Author Talk with Susan Wilson

• HEAVEN, BY HOTEL STANDARDS: The History of The Omni Parker House — 170th Anniversary Edition
• Wednesday, October 8th, 2025. 12pm - 1:00pm
• In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
• State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
• Livestream on YouTube
• Books available for purchase; $30.00 cash or check

The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series welcomes back author and historian Susan Wilson on October 8th! Join us in our historic reading room within the State House to hear the history of the Omni Parker House from the official House Historian, Susan Wilson.

This is an in-person and virtual event. The livestream available on our YouTube channel courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services. Tune in at noon!

Be sure to sign up for our Author Talks newsletter and follow our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and X) for the latest information on our visiting authors. If you are unable to attend, the recording will be posted to our YouTube channel to watch anytime - view all past recordings here!

About the book: In this special release, Heaven, By Hotel Standards, celebrates the 170 year history of Boston's Omni Parker House Hotel. Since 1855 the hotel has been a landmark and center for culture, writers, artists, and politicians. The hotel is also renowned as the birthplace of the Parker House Roll and the Boston Cream Pie! Wilson makes the history of the hotel entertaining with well researched anecdotes and lots of pictures.

About the author: Susan Wilson is an author, historian, and photographer. She serves as the official House Historian for the Omni Parker House in addition to being a Scholar at Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center. Susan has had a long career teaching history at both the secondary and college level. She then moved into journalism, her writing regularly appearing in the Boston Globe. Susan’s passion for local history is engaging and she has written several books including: Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, M.D. Susan spoke at the State Library in 2024, watch that author talk here!

As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the author. Books will be available for purchase; $30.00 cash or check.

Any questions or concerns, please email us at AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov. For more information on the State Library Author Talks series, please visit our site.


April Pascucci
On behalf of Author Talks Working Group

From Card to Click: Discover the Massachusetts Legislative Biographical File

For just shy of two centuries, the State Library of Massachusetts has been a vital resource for those seeking information on past and present legislators. At the core of this legacy are two biographical card files—collections of both typed and handwritten index cards that together chronicle over 300 years of Massachusetts political history. Thanks to a three-year collaboration with our dedicated partners on the Application Development Team in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance Office of Information Technology (“A&F IT”) and our passionate, history-obsessed interns, we’re excited to announce the beta launch of the Massachusetts Legislative Biographical File Database! You can bookmark and access it directly—just choose “Search State Library” to begin exploring!

From card catalog to new database!

Digitizing a Legacy

Once available only in-library, these index card files were digitized and then transcribed into a searchable database. Each entry will eventually include the card image and links to related materials such as photographs and manuscript letters in the State Library’s collections, creating a unified, one-stop research experience.

Two Files, One Mission

The first file, located in the Main Reading Room, spans from the colonial era to today. The second, housed in our Special Collections Department, covers the late 18th century through approximately 1915. Together, these files contain over 20,000 cards, each offering biographical details such as names, birth and death dates, residences, education, occupations, party affiliations, and legislative service. Many cards include information on both sides and may reference letters or additional documents in the library’s collections.

Manuscript 151: The Tillinghast Legacy

Much of this collection owes its existence to Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast (1843–1909), Massachusetts’ first State Librarian. A passionate genealogist, Tillinghast sent over 75,000 letters and questionnaires to compile biographical data on legislators. These letters, now digitized and housed in Special Collections as Manuscript 151, are often cited directly on the cards and will be linked to the individual database entries.

Manuscript 138: Boston Journal Memoranda

Also digitized is Manuscript 138, a set of printed questionnaires sent to legislators between 1868 and 1892 by the Boston Journal. These offer rich biographical sketches and will also be integrated and linked to the individual database entries.

For more background on both of these collections, check out our previous blog post.

Preserving History, Enhancing Access

This database project has faced its share of challenges—from missing or inconsistent data on the original cards to shifting geographic names over time. Still, the State Library remains committed to preserving and enhancing access to this valuable historical resource, while working to verify and expand the information contained in the database. Whether you're a researcher, historian, or just curious, the Legislative Biographical File offers a unique glimpse into the lives of past Massachusetts lawmakers and Massachusetts history. If you have information that could help us authenticate the information or fill in the gaps, we’d love to hear from you! Just reach out via email or the form on our website!


Judith Carlstrom
Head of Technical Services

A Collection of Corvids in the Library!

