Common Questions: Reference Department Edition

Have you ever been curious about what a Reference Librarian does? Here at the State Library, our Reference Librarians wear many hats and are involved in several different working groups and projects. When it comes down to it though, we are here to take care of the day-to-day reference questions the library receives. In this week’s blog post, we’d like to highlight some of the more common reference questions the Reference Department receives on a daily basis, in no particular order.

Question 1:
How do I find the articles of incorporation for my town?

We’ve had this question a few times and wanted to shed some light on how to find the answer. In short, you’re going to search the Acts and Resolves in our digital repository to find the act that incorporated your town. For example, here is the act that incorporated Clarksburg, MA, which was approved March 2, 1798.

1979 Chap. 0076, An Act to Incorporate A Gore Of Land, Lying North Of Adams In The County Of Berkshire Into A Town By The Name Of Clarksburg

To find this, we first need to visit the Acts & Resolves community in our digital repository. You’ll see an area that says “Click here to search the contents of this community.” Click on that link and you’ll be brought to a page where you can enter a search phrase into the search box. In this case, we’re searching for “incorporate Clarksburg”

You may have to scroll through the results a bit to find an Act with a title that sounds relevant to what you’re looking for.

Question 2:

Were there any changes to a state regulation during a specific time period? 102 CMR 3.00 was amended in 1985. I have a copy of the regulations from 1979. I am trying to determine whether there were any changes in the years between 1979-1984.

For this question, we’ll have to do some research using the Cumulative Tables found in the Massachusetts Register. We’ll search the Cumulative Tables in our digital repository starting with 1976--the year CMR as we know it first existed.

In this case, I searched for “102 CMR” within the PDF file of the Cumulative Tables and found 12 instances. Not all 12 instances include section 3.00, which means there weren’t any changes to 102 CMR 3.00 in those years. For the curious researcher, 102 CMR 3.0 was amended on these dates:

09/04/1987, 01/01/1993, 12/01/1993, 06/30/1995 (Emergency Regulation), 10/06/1995, and 09/20/1996.

You can find more information on doing regulatory research by looking at our guide. 

Question 3:

I’m looking for transcripts from a specific committee and/or during a specific time period. Does the State Library have these in its collections?

When we get this question, we always tell patrons that tracking down transcripts in Massachusetts is tricky. In the history of the General Court, there has never been an official transcriber. If a committee were to have a hearing transcript or minutes, it is not mandated to come into the collections of the State Library. They could also end up at the Massachusetts State Archives with their respective committee files.

If we do have materials related to a hearing, you have to search our catalog and digital repository using a keyword search to find them. For example, searching for terms like: public hearing, transcript, and the specific topic - like deputy auditor or election dispute. While actual committee documents may not come up, you might find other helpful documents.

Be sure to take a look at our blog post for more information about searching for committee files.

Do you have a question of your own? Reach out to our team of Reference librarians at reference.department@mass.gov or stop by the library Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.


Jessica Shrey
Legal Research Reference Librarian

Magnolias and Cuckoos - Oh My!

From flowers, to leaves, and even weeds, everything is blooming in May. In keeping with that theme, a magnolia blossom is taking center stage in this month's featured Audubon print! In fact, the subject of the print, the Black-billed Cuckoo, almost seems to blend in with its surroundings in deference to the Great Magnolia (MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA). In this print (plate 32) the male (right) and the female (left) are shown in the branches of the blooming magnolia tree. Audubon even illustrated the magnolia blossom in three different phases; closed, in full bloom, and on its way out. In warmer climates, magnolias bloom as early as March, though here in the northeast they don't bloom until late April, and you might even spot them as late as May.

