Internal Revenue Bulletin

The Internal Revenue Bulletin is a weekly publication of the Internal Revenue Service. It is divided into four parts: (1) the 1986 Internal Revenue Code; (2) Treaties and Tax Legislation; (3) Administrative, Procedural and Miscellaneous and (4) Items of General Interest.

The Bulletin is the "authoratative instrument" of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. As one can see from the four sections delineated above that official rulings, court decisions, Executive Orders, legislation and other general interest items are announced through the Bulletin.

The Bulletin can be accessed on line at: http://www.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/internalRevenueBulletins.html

The State Library holds an extensive cdollection of this material starting in 1921.

The Reference Dept.

Photographs of Legislators

Did you know that the State Library has a collection of over 3,200 photographs of legislators?

The earliest photographs are from 1855 and the collection continues into the early 1900s. The photographs range in size from tiny tin type to oversize collages. All are housed in the climate-controlled library vault and are available for the public to view in the Special Collections department.

The collection is currently being digitized by a library intern and once complete, the images will be posted in the library's digital repository, DSpace. At left is one of the digitized images - Charles Dillingham (1821-1902). Mr. Dillingham was in the state Senate in 1861 and 1862, then in the state House of Representatives in 1886 and 1887, representing Sandwich during those periods. As you can see at the bottom of the image, this photograph was taken during his tenure in the Senate.

Images of legislators can also be found in several publications that the library has already digitized and are available online. Each book is listed on the Public Officers of the Commonwealth page of the library's web site. Click on any year and the digital version will open through the Internet Archive web site.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

A Storm is Brewing: Storms in Massachusetts and New England History

Hurricane season is upon us. According to Boston.com hurricanes are most common in the North Atlantic from August through October and that the busiest month for hurricanes is September. They also state that it must have winds of at least 74 mph to be classified as a hurricane.

The State Library has these books and resources on storms or hurricanes.

Well known storms and hurricanes:
Carol at 50 : remembering her fury : a historical and pictorial summary of Hurricane Carol
Orloff, Charles Talcott. [E. Milton, MA] : Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, 2004.

Erosion of Nantucket Island's eastern shore by the northeast storm of December 11-13, 1992
Reston, Va. : U.S. Geological Survey ; Denver, Colo. : Books and Open-File Reports Section [distributor], 1993. Videotape 81

Hurricane Bob, August 16-August 20, 1991 : a brief history
Minsinger, William Elliott. [Milton, Mass.] : Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, 1992.

Hurricane Bob, August, 1991, high water marks, eastern Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts.
[Waltham, Mass.] : U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England Division, 1992.

The 1938 hurricane : an historical and pictorial summary
Minsinger, William Elliott. East Milton, Mass. : Blue Hill Observatory (P.O. Box 101, East Milton, Mass. 02186), 1988.

A Winter storm:
An inventory of aerial photographs taken of the eastern New England shoreline following the storms of the 1977-1978 winter season
by Michael Goetz. Boston, Mass. : New England River Basins Commission, 1979.

General:
Natural hazards of North America
National Geographic Maps (Firm). Washington, D.C. : The Society, c1998. (Map)

New England's disastrous weather : hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, dark days, heat waves, cold snaps... and the human stories behind them
Camden, Me. : Yankee Books, c1990.

Naomi Allen
Reference Librarian

image: courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Center, Hurricane Center web site

September 16th Brown Bag on the Economic Census

Join us for a BROWN BAG LUNCH on
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
State Library of Massachusetts
Room 442 State House
12 noon until 1:30 PM

Bring your lunch and hear Arthur Bakis, Information Services Specialist at the Boston Regional Census Center, speak specifically about the Economic Census, conducted by the Census Bureau every five years ending in 2 and 7. This Census essentially does for business what the Decennial Census does for population and housing. Arthur will navigate attendees through the Census website to access Economic Census data for states, counties and communities.

Please RSVP to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MDHWVKB. You may also call Reference directly at 617- 727-2590 or e-mail the department at reference.department@state.ma.us to register. Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library.

Wild Flowers on Flickr

The library is pleased to present a new set of images on Flickr: North American Wild Flowers.

The set digitally recreates an exhibition of selected plates of watercolors by the American botanist Mary Vaux Walcott. The Smithsonian Institution published these paintings in limited and library five-volume editions as North American Wild Flowers in 1925.

The exhibit was originally posted at the State Library during the summer of 2008. Several of the original exhibit pieces are on display on the Periodicals Balcony, room 442. The original prints can be viewed in the Special Collections Department, room 55.

- The Marketing Committee

Sculpted to Inspire: Theodore Roosevelt

The Library will be highlighting this bronze sculpture of Theodore Roosevelt though October 1, 2010. John Gutzon Borglum created this eight years before he began work on the monumental Presidents' heads on Mount Rushmore. It was given to the Library by the T. R. Club of Massachusetts in 1945. This is the first of a number of pieces in the Library's Reading Room that will be featured in the next few months. Please stop by Room 341 in the State House by to view it. The Library's hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m through 5:00p.m.

Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library.

Historic Massachusetts Map Now Available Digitally

Recently the Special Collections department digitized a 1798 map of the Commonwealth and added it to the library's digital archive. "An accurate map of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts exclusive of the district of Maine..." is an original map depicting towns, county seats, boundary lines and natural features as they existed at the end of the 18th century. The map also includes with each town the distance to Boston, and the distance to the county seat. The title in the lower left corner is given prominence and is surrounded by items of a nautical theme. The original map is on four sheets, which were scanned individually and digitally stitched together.

This map is not only beautiful - and in remarkable shape for its age - but it also provides a wealth of knowledge for researchers of Massachusetts history. The original is available for viewing in the Special Collections department and a digital version is available in DSpace.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

Library Closed Labor Day

The Library will be closed for the Labor Day holiday. Regular hours for the Main Reading Room (Room 341) and Special Collections (Room 55) will resume on Tuesday. The Main Reading Room will be open 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday, and Special Collections from 9:00 to 1:00 and by appointment Monday through Friday. Please call Special Collections at 617.727.2590 if an appointment is required.