Even if you are old enough to know what it is, you would probably consider the card catalog to be a relic of the past. The State Library still has one, but its days are numbered thanks to a $400,000 Fiscal Year 2012 capital investment grant from the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Information Technology Division to create a virtual library. This grant is part of Governor Deval Patrick’s Capital Investment Plan for the Future of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
With these generous funds, the State Library is undertaking a project to retrospectively convert almost 100,000 catalog cards to automated records in the library’s online catalog .
This project will provide the citizens of the Commonwealth, and users throughout the world, virtual access to all the library’s research materials and allow them to immediately initiate requests to use these materials. Currently, these historically rich and unique collections are essentially hidden within the card catalog drawers and remain invisible beyond the physical library walls. Keep checking back to see what we can show you as these treasures are uncovered!