The brown feathers of the cuckoo almost camouflage it into the surrounding foliage, which might have been an intentional choice. According to the Audubon Field Guide, the cuckoo is described as "slipping furtively through leafy thickets, this slim, long-tailed bird is heard more often than seen." Read more about this elusive bird and hear its birdcall on the Field Guide website, and visit us from May 6 though June 10 to see the print on display in our reading room.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Unfolding History: Highway Maps and State Library Discoveries

Believe it or not, the State Library recently received the 2025 Massachusetts Official Transportation Map—in paper! Yes, a tangible, foldable, hold-in-your-hands map! A paper map in 2025? In this digital age of Google maps, when was the last time anyone actually used one? They should only be charming relics of the past to frame and hang on a wall, right? Not to mention the fact that once unfolded, one could never, ever, refold the map to its original state!

Naturally, my brain queued up Holiday Road and I was “transported” back to my childhood and heading to my family’s annual two week stay at the Connecticut shore in our station wagon, however much I begged to go to Cape Cod instead! This nostalgic detour took me “down the road” where I found some interesting older highway maps that the Department of Transportation’s Highway Division has made available on their website. In fact, the State Library also has many of these and other maps in its collections which we are working to add to our digital repository.

Road map of Massachusetts from 1931 (MassDOT archives)

So, what else does the State Library have, you might ask? As part of the Mapping Massachusetts and Atlas digitization projects, the State Library has scanned many of its transportation-related resources, chronicling the evolution of the state’s roads and infrastructure. The historical atlases reveal not only highways but also the homes, businesses, and landmarks that once lined them. Want to see if your town or city is included? Explore our DSpace digital repository or browse our Flickr site.

You’ll also find the Annual Reports of the Highway Division in DSpace, including the first report from 1892, when an agent, Mr. C. L. Weeks, was sent on a mission “to traverse six hundred miles of highways, including portions of every county of the Commonwealth, except Nantucket [in order to] obtain a photographic record [to] present in a most unquestionable way the actual state of the principal thoroughfares in various parts of the Commonwealth.” The photos from his journey? You can see them in our repository!

Photograph of the road from Cottage City to Vineyard Haven,
 station no. 284, Cottage City [1892 Report of the Highway Commission]

 Take a “road trip” through history with the State Library’s collections—no folding required.

Judy Carlstrom
Head of Technical Services

State Library Newsletter - May Issue

Happy May! Our latest newsletter is out now, and full of information about our upcoming events, exhibited items, new reference resources, 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 for AAPI Month and Preservation Week

This month, our Collection Spotlight item is pulling double-duty, and is highlighting both May’s designation as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Month), and this week’s celebration of Preservation Week (April 27 through May 3). We are once again displaying the 1930 and 1931 editions of the Chinese Directory of New England, which was previously displayed in 2022. The directories help us to draw attention to the rising Chinese-American population in New England in the early 1900s, and this blog post also discusses the ways in which the library deploys preservation measures to ensure their stability for years to come. 

The 1930 directory was the first of its kind to be published in New England, and it was born out of a call from the growing Chinese-American community to have a resource that would list Chinese restaurants, stores, and laundries found within individual New England towns. Also found within the pages of both the 1930 and 1931 directory are advertisements, the bulk of which are for Chinese-owned businesses, but there are also a fair amount for non-Chinese owned businesses. This emphasizes that these business owners acknowledged the importance of New England’s Chinese residents as a vital part of the community and economy. And here at the State Library, we appreciate that the directory also includes an image of the State House, and find it fitting that a copy of the directory ended up in the collection here. Read more about these directories in our previous blog post. 

To ensure the long-term preservation of these directories – which are approaching their 100th birthday – we have displayed them open to different pages than they were three years ago. This decreases the amount of light damage to the directories, but it should also be noted that our Collection Spotlight case is designed to limit light and UV exposure, thus making it safe to display items. When these items are not on display, they are housed in dark storage in their own enclosures, to ensure that they do not get dusty. In addition to the directories, our display also includes a facsimile of two additional pages from 

the 1930 directory; the welcome letter from Governor Frank G. Allen along with his portrait. In this instance, the use of facsimiles allows us to display additional pages from the directories other than the ones they are open to, but sometimes, facsimiles serve as a preservation measure. Facsimiles, which are realistic copies, can be used instead of originals, both in display and for research purposes. If a display case does not have UV treated glass, than displaying a facsimile is a safe way to present the content and look of the original, while keeping the actual original safe from potential damage. And for researchers, in the event that the original is very fragile, then a facsimile or use copy can be provided, so that the researcher can access and handle the item without the threat of causing any damage.  

Preservation Week is an annual event, meant to raise awareness of the preservation work that happens in libraries and archives, as well as inspiring the public to think about the preservation of their own personal collections. The theme for Preservation Week 2025 is “Preserve the Past, Shape the Future,” a mission that we strive for at the State Library. Through our hands-on conservation program, our preservation management activities, and our commitment to digitization, we aim to do our part to preserve materials of the past, and make them accessible to researchers and the general public now and in the future. Since the last time that we displayed the Chinese directories, we are happy to share that they have been added to our digital repository. The directories in their entirety can be accessed here: 1930 and 1931. Links to the directories are also included as a QR code on the case label, so that visitors can access the full directory while viewing our display. There are multiple benefits of digitizing our collection; digitization helps to make our collection accessible to a larger remote audience, and from a preservation standpoint, also helps to maintain the integrity of the physical item because it decreases the use and handling of the physical item, thus also decreasing the likelihood of damage. Each year, we select materials from our Special Collections and Reference collection to either digitize on-site, or if it is a large-scale project, then we work with off-site vendors. We are continuously continuously increasing the amount of materials that are available in digital format.  

Visit us from April 29 through June 3 to see these items on display, and read more about AAPI Month here. And in honor of Preservation Week, you can also check out our two preservation focused Flickr pages for examples of work done in our lab and preservation tips you can use at home. Additional information about Preservation Week, along with some actions you can apply to your own collection, can be found on the official website.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Author Talk with Steven Beaucher

• Boston in Transit: Mapping the History of Public Transportation in the Hub (2023)
• Wednesday, May 7, 2025. 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 presents Steven Beaucher as our May speaker!

Please join us at noon in our historic reading room or tune in virtually; the event will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services.

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: Boston in Transit is an illustrated history of Boston’s public transportation system. This beautiful book was the 2024 New England Society Book Award winner in the Art & Photography category. The book details the Commonwealth’s rich history of public transport starting in 1630 with the use of ferries to the evolution of the MBTA. The book includes photographs, pamphlets, examples of tickets and schedules, and more. Check out the book’s companion site which is just as visually appealing as the book!

About the author: Steven Beaucher is the co-founder and proprietor of WardMaps LLC, dealing in antique maps and public transportation artifacts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Steven established and operates MBTAgifts, the licensed merchandise program of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Steven is a licensed architect, who, before focusing on WardMaps and the creation of Boston in Transit, practiced architecture throughout Greater Boston. He grew up in the Merrimack Valley, graduated from Syracuse University, and resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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.


Author Talks Working Group

Quack Quack! There are Mallards in the Library!

There are signs of spring in Boston, so it's a fitting time to feature the mallard in our Audubon case! This time of year, mallards return to their breeding grounds, pair up, nest, and then raise ducklings. Shown here are two pairs of males and females - males are distinguished by the green feathers on their heads, while females have brown. In the print, they are shown in a marshy habitat, but you are also likely to see friendly mallards in city parks! This was not the case in the 1830s, as Audubon wrote in his description that, "this valuable species is extremely rare in the wild state in the neighbourhood of Boston in Massachusetts; and in this assertion, I am supported by my talented and amiable friend Mr. Nuttall, who resided there for many years."

We wish that Audubon had thought to include some adorable ducklings in the print, too! To see those, you'll need to wander down to the Public Garden to see the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture, but be sure to stop in and visit us from April 15 through May 7 to see the Mallard Duck (plate 221) on display in our reading room.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian