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 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 archive 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 memories and add to the history 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 always happy to assist as you create 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 on our blog.

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!)