Explore the Coast and the Harbor Islands from a Bird’s-Eye View

In Boston, one of the markers that summer is on the horizon is the relaunching of the Boston Harbor Islands Ferry! To coincide with the spring schedule kicking off on May 15, we are displaying a 1905 map titled, "Bird’s Eye View of Boston Harbor and South Shore to Provincetown: Showing Steamboat Routes" in our Collections Spotlight case. This map prominently features Boston Harbor and the many islands found within, and also illustrates part of Boston, the South Shore, and Cape Cod from a bird's-eye perspective (not the cloudy view over parts of Boston, to emphasize that you are viewing it from above).

While this map has been unfolded and is currently stored flat, it originally would have been folded into a 4 inch by 8 inch rectangle partially affixed to a cardstock front and back cover. For preservation and access purposes, the covers have been removed and are normally stored in an acid-free paper sleeve in a folder along with the map. But this month, the cover is on display as a complement to the map. The cover features the title printed in an eye-catching font and informs us that the price was 10 cents (which would calculate to about $3.75 today, though maybe more if you were purchasing it from a touristy spot downtown!). It was published by John F. Murphy, a news agent and businessman who operated newsstands in railroad stations in the region, including South Station, where this map was likely sold. Also on display is a facsimile of the inside of the front cover, where an index to the map was printed. This is an especially useful resource as it indicates notable buildings and landmarks. For lighthouse fans, this map includes many, including Race Point Light (#32) jutting out from Cape Cod, Gurnet Light (#27) in Plymouth, and Boston Light (#23) in Boston Harbor. What’s missing from the list is Graves Light, also in Boston Harbor, as that lighthouse wasn’t constructed until 1905 and likely missed the publication date of this map.

Beyond lighthouses, there are many details to discover on this map. Note the numerous shipping routes leaving Boston, which could take you as close as Nantasket or as far as Europe. And the tourist-centered entries, like Hotel Pemberton (#18) at the end of Hull and the Myles Standish Monument (#28) in Duxbury. But one of the most interesting details is how many buildings are located on the Harbor Islands. Today, we generally consider recreation to be the Harbor Islands' primary function, but at the turn of the 20th century, they served a more utilitarian purpose. If you visit the islands today, you'll come across some foundations and building remnants that shed light on their past lives. Featured on this map are some of the following buildings: 

• A farm school on Thompson’s Island (#6)
• The City of Boston Almshouse and Hospital on Long Island (#9)
• The City of Boston Quarantine Station on Gallop’s island (#14)
• The City of Boston House of Reformation for Children on Rainsford Island (#16)

Also identified on the map are Fort Andrew (#17) on Peddocks Island and Fort Warren (#15) on George's Island, which exist as historical structures today. Foundations and  remnants of buildings can be spotted on some of the other islands, giving a hint of their past lives.

We have previously highlighted a similar bird’s-eye view map that also shows the Harbor Islands and the eastern coastline from Boston to the Cape via the South Shore. This map is a bit more recent, published in 1920, and provides a more detailed view of Boston. You can check it out in this blog post and then compare it to the 1905 map, which is on display in our reading room from May 5 through June 2. Stop by to see it before you catch the ferry to the Harbor Islands!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

The Cross-Reference: A Massachusetts State Library Publication (Published Erratically)

A candid photograph of State Library staff members found in Ms. Coll. 66, c. 1930. There are six women in the photo, but the inscription on the back only lists five names. It is uncertain whether the names are listed in the order the librarians are shown here. Clarissa Holmes, one of the women pictured, was the editor of The Cross-Reference.

Ms. Collection 66 has felt ever-present in the Special Collections Department reading room this year. This collection documents the inner workings of the State Library throughout its history. It includes correspondence regarding the everyday operations of the Library, Board of Trustees meeting minutes, renovation plans, photographs, past exhibit files, and newspaper clippings about the Library and its staff over the years. It even holds a few artifacts, such as the enormous “Mass Room” stamp currently on display in our 200th anniversary exhibit. While staff prepared for our numerous 200th celebratory events, our interns also worked to rehouse the materials in Ms. Coll. 66. As a result, I came across items from the State Library’s history which made me feel a personal connection to the librarians who came before me in a pretty unexpected way.