It's a four-for-one special in this month's Audubon! Featured in plate 362 is I. Yellow billed Magpie; 2. Stellers Jay; 3. Ultramarine Jay; 4. Clark's Crow (which is also known as Clark's Nutcracker). The magpie is in the center, with two jays above and crows below. All of these birds are members of the Corvidae (Corvid) family, which includes over 139 species! So why are they being displayed for September? In keeping with the month's back-to-school theme, we're highlighting the print full of corvids because they are known to be amongst the most intelligent birds. Species in this family have tool-making abilities, memory skills, and show self-awareness. Young corvids have also been observed participating in complex games.

Also shown in the print is a rather large acorn, this is a significant addition to the print because, similar to squirrels, some corvids engage in scatter hoarding. They bury acorns in different locations and then retrieve them at a later date. There's that good memory in action!

Find some inspiration to be head of the class this school year by visiting the library and checking out the corvids. They are on display from September 10 through October 14, and you can read more about each of them in the Audubon Field Guide: Yellow-billed Magpie, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Clark's Nutcracker.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Understanding the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)

In 2013, the State Library published a blog post about the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), the official compilation of rules created by Massachusetts state agencies. Since then, access to the CMR has expanded, and the Library has continued to grow its collections, both in print and online. This updated post revisits the topic to provide current information about the CMR and the many ways researchers can explore these resources at the State Library and beyond. 

As we mentioned, the CMR contains the official rules that Massachusetts state agencies create and use to carry out state laws. These regulations cover a wide range of topics, from food safety standards to professional licensing requirements, and are published to ensure transparency and public access to the procedures and policies that affect daily life in the Commonwealth.

The CMR as we know it began in 1976. Prior to that there was no centralized way in which agencies published their regulations. A second edition of the CMR was released in 1978, and the third and current edition was released in 1987. This edition continues to be updated to this day.

How Regulations Are Published

Regulations are filed with the State Publications and Regulations Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and published biweekly in the Massachusetts Register. Each issue of the Register includes:

• Notices of proposed regulations and public hearings
• New, amended, and emergency regulations
• Executive Orders and Attorney General Opinions
• Cumulative Tables showing changes since the last codification

What the Numbers Mean

Each regulation is assigned a three-part citation. For example, 105 CMR 125.004:

• Title number (e.g., 105 CMR) designates the agency
• Chapter number (e.g., 105 CMR 125) indicates a subject area
• Section number (e.g., 105 CMR 125.004) pinpoints specific provisions

The first digit of the title number typically corresponds to the Executive Office, while the remaining digits identify the agency itself.

Accessing the CMR at the State Library

The State Library of Massachusetts is a valuable resource for anyone researching Massachusetts regulations. Here's how we can help:

• CMR in Print 
• We maintain a current Reading Room copy of the CMR for quick reference, updated as new regulations are filed.
• Historical Collection and Stacks Copy 
• Our Stacks copy of the CMR includes older versions with the Massachusetts Registers still intact, which is useful for identifying regulatory changes over time.
• Massachusetts Register 
• We have the Massachusetts Register in print, and many issues are available in our digital repository.
• Cumulative Tables 
• We house a comprehensive collection of the Cumulative Tables starting in 1976 to present. The tables list updates made to the CMR and allow researchers to trace when changes were made to specific chapters and sections.
• Pre-Codified Regulations 
• For older regulations issued before the formal CMR codification system began in 1976, we provide access to the pre-codified edition in print at the library, as well as in our digital repository. The pre-codified edition consists of 12 boxes, each containing several folders. The boxes are organized by agency, similar to the way the CMR now contains title numbers. Read on for information about accessing the pre-codified CMR digitally.

Online Access to the CMR

If you can’t visit the Library in person, the following resources provide online access to current and historical regulations:

• State Library’s CMR Research Guide 
• Our research guide provides detailed instructions on how to locate regulations, track changes, and cite regulatory sources.
• State Library Digital Collections 
• Find the latest issue of the Massachusetts Register, plus back issues. You’ll also find the Cumulative Tables in our digital repository. 
• NEW: Access the pre-codified version of the CMR in our digital repository.
• Secretary of State’s Regulations & Publications Division 
• Read about and download the Regulations Manual
• Trial Court Law Libraries’ Online CMR 
• Browse the CMR by agency title or subject on the Trial Court Law Libraries’ webpage.

Whether you’re a legal researcher, student, public policy professional, or just curious about how state government works, the State Library is here to support your research into Massachusetts regulations. Visit us in Room 341 of the Massachusetts State House or contact our reference librarians for assistance at reference.department@mass.gov.


Jessica Shrey
Legal Research Reference Librarian

State Library Newsletter - August Issue

Hello September! Read about everything happening at the State Library in this month's newsletter, out now. Pictured here is a preview, but the full issue can be accessed by clicking here. And you can also sign up for our mailing list to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox.

Back to School on Federal Street

September is synonymous with “Back to School” and with that comes the opportunity to share some education related materials in our Collection Spotlight case. This month, our items take us to Federal Street in Boston in 1797, where we are highlighting materials that represent two schools found on that street: Memoir of Mrs. Rowson, published in 1870 and about the founder of a girls school, and Regulations for the Government of the School in Federal Street, published in Boston in 1797. Both Mrs. Rowson’s school and the Federal School came to be not long after Massachusetts passed “An Act To Provide For The Instruction Of Youth, And For The Promotion Of Good Education” in 1789.

Schools in the 1790s would have been segregated by gender, and we know from the language of the Regulations for the Government of the School in Federal Street that this was a school for boys. The small pamphlet is only sixteen pages long and includes thirty articles adopted for the governance of the school and pupils. A notation at the end reads that at a meeting of the proprietors on September 13, 1797 the articles were voted on and adopted. You may notice that some of them are marked with an asterisks, this indicates that these articles are permanent, and do not need to be voted on again in the future. We are displaying the pamphlet open to the two pages that include Articles 3 through 8, which primarily address appropriate school behavior. It appears that the Federal School was rather strict and the students were held to a high standard! Three of the articles are transcribed below:

Article VI: That Silence be considered as an essential preliminary to the business of the day, and that no conversation be permitted in the School, but such as immediately relates to it.

 Article VII: That all kinds of social or private Amusement, during the hours appointed for Study or Instruction, be considered a transgression of the Rules.

 Article VIII*: That any Scholar who shall break a square of glass, or any of the furniture of the Academy, such as desks, benches, &c. shall be required immediately to repair it; or, in default, to pay twice the cost of such repairs.

We doubt that Articles VI and VII would be very popular with students today!

After reading through all the regulations, we tried to find additional information about the school. A search of Federal Street School or even “schools on Federal Street” did not turn up any information. A stamp on the interior pages indicates that the State Library acquired this item on December 29, 1887, so with that information we checked the section in the 1888 annual report that lists additions to the collections, in case that listing included any identifying information. Unfortunately, the annual report did not shed any light, as the pamphlets listing simply reads “School in Federal Street, Regulations for the government of the school. Bost., 1797.” It’s possible that this was a short-lived institution, or not one that was formally established. 

A school on Federal Street that we could find a reference to is Mrs. Susanna Rowson’s Academy for Young Ladies, which also dates to 1797. Susanna Rowson was born in England but immigrated to Boston at age five; she was an actress, author, playwright, and an educator and early proponent of education for females. Over the course of thirty years, she lived in Canada, England, and Philadelphia before returning to Boston 1797. It was at this time that she established the girls school on Federal Street, which was the first of its kind in Boston. We’re displaying her memoir open to the page that describes the school's first year:

On leaving the stage in the spring of 1797, Mrs. Rowson, under the patronage of Mrs. Samuel Smith, began a school in Federal street, and with but a single pupil, Mrs. Smith’s adopted daughter, continued it for one whole term. She was known in Boston only as a novel writer, as an actress – how could children be confided to her care? But the light cannot be hid; her motto was "tant que je puis," and persevering steadily, she came before the close of the scholastic year to number one hundred pupils on her daily roll; and applications were received for more than she could possibly accommodate.

The image of Susanna Rowson shown above is also found in her memoir. The school relocated to Medford and Newton before returning to Boston in 1809.

Beyond these two items, the State Library holds an impressive collection of education focused materials, in part because in its early days as a research library, it was under the care of the Board of Education. From 1849 until 1893, the Secretary of the Board of Education also served as the State Librarian. Check out the links below to read about some of the items that we’ve shared in past years, click here to read through an education timeline, and visit us from September 8 through October 7 to see these two items on display.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

Historical Textbooks, 1775 through 1828

"Rules and regulations for the public schools in Quincy: also, some remarks on the due observance of the rules, addressed to parents.” Quincy School Committee, September 1, 1835

“Rules and Regulations to be observed by the Teachers of the Public Schools in Dorchester” and “Order of Exercises at the Dedication of the Building and Installation of the Teacher of the High School” Dorchester Public Schools, 1810 and 1852