The State Library of Massachusetts: General Resources

For those of you who are regular readers of the State Library’s blog, you may have noticed that some blog posts offer an in-depth look at some of our resources and databases, and other posts cover Massachusetts history and events taking place in New England. Today we’d like to give you an overview of the State Library by highlighting a few of our more general resources that you may find helpful to your work as we kick off 2024!

A great place to start is of course our homepage, mass.gov/lib. There you’ll find a link to our catalog, our newly-upgraded digital repository, and our list of online databases. If you’re wondering whether or not we subscribe to a specific publication, do a general search for that title on our online database page and if we own it, a link to that publication and the name of the database it’s in will be displayed. If you’re using our databases in the library on one of our public computers, you’ll find our onsite database links page helpful. There you’ll find links to resources such as Westlaw, the Boston Globe, HeinOnline, JSTOR, PressReader, and more.

Don’t forget about our access to historical newspapers either! Our holdings can be found here, and you’ll find titles such as the Boston Chronicle, dating back to December 1767, and the Worcester Telegram, starting in June 1960. This list includes information on the date range we hold for each title, as well as if we own it in print or microfilm. To access a title we own in print, you’ll need to contact our Special Collections Department at special.collections@mass.gov. If we own a newspaper on microfilm, contact us at reference.department@mass.gov and our Reference librarians will assist you with access. If you’re not sure where to start, just reach out to the Reference Department and we’ll get you started.

We also receive some current newspapers in print, such as the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. These newspapers can be read on our 4th floor balcony during the library’s open hours. We have tables and comfy chairs on our balcony, with an up-close view of our beautiful stained-glass windows near our magazine racks, so be sure to check out the space!

If you’re more of a visual or self-taught learner, our Quick Guide to the State Library of Massachusetts might be the right resource for you. We feature QR codes with links to several videos on our YouTube channel, such as videos that teach about the House and Senate Journals, the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) and regulatory research, and my personal favorite, a video on how to compile a legislative history. Our YouTube channel also has recordings of our Author Talks for those of you interested.

If you’re a state employee, you’ll find our Library Services for State Employees handout helpful as well. In it you’ll find information about how to sign up for a library card, how to borrow ebooks and use our interlibrary loan service, and how to book the conference room in the library.

No matter what your research needs are, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at the State Library! We’re here to direct you to the resources and services best-suited to your needs and we’re also here as a quiet space for you to enjoy! Stop by to visit us in person Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, or contact us at reference.department@mass.gov or 617-727-2590.


Jessica Shrey
Reference Librarian