During the 1920s, State Library staff published an internal newsletter they titled The Cross-Reference, and I suspect they had a lot of fun doing it. The first issue was published in March 1925 by “Holmes-Clark Publishing Co.,” a reference to librarians C. J. (Clarissa) Holmes and H.E. Clark, who spearheaded the efforts. I thought these witty women should have their writing featured by their fellow librarians here on our blog 100 years later. For the rest of this writeup, I’m going to let them speak for themselves:

Reports on social gatherings (and suspicious behaviors)

"The World of Fashions"

A travel section

“Advice to the Lovelorne”

Money-making schemes

Gossip

Eyebrow troubles

Boston weather snark

Etymology

Superlatives

Alyssa Persson

Processing Archivist

Special Speaker Event: Ambassador (ret.) Nicholas Burns

• 
  Wednesday, May 6th, 2026. 12 pm - 1:00 pm
• In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
• State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
• Livestream on YouTube

Please join us in the State Library reading room on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026 at 12:00 pm for a conversation with former Ambassador Nicholas Burns! In lieu of a specific book, he will be presenting on the topic: Lessons From the Front Lines of the US-China Relationship.

Nicholas Burns grew up in Wellesley, MA. After graduating from Wellesley High School (class of ‘74) he attended Boston College (class of ‘78) and studied abroad at Paris-Sorbonne (‘77), where he earned his practical French Language certificate and met his future wife, Elizabeth Baylies. He went on to earn his MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University (class of ‘80) before embarking on a nearly three-decades-long career in Foreign Service under Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. His work has taken him to various countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

©Grace DuVal/Harvard University

Although he transitioned from Foreign to Private Service in 2008, he has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations such as the Boston Committee on Foreign Relations and Special Olympics International. He has received many prestigious awards and distinctions which include: the Presidential Distinguished Service Award; the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award; the Ignatian Award from Boston College; New Englander of the Year (2016) from the New England Council; the Boston College Alumni Achievement Award; the Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University. In 2021, President Biden nominated and Congress approved Burns as the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China. He served as US Ambassador to China from 2021 to 2025.

Future world leaders can benefit from his wealth of knowledge and experience at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government where he has taught since 2008. At Harvard, Professor Burns is the Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations.

The State Library is excited to welcome Ambassador (ret.) Nicholas Burns to the State House and is grateful that he has made the time to speak with us. As with all our Author Talks, this lecture is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. This is an in-person and virtual event, and the livestream will be available on our YouTube channel courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services. 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 Ambassador Burns.

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!

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.

Maryellen Larkin

On behalf of the Author Talks Working Group  


Sources:

• Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China (usembassy-china.org.cn)
• Boston College Magazine - Winter 2003 (archive.org)
• CHINA Town Hall - NCUSCR
• Nicholas Burns | The Cohen Group
• RNB_Bio_Full_1.pdf (belfercenter.org)

Reflections on the Spring 2026 NEA Meeting, Resilience and Action in the Archives

This post is jointly written by our two Special Collections interns, who recently attended and presented at the New England Archivists' Spring Meeting.

Erin (left) and Charlsie (right)

At the end of March, we had the opportunity to travel to Portland, Maine to attend the New England Archivists’ 2026 Spring Meeting. The Spring Meeting is an annual two-day conference dedicated to networking and professional development for archivists at any stage in their career. We were fortunate enough to be selected to present on our work processing legislators’ papers in the State Library’s Special Collections department as a part of the graduate student lightning talks.

The first day of the conference, we attended several engaging sessions with topics ranging from document and textile preservation to gender in the archives. We also got the chance to meet and connect with other early professionals and Simmons students.

