New Exhibit: The State Library of Massachusetts: Serving the Commonwealth since 1826

The State Library invites you to view our newest exhibit, The State Library of Massachusetts: Serving the Commonwealth since 1826. This exhibit follows the library’s history from its humble beginnings as a program to exchange statutes with other states to its official establishment by the General Court in 1826 to its current status as a research library focused on providing online access to its many resources. The exhibit describes how much the State Library has grown, changed, and improved, in its collection size and scope, administration and governance, staffing, users, physical location, and especially in the services it provides.

The exhibit runs from January 13 through July 3, 2020, and it can be viewed outside of the State Library, Room 341 of the State House. Library hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. You can also browse the exhibit online through the library’s Flickr page

Fall Exhibit: One Hundred Years Ago - Massachusetts in 1919

If you were to travel back in time to Massachusetts in 1919, you would be met with a world that was in the middle of great change. The First World War, the fight for women’s voting rights, strikes and labor issues, and prohibition were just a few of the current events that were affecting the social, political, and economic climate of the day. Our new fall exhibit, One Hundred Years Ago - Massachusetts in 1919 uses materials from the State Library’s collection to examine these stories and more, as well as exploring the Commonwealth under the direction of Governor Calvin Coolidge. 

Visit the library from September 9, 2019, through January 3, 2020, to step back in time and place yourself in the middle of the conflict, change, and hope that profoundly shaped life for Massachusetts citizens in 1919 and beyond. This exhibit will be available to view online as a set of images on the State Library's Flickr site.

Summer exhibit: The Natural Beauty of Massachusetts Waterways

The State Library of Massachusetts invites you to view our summer exhibit: The Natural Beauty of Massachusetts Waterways.

As home to an abundance of large and small bodies of water, over 26% of Massachusetts’s total area is covered by water. This exhibit shows the many categories of water bodies that can be found throughout the Commonwealth, from the vast Atlantic Ocean to small ponds, all of which shape our businesses, agriculture, and leisure time. 

The exhibit runs from June 3 through August 30, 2019 and can be viewed outside of the Library, Room 341 of the State House. Library hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. This exhibit will be available to view online as a set of images on the State Library's Flickr site.

New exhibition: From Common to Uncommon: Advertisements in Massachusetts City Directories

The State Library of Massachusetts invites you to view our first exhibit of 2019: From Common to Uncommon: Advertisements in Massachusetts City Directories.

Most researchers use the State Library’s many thