We invite you to visit the State Library to see the resources available for you to access in person. Stop by our historic reading room, located in Room 341 at the rear of the Massachusetts State House, where our reference librarians can help you sign up for a library card, assist you with your research (including legislative histories), and check out circulating library materials to your account.
As a state employee, you can also reserve our conference room. The conference room is available during the State Library’s regular hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. It consists of a table with 10 permanent chairs and can accommodate up to a maximum of 10 people. For more information on how to reserve the conference room, please see this page and/or email Library.Reservations@mass.gov.
If you’re unable to visit us in person, don’t worry—many of our resources and services are available online! Check out the list below for everything you can do remotely:
- Sign up for a State Library card – You’ll need a State Library card to access several of our other services, so visit our website to sign up for your card. Once you get your card, you can log into your account here.
- Access our online databases – Once you have your library card, you can search our online databases and download newspaper and journal articles. Some of the databases we subscribe to include:
-LexisNexis -Westlaw -Digital Sanborn Maps -Hein Online
-MassTrac -JSTOR -Historical Boston Globe
Remote access to our databases requires a password in addition to your library card number, so if you need help with your password, please call the Reference Desk at 617-727-2590 or email us at reference.department@mass.gov
- Request books and journal articles via interlibrary loan – If you need books or journal articles not held by the State Library, you can make an interlibrary loan request, and we will work to acquire the resources you need from our network of local academic libraries. To make a request, fill out the form on our website or email us the citation for the book or article that you need at interlibrary.loan@mass.gov
- Borrow ebooks – We’re not all business at the State Library; we also offer popular fiction and nonfiction ebooks for you to read in your down time! Visit OverDrive to check out ebooks and magazines, many of which are available to borrow immediately.
- Place a hold on books from libraries across the Commonwealth – Visit the Commonwealth Catalog to search through millions of items that are available for you to request using your State Library account.
In addition to these services, you can also access the following resources and services remotely, without a State Library card:
- View and download online state government publications – The State Library’s online repository houses thousands of publications from Massachusetts government agencies, as well as historical materials that have been digitized. Also included are Massachusetts Acts & Resolves and the House and Senate Journals.
- Get expert research assistance from our reference librarians – The reference librarians in our main library and in our Special Collections Department are here to help you with your research needs! You can get in touch by calling 617-727-2590, by emailing reference.department@mass.gov, or by chatting with us online.
- Follow us on social media – We love sharing interesting facts about the Commonwealth and highlighting our resources on social media! You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Flickr. You can also keep up with the State Library's news and announcements by signing up for our newsletter!
Have other questions? Contact us!
State Library of Massachusetts
State House, Room 341
24 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02133