We started the second day by attending a panel about the importance of caring for ourselves and others in archival work. After lunch, it was time for the graduate student presentations. There were four other groups presenting, and we went last. It was great getting to meet the other presenters and hear about the projects they are working on. We were nervous when it was our turn to present, but the audience was extremely responsive and seemed interested in our work. We were also thankful to have processing archivist Alyssa Persson in the audience cheering us on. The presentation was centered around our experience processing the papers of Lois Pines, a former state representative and senator, as well as meeting her last summer. This project was very formative to our growth as archivists, so it was great to share our experience with an engaged audience of other people in the field. We are very grateful we were able to attend the conference and hope to return next year as professionals!


Erin Wood and Charlsie Wemple

Special Collections Interns

Welcome Spring with the American Robin!

Traveling through the thirteen original colonies by highlighting their state birds brings us to Connecticut this month! We're featuring the American Robin, which was designated as the state bird of Connecticut by the General Assembly in 1943. Audubon's print (plate 131) depicts the male, female, and young, all in the branches of the chestnut oak tree.

You may have seen images of the European Robin, which has similarities to the American Robin, but is a different group of bird entirely. So how did these two birds end up with the same name? The answer is that colonists thought the bird they were seeing in New England resembled the robin they knew at home, and started calling it by that name. 

Robins are sometimes considered to be a sign of spring, and as Massachusetts thaws out from a snowy winter, they are a welcome sight. Visit us from April 8 through May 12 to see the American Robin on display in our Audubon case.

This is our fourth state bird in our series, and you can catch up with all of those that have been featured here.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

State Library or State Archives – What’s The Difference?

Homepage of the Massachusetts Archives website (L) and homepage of the State Library of Massachusetts (R)

A common misconception we encounter at the State Library is that we also serve as the archives for the Commonwealth. Patrons are often surprised to learn that the Massachusetts State Archives and the State Library of Massachusetts are separate agencies and operate independently of one another. The State Library of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Archives are separate agencies. The State Library is part of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance one of the Executive offices under the Governor, whereas the Archives falls under the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Diagram of the organizational structure

Both agencies collect and preserve materials pertinent to the historical record of the Commonwealth and while there might be some overlap in the materials both have within their respective collections – their collections are distinct from each other. The Commonwealth’s Constituent Experience Center of Excellence has created a Guide for state organizations on archiving documents which provides a helpful breakdown of who gets what in terms of State Library vs. the Archives. Keep in mind that there are always exceptions to rules and guidelines and not everything is always this straightforward – when in doubt, please ask:

• State Library of Massachusetts email: Reference.Department@mass.gov
• Massachusetts Archives email: archives@sec.state.ma.us

Aside from the types of materials the Library and Archives collect, a major factor that distinguishes them from one another is that they are in separate parts of Boston. The State Library is located inside the Massachusetts State House, right across from Boston Common.

The Massachusetts Archives, on the other hand, is located in Columbia Point – next to UMass Boston and the JFK Library.

This is the reason I always recommend contacting the Archives or the Library ahead of time to verify that whichever repository you are considering visiting actually has the item you need.

Time to add another complication: the State Library has a Special Collections Department which holds historic materials that are rare and fragile e.g., the Bradford Manuscript. Technically, the Special Collections does contain archival collections – however, these are predominantly the personal papers of past legislators, documents related to the history of the State Library and the State House building. You can learn more about the legislators’ papers by reading past blog posts: Collecting Legislative Papers. (Read more about examples of legislators’ papers with our collection on our blog, e.g., Ms. Coll. 179: Representative Josh S. Cutler Papers and Pride Month Spotlights from the Special Collections Department). Try to avoid confusing legislators’ papers the State Library collects with the legislative packets/packages kept at the Massachusetts Archives. Legislative packages/packets consist of whatever accompanies a copy of the bill when it gets submitted to the Archives – the packets should include the original petition with names of all petitioners, written changes in the bill, and sometimes other material such as letters, with margin notes. Note that I said “should” – sometimes all that is submitted is a copy of the bill. Again, it’s always best to contact the Archives ahead of time to verify (1) that there is a packet and (2) that there is material in it beyond a copy of the bill.

Another weird thing we’ve got going on is that the web address for our Digital Collections has the word “archives” in it. I don’t really have any advice for that other than to ignore that it says archives and to focus on the lib.state.ma part instead. The Massachusetts Archives has its own digital collections  – their web address also has the word “archives” in it, but it’s followed by sec.stat.ma … hopefully that helps. Don’t stress if you’re still unsure about which institution has the materials you need for your research – we’re always happy to point you in the right direction (again, it’s always best to email us and ask – just to be sure!).

Fun fact: the State Library also gets confused with the Boston Public Library. We often get asked where “the room with green lamps” is because for some reason a certain search engine *cough-cough* still likes to pull up images of the Boston Public Library’s famous Bates Hall reading room when people do web searches for the State Library.

Maryellen Larkin

Government Documents & Reference Librarian

State Library Newsletter - April Issue

Happy April! Our monthly newsletter is out now and full of information about our upcoming Author Talk, our newly exhibited items, a recap of events from last month, and more!

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.

On Display: Documenting the Library's History

The State Library’s 200th anniversary might have been in March, but the celebration of our history continues in April with items on display our Collection Spotlight case. The March 1926 issue of Library Journal featuring an image of the State Library remains on display and is joined by a selection of items from our 100-year anniversary in 1926, along with a staff favorite photograph. These items will be on view in our main reading room from March 31 through May 5.

On display is the invitation and program for the celebratory event held in honor of the Library’s 100th birthday on March 3, 1926. From these two items, we gain a sense of the formality of the event. The invitation was issued by members of the Board of Trustees and "requested the honor of your presence at exercises to be held in the House of Representatives." From the accompanying program, we know that these "exercises" were primarily speeches. The event was presided over by Senate President Hon. Wellington Wells, with remarks from Governor Alvan K. Fuller and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Honorable Nathan Matthews. The keynote address was given by Dr. Roscoe Pound, Dean of Harvard University Law School, on the topic of The State Library in Modern Society. In addition to these speeches, the program also notes that within the Library was an exhibition of books, medals, and pictures.

This event does not differ greatly from the event that we held on March 3, 2026 in the Library's main reading room. Our 200th birthday event included remarks by Governor Maura Healey, Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Senate President Karen Spilka, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, and Library Trustees Rep. Kate Hogan, Michele Capone, and Robert Cerasoli, who also presided over the festivities. Guests at our event were encouraged to sign our guestbook with well wishes, and this book, along with promotional materials from all our March events, will be added to our institutional records. 

Rounding out our display this month is a photograph that is a favorite among staff members and has been reproduced in our new exhibit, The State of the Library: 200 Years of Serving the Commonwealth. The photograph shows librarians and patrons in our main reading room in 1912. There are a number of photographs in our institutional records that document the reading room, staff, and events, though they primarily date to the 1950s and onward. This is one of the few photographs from the early 1900s.

Highlighting items from our institutional archives allows us to share our history as we continue to celebrate our 200th year, but these items also help us to mark Preservation Week, which occurs April 26 through May 2. The theme this year is Is This Thing On? Preserving Memories and Creating Archives. Preservation Week encourages institutions and individuals to focus on measures that can be taken to ensure the longevity of collection items, much like library staff one hundred years ago saved materials from the 1926 celebrations to add to the Library’s institutional memory. In your own life, if you have saved birthday cards, yearbooks, photographs, journals, or a myriad of other personal items, then you are also working to preserve history and add to the collective memory of your family and community. For materials that you want to save long-term, be sure to house everything in archivally sound materials that are free of acid and lignin. You can find a selection of at-home preservation tips here and always reach out to special.collections@mass.gov with any preservation questions, we are happy to assist as you create and maintain your own personal archives!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Author Talk with Scott J. Kerman

