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.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
State Library Newsletter - November Issue
Happy November! From special events on November 6 and 13, to materials displayed for Thanksgiving and National Native American Heritage Month, to new library resources, you can catch up on 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.
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.
Monday, November 4, 2024
A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches later this month, we’re displaying an edition of the Old Colony Memorial and Plymouth County Advertiser in our Collection Spotlight case. Printed on October 26, 1822, this newspaper includes a proclamation for an upcoming Day of Thanksgiving that was issued by Governor John Brooks on October 18, 1822. The proclamation establishes Thursday, December 5 as a day of “Public Thanksgiving and Praise” throughout the Commonwealth.
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| The proclamation is printed on the far-left column of text |
Our broadside collection includes a number of proclamations issued by Massachusetts Governors dating from 1779 to 1902, as well as a few more recent proclamations issued by Governor Baker. Broadsides are large single sheet publications, with writing printed only on the front. They were ephemeral in nature, with the purpose of spreading news or advertisements, and were commonly found in use through the 1800s. Thanksgiving Day proclamations would have been printed as broadsides and then sent to town government or religious officials to share with their constituents and parishioners. We’ve previously written about and displayed the 1783 Thanksgiving Day proclamation issued by John Hancock, but we’ve not previously shared a Thanksgiving Day proclamation that was printed in the newspaper. The publishing of the proclamation in local newspapers would have helped to ensure that word of the Day of Thanksgiving would spread throughout the Commonwealth. The version we’ve displayed is from the Old Colony Memorial, a newspaper which began publication the same year as this proclamation, in 1822, and continues today. And it is timely for the season that the newspaper we are sharing is one that was published in Plymouth County.
As stated in the proclamation, this state-issued Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer establishes that, “The people of every religious denomination are requested to assemble in their respective places of public worship on that day, unitedly to express to Almighty God a deep and grateful sense of the manifold favors and blessings, which He has been graciously pleased to vouchsafe to us.” Those who celebrate Thanksgiving today tend to focus on gathering and giving thanks over a large meal, while the purpose of Days of Thanksgiving and Prayer described in 19th-century proclamations like this one focused on parishioners joining together in religious services. Though there are differences in how we celebrate Thanksgiving today verses what is described here (notably, the proclamation ends with the line, "the people are requested to abstain from all labor and recreation incompatible with the religious services of the day" so those of you planning Thanksgiving football games would have been out of luck), the sentiment of expressing gratitude is the same today is it was in 1822, whether it happens in a religious sanctuary, your dining room, or elsewhere.
The Old Colony Memorial version of the Thanksgiving Day proclamation will be on display in our reading room through December 3, so be sure to visit us to take a look. The proclamation comprises just a few columns of the displayed newspaper pages, so you’ll also get to see other news and advertisements from 1822. Our Special Collections holdings also includes the 1822 broadside version of this proclamation, which can be found here. On your computer or mobile device, it would be easier to read the full text of the proclamation in the broadside version rather than the newspaper version. And while you're there, you can explore the full collection of proclamations in our digital repository. If you'd like to see just the Thanksgiving proclamations, use the search feature (indicated with a magnifying glass) and type in “Thanksgiving” and “Proclamations.”
The Old Colony Memorial version of the Thanksgiving Day proclamation will be on display in our reading room through December 3, so be sure to visit us to take a look. The proclamation comprises just a few columns of the displayed newspaper pages, so you’ll also get to see other news and advertisements from 1822. Our Special Collections holdings also includes the 1822 broadside version of this proclamation, which can be found here. On your computer or mobile device, it would be easier to read the full text of the proclamation in the broadside version rather than the newspaper version. And while you're there, you can explore the full collection of proclamations in our digital repository. If you'd like to see just the Thanksgiving proclamations, use the search feature (indicated with a magnifying glass) and type in “Thanksgiving” and “Proclamations.”
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
Friday, November 1, 2024
Author Talk with Matthew J. Louis: Veteran Career Transition Expert
Presented by the State Library of Massachusetts and Office of the Veteran Advocate
About the author: Matthew Louis is an author, consultant, veteran, and President of PurePost. From Matthew’s professional website: Matt serves as the veteran Transition Assistance officer for his West Point class, is a National Speaker for the US Chamber’s Hiring Our Heroes program, serves JPMorgan Chase’s external advisory council for military and veterans affairs, and advises the board of Soldiers To Sidelines.
The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series in collaboration with the Office of the Veteran Advocate is proud to announce Matthew J. Louis as our November speaker. Matt is a best-selling author, veteran, and leader in career transition for members of the military community.
Event Details:
The event will be livestreamed 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.
For more information on the Massachusetts Office of the Veteran Advocate, please visit their official website and follow them on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
- Matthew J. Louis author of Mission Transition and Hiring Veterans
- Wednesday, November 13, 2024. 12pm - 1:00pm
- In-person and Virtual event.
- State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary
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.
For more information on the Massachusetts Office of the Veteran Advocate, please visit their official website and follow them on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
About the books: Mission Transition (2019) and Hiring Veterans (2023) are not only best-selling, award-winning titles, but practical guides for veterans and employers. Mission Transition provides veterans with the resources to enter and excel in the civilian workforce with strategies for resumes, interviews, and advice from veterans. Hiring Veterans is the guide for employers; from recruiting to onboarding, Louis presents the tools needed to bring highly skilled and qualified veterans into organizations.
During active commissioned service in the US Army, Matt served in the Southwest Asia combat theater and in the 194th Separate Armored Brigade. During reserve commissioned service, Matt served on the staff of the Army’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and commanded multiple regions around the country for the US Military Academy’s Admissions Office. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army and serves on the Service Academy nominating committee for his local Congressman.
Matt holds an MBA in Operations and Finance from The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from West Point, and is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and holds the ASCM organization’s Certified Supply Chain Professional designation.
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; $15.00; cash or credit accepted.
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.
Matt holds an MBA in Operations and Finance from The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from West Point, and is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and holds the ASCM organization’s Certified Supply Chain Professional designation.
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; $15.00; cash or credit accepted.
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.
Author Talks Working Group
Monday, October 28, 2024
Happy Halloween: Spooky Blog Roundup!
- On Display in the State Library: The Witches of Dogtown - Learn about the lore of Dogtown, an abandoned village in Gloucester.
- Dighton Rock and its Portuguese-American Legacy - A good mystery for this time of year, the Dighton Rock and its engravings still puzzle scholars to this day.
- For the true crime fans check out True Crime Resources and the Borden Murder Trial and Jolly Jane Toppan, Massachusetts’ Victorian Era Serial Killer.
- A Woman of the Witch Trials: The Story of Elizabeth Howe - It wouldn’t be spooky season in Massachusetts without mention of the Salem witch trials!
- Read about the Nantucket Merman and New England Vampire Panic - courtesy of our Government Documents Librarian!
- Learn about the Spiritualism movement and spirit writing in Massachusetts - The Spirit(ualism) of Massachusetts and John Quincy Adams from Beyond the Veil.
Search our catalog for more legends and mysteries! We just added some new horror titles to the general reading collection. Also be sure to check out Libby, the Reading App - available to State Employees for ebooks and audiobooks.
April Pascucci
Legislative Reference Librarian
Monday, October 21, 2024
Jolly Jane Toppan, Massachusetts’ Victorian Era Serial Killer
From 1885 to 1901, Jane Toppan made her way from hospital to hospital, household to household, killing unsuspecting victims who hired her as a nurse based on excellent referrals. Toppan injected patients with lethal doses of morphine and atropine, having years of experimentation under her belt which started during her residency at Cambridge Hospital. 12 of Toppan’s victims are known and identified; however, she confessed to murdering 31 people and is suspected of claiming the lives of 70 or more people in total.
The transcript from the trial of Jane Toppan in the murder of Mary D. Gibbs, Commonwealth vs. Jane Toppan, can be found in our digital collections.
Alyssa Persson
Processing Archivist
Above portrait image: From the Boston Post, November 3, 1901. Image courtesy of Lowell Historical Society.
Alyssa Persson
Processing Archivist
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Mobile Printing is a Cinch … well, Princh … at the State Library of Massachusetts!
With our new Princh printing solution, you can now print easily and securely from your phone, tablet, or laptop using our remote printing service. Whether you’re at home or in the State Library, you can send print jobs from any location at any time. Simply pay at our print release terminal and print to our printer the same day during the State Library’s regular hours, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No downloads or apps needed!
State Library patrons will need to make a one-time purchase of a copy card for $1.00 and add funds to print. This card is yours to keep and reuse. Printing prices are the same whether you use the library’s computers or your own device: $0.20 per page for black and white and $0.50 per page for color prints. When using the Mobile Print service, your login for the print release terminal will be your email address.
Printing from your mobile phone or a tablet- When printing at the library: easily locate the print guide poster near the printer and simply scan the QR code to get started. Scanning the QR code will automatically select the State Library’s printer.
- OR When printing remotely: open your browser, go to print.princh.com and enter the 6-digit printer ID 109905 to select the State Library’s printer.
- Upload your document(s).
- Adjust the settings.
- Enter your email address. Go to the print release terminal to pay for and finalize your print job.
- When printing remotely or at the library: open your browser, go to print.princh.com and enter the 6-digit printer ID 109905 to select the State Library’s printer.
- Upload your document(s).
- Adjust the settings.
- Enter your email address.
- Go to the print release terminal to pay for and finalize your print job.
Head of Technical Services
Friday, October 11, 2024
Author Talk with Linda Coombs
- Colonization and the Wampanoag Story
- Wednesday, October 30, 2024. 12pm - 1:00pm
- In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
- State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
- Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary
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: Colonization and the Wampanoag Story is an educational tool geared towards young readers. Combining storytelling and historical facts, Coombs provides an accessible history of the Indigenous peoples of New England. Focusing on the Wampanoag and their experience with the First European settlers, the book chapters switch between the narrative of a young Wampanoag girl, entitled “When Life Was our Own” and chapters explaining the history, events, and colonization of Southern New England Tribes.
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.
Author Talks Working Group
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