

432,761 

50,671 


7.396.964 


5,813,570 


5,467,114 


C)  All  other  expenses 

City  of  Boston 

Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

State  Aid 

EMRLS 

Library  of  Last  Recourse 
Trust  Fund  Income 
Federal/State/Private  Grants 

Total  all  other  expenses 


I3.363.548 

$3,310,085 

595.442 

394.326 

849,607 

881,447 

237.005 

428,420 

577.092 

743.916 

2,836,221 

415.799 

5,119,894 

279.419 
874,966 
625,239 
392,879 
338.981 


$8,458,915 


'6.173.993 


$5,631,378 


Grand  total  (A,  8,  &  C) 


$35,323,680 


t'3 1.944.02 


30,115,898 


Associates  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 
The  Baring  Foundation 
BayBank 

The  Boston  Foundation 
Boston  University- 
Frank  Bowman 
Barbara  and  Jim  Cleary 


1  ne  (^uinnane  oroup 
The  Four  Seasons  Hotel 
Global  Graphic  Management 
John  P.  Pow  Printing 


132- 


f 


ON 


Boston  Public  Library 

700  Boylston  Street 

Boston,  Massachusetts  021 16 


Boston  Public  Library  Foundation 

376  Boylston  Street 

Suite  503 

Boston,  Massachusetts  02 116