• The Duke: Weekly Conversations with the Last Honest Politician
• Wednesday, April 8, 2026. 12 pm - 1:00 pm
• In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
• State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
• Livestream on YouTube
• Books available for purchase; $20.00 cash, check, Venmo and Zelle accepted

The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series is excited to host author Scott Kerman! This is an in-person and virtual event. The livestream will be 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: Michael Dukakis is a former Massachusetts governor, presidential candidate, and lifelong resident of Brookline. For many, the name Governor Dukakis evokes nostalgia for a bygone time in Massachusetts history. Dukakis holds the title of longest serving governor in MA; serving terms in 1975-79 and again in 1983-91. The Duke is a humorous and intimate look at Dukakis and his career. Author Scott Kerman sits down with Dukakis and over a series of casual conversations, anecdotes, reflections, and photos, the reader gets a great sense of Dukakis, his personality, and personal take on politics past and present.

Dukakis with author Scott Kerman

About the author: Scott Kerman is a writer, stand-up comedian, and columnist for the Eagle Tribune. He has written 6 books including his series The World According to Scott. He also hosts a Boston sports podcast, The Grandstanders. Check out his YouTube channel for more.

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; $20.00 cash, check, Venmo and Zelle accepted.

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 the Author Talks Committee

Now Online: The State of Our Library

We are happy to announce that our new exhibit The State of Our Library: 200 Years of Serving the Commonwealth is now available online! Visit our website to explore the history of the State Library at your convenience.

Follow the history of the State Library from its founding in 1826 up through the modern day. The exhibit highlights our collection, along with our various services, resources, and technological advances. And take a peek at the different locations within the State House that we've occupied and the changes to our physical space.

As a complement to our online exhibit, check out our Flickr album of photographs showing the State Library through the years. 

For those who want to see the exhibit in person, stop by the State House to see the cases outside of the library in room 341, before stepping inside to explore our reading room. The State House is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00.

Elizabeth Roscio

On behalf of the Exhibits Working Group

Open Houses at the State Library!

As part of our 200th celebrations, the State Library has two upcoming Open Houses this month. Read more below:

Special Collections Anniversary Tour
March 18, 11:00 and 12:15

The Special Collections Department is excited to invite you to join us for a highlight tour of our historical holdings on March 18! We will be pulling from storage a selection of materials dating from the 1600s to the modern era. On view will be some of our favorite maps, photographs, rare books, broadsides, manuscripts, and more!

Tours will be offered at 11:00 and 12:15. This event is free and open to the public but due to space constraints, we ask that participants use this link to register in advance. 

Special Collections is located in Room 55 of the State House, and we look forward to seeing you soon! Reach out to us at special.collections@mass.gov with any questions.

State Library 200th Anniversary Open House

March 25, 11:00 to 1:00

Join us on Wednesday, March 25 for our 200th Anniversary Open House! Librarians from our Reference and Special Collections Departments will be on-hand to give an overview of our collections and chat about our resources and services.

We are also pleased to share that as a special commemoration of 200 years of collecting in the Commonwealth, a treasure from our collection will be on display. William Bradford's Of Plimoth Plantation (1630-1650) will be on view in our Collection Spotlight case during the duration of the Open House!

This event is open to the public and will take place from 11:00 to 1:00 in our main reading room (Room 341 of the State House). Reach out with any questions to reference.department@mass.gov and we hope to see you then!

Bluebirds Visit for March

Our trip through the thirteen original colonies by way of their state birds continues this month with the bluebird (Audubon plate 113). The Eastern Bluebird was established as the New York State Bird in 1970. Shown in this print is the vibrant male soaring above, and the female below, feeding a young bluebird.

Highlighting the bluebird in March serves double-duty. March is Women's History Month, and a few years ago we featured Audubon's print 393, the Townsend Warbler, Arctic Blue-bird, and Western Blue-bird, to bring attention to the fact that in 1915, suffragettes in Massachusetts used the bluebird as a symbol of their movement. Read more about bluebirds for suffrage in our previous blog post.

We're excited for the chance to share a different bluebird print from Birds of America both for suffrage and as part of our state bird series. Visit us from March 10 through April 7 to see this vibrant print on display. And catch up on all featured state birds here.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Women’s History Month at the State Library

Women’s History Month, observed each March, is a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and lasting impact of women throughout history. It offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress women have made while also acknowledging the challenges they have faced, and still face, across different eras and fields. To celebrate Women’s History Month, the State Library of Massachusetts is sharing a selection of materials from our collections that highlight women’s lives, achievements, and lasting influence.

Woman, Her Position, Influence, and Achievement Throughout the Civilized World: Her Biography, Her History, from the Garden of Eden to the Twentieth Century by William C. King, 1901

While shelving one day, I came across this book and I immediately had to take it off the shelf. Its spine looked gorgeous and when I saw the cover, it quickly became one of my favorite books in our collections. Published in 1901, this book covers the advancement of women from the ancient world up through the end of the 19th century. Through biographies and illustrations, this book tells the story of the social conditions of the times. You can view this book freely via Internet Archive and HathiTrust.

Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, M.D. by Susan Wilson, 2023

Women and Children First is a biography of Dr. Susan Dimock (1847–1875), a pioneering figure in American medicine. The book highlights Dimock’s role as one of the first female physicians and surgeons in the United States, particularly known for advancing medical care for women. It traces her early life in North Carolina, her move to Boston during the Civil War, and her medical training at the New England Hospital for Women and Children and the University of Zurich, emphasizing her lasting impact on women’s health and the medical profession. Author Susan Wilson joined us last March for an Author Talk about this book, so be sure to check out the recording on our YouTube channel to learn more!

From Suffrage to the Senate: America’s Political Women: an Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues by Suzanne O’Dea, 2006 (2 vols)

This two-volume work is a comprehensive reference guide that chronicles American women's path to political power and social equality. It contains over 900 in-depth biographies of women politicians, activists, journalists, and lawyers, covering significant movements, organizations, court cases, and legislation. These volumes trace women’s history from the abolition and suffrage movements to modern issues.

Historic Women Trailblazers of Massachusetts

This booklet, put together by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism in 2020, was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. It features more than 70 women “Trailblazers” who have contributed to the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world. The women featured in this book have strong ties to Massachusetts and represent suffragists, abolitionists, teachers, politicians, scientists, athletes, artists, and so much more. This book also contains a map marking important historic sites across Massachusetts. View and download the book and the map here. 

These books and others will be on display in the Library throughout the month of March. Stop in to see them Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

If you’d like to learn more about Women’s History Month, be sure to take a look at some of our other blog posts we’ve published on this topic:

• The Influence of Women in Harper's Weekly, 1862 
• Bluebirds for Suffrage 
• “The Nonsense of It: Short Answers to Common Objections Against Woman Suffrage” and the 1917 edition of The Woman Suffrage Year Book 

Jessica Shrey
Legal Research Reference Librarian

State Library Newsletter - March Issue

Our March newsletter is out now! In it, you'll find all the information about our 200th events in one place, along with features for Women's History Month, new items on display, and more!

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.

(Curious about the motif that has bene used as the background for many of our 200th anniversary promotional items? It's a zoomed-in shot of the beautiful and colorful stained glass in the fanlights in our reading room!)

The State Library Turns 200: A New Exhibit and Collection Spotlight

We are excited to announce the opening of our new exhibit The State of Our Library: 200 Years of Serving the Commonwealth coinciding with our 200th birthday this month! As we celebrate this milestone, the exhibit showcases both the Library's impressive history and its current offerings. Using published documents, historical photographs and artifacts, and archival materials from the Library’s institutional records, the exhibit highlights our various services, resources, and technologies, as well as the changes and expansions to its physical space that have occurred over the last 200 years. 

Complementing our new exhibit is the 1856 edition of Ballou's Pictorial and a copy of Library Journal from March 1926, both on display this month in our Collection Spotlight case. Ballou’s Pictorial was a weekly periodical published in Boston from 1851 through 1859 (though up until 1855 it was published as Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion). We’ve written about this periodical in a previous blog post, but in a nutshell, it was full of interesting information to read or discuss, along with illustrations to examine. One of those illustrations is this full-page print of the “Interior View of the Massachusetts State Library” found in the May 31, 1856 issue. 

Illustration of the interior of the State Library
from Ballou's Pictorial, May 31, 1856

This image shows the Library, which at the time was only thirty years old, in its second location within the State House. Only one year prior, an addition to the building was completed that moved the Library to a central location and included two floors – a reading room and a balcony, as depicted in this image. The Library remained in this space for forty years, until another addition was completed in 1895 that moved the Library to its current location.

The same image was reproduced in the March 1, 1926 issue of Library Journal, a publication founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey (of Dewey Decimal fame) and still in existence today. Included in this issue is a feature on the State Library as it celebrated its 100th birthday. The article, titled “A Century of the Massachusetts State Library” gives information about the founding and a synopsis of the State Librarians up to 1926. The article ends with a note on the collections, stating “its collection of statute law is said to be unsurpassed except by that of the Library of Congress. Perhaps its most interesting original manuscript is that of Governor William Bradford’s “History of Plimoth Plantation,” otherwise known as “The Log of the Mayflower.” One hundred years after the publishing of this article, the Of Plimoth Plantation remains one of the treasures of our collection and we are excited to share that it will be on display during our upcoming Open House on March 25.

While Ballou’s Pictorial and Library Journal will only be on display in our Collection Spotlight case from March 2 through March 31, The State of Our Library is on view in the display cases outside of the Library through 2026. If these items piqued your interest in the State Library's history, there is even more to be found in the full exhibit, so be sure to visit us Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 to check it out, or click here to see the online version!

Elizabeth Roscio, Preservation Librarian

Exhibits Working Group

POSTPONED - Special Speaker Event: Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (Retired)

• 
  Thursday, March 12, 2026. 12pm - 1:00pm - POSTPONED
• Due to unforeseen circumstances, the talk with Justice Breyer will be rescheduled for a later date. Stay tuned for updates. Thank you!
• In-person and Virtual event
• State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
• Livestream on YouTube

Celebrate the library’s 200th birthday by joining us for this special speaker event! We have events scheduled throughout the month to celebrate this milestone. The Author Talks Series is excited to host former Justice Stephen Breyer in honor of the library serving the Commonwealth for 200 years.

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.

About Stephen Breyer: The Honorable Stephen Breyer is a retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Born in San Francisco in 1938, he is a graduate of Stanford, Oxford, and Harvard Law School. He taught law for many years as a professor at Harvard Law School and at the Kennedy School of Government. He has also worked as a Supreme Court law clerk (for Justice Arthur Goldberg), a Justice Department lawyer (antitrust division), an Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor, and Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1980, he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit by President Carter, becoming Chief Judge in 1990. In 1994, he was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Clinton. He has written books and articles about a range of legal topics, including administrative law, economic regulation, and the U.S. Constitution. His books include Active Liberty (2005), Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View (2010), The Court and the World (2015), The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics (2021), and Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism (2024). His wife, Joanna, was born in Great Britain and is a retired clinical psychologist. They have three children—Chloe, Nell, and Michael—and six grandchildren.

State employees can use their State Library Cards to check out any of the following books by Stephen Breyer:

• Reading the Constitution: Why I chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism
• The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics
• Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution
• Economic Reasoning and Judicial Review
• The Legal Profession and Public Service
• More books by Breyer; browse here.

As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. 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. If you cannot make it to the event in person, the recording will be made available on our YouTube channel; watch previous author talks here!

April Pascucci
On behalf of the Author Talks Working Group

A Closer Look at the Freedom Trail Tapestry

The State Library boasts many art pieces that decorate its reading room and balcony level. One piece we get asked about frequently is the Freedom Trail Tapestry.

Freedom Trail Tapestry, 1976

Fifty years ago, the U.S. celebrated its bicentennial. In honor of this occasion, the members of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild constructed a tapestry commemorating points of historic significance to Massachusetts and our nation.

As the tapestry’s name suggests, these scenes derive inspiration from popular stops on the Freedom Trail which runs throughout the city of Boston.

The historic scenes depicted are:

• Old North Church
• King’s Chapel
• Old State House
• The Boston Tea Party
• Bunker Hill Monument
• Faneuil Hall
• Old South Meeting House
• State House
• Corner Bookstore
• Paul Revere House
• U.S.S. Constitution

The Guild permanently loaned this tapestry to the State Library where it is on display in our conference room. The tapestry was designed by N. Philip Strause III and made by 28 stitchers! Their names are commemorated on a plaque which is displayed next to the tapestry.

More information on the Freedom Trail can be found on the National Parks website: Walk the Freedom Trail (U.S. National Park Service).

More information on the American Needlepoint Guild and its chapters can be found on their website: American Needlepoint Guild, Inc.

You can also read our past blog post about the Freedom Trail Tapestry!

Maryellen Larkin

Government Documents Librarian

Our Northern Neighbor on Display: The New Hampshire State Bird

Our celebration of state birds continues with the Purple Finch, the official state bird of our northern neighbor, New Hampshire. In this print (Audubon plate 4), the more subdued female is shown with two males, both with vibrant red-purple plumage. Their color palette is fitting for display in February, with the Valentine's Day holiday! The Audubon Society writes that Purple Finches are common in the north and east, and will readily come to birdfeeders, so you might see one outside your window.

The Purple Finch became New Hampshire's state bird on April 25, 1957. Its proposal had the backing of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, and the State Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Visit the library from February 10 through March 10 to see the Purple Finch on display. And if you missed last month's display of Massachusetts' Black-capped chickadee, you can check it out here.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian  

A Birthday Celebration!

Mark your calendars for our 200th birthday celebration! All are welcome to join us on Tuesday, March 3 from 11:00 to 1:00 as we celebrate 200 years of serving the Commonwealth. We hope to see you then in our historic reading room, Room 341 of the State House.

Stay up-to-date on all announcements and see all of our celebratory 200th content by following our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and X).

Author Talk with Dr. Anthony Jack

• Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price by Dr. Anthony Jack
• Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 12pm - 1:00pm
• In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
• State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
• Livestream on YouTube

The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series welcomes Dr. Anthony Jack as our February speaker. In 2019, Dr. Jack spoke at the State Library on his award winning title The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students.

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. 

About the book: Class Dismissed is a groundbreaking look at higher education and diversity in the post-COVID19 world. In recent times, universities and elite colleges have been champions of diversity as seen through their student populations. However, Dr. Anthony Jack sheds light on the fact that these universities are undeserving their minority populations. Class Dismissed draws on real interviews with real students (Asian, Black, Latino, Native and White undergrads from Harvard) to express the inequalities they experience on campus. Dr. Jack also offers ways in which students can navigate college life in context of the recent racial tensions and unrest felt on campuses and nationwide.

About the author: Dr. Anthony Abraham Jack is an author, Associate Professor of Higher Education Leadership at Boston University, and the Inaugural Faculty Director of the Boston University Newbury Center. Dr. Jack’s research is focused on diversity in undergraduates, specifically low-income students. His scholarship and commentary have appeared in numerous publications. In 2016, he was named an Emerging Diversity Scholar by the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan. In May 2020, he received an honorary doctorate from Muhlenberg College. For a full list of Dr. Jack’s literary awards, publications, and more visit: https://anthonyabrahamjack.com/.

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.

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 the Author Talks Working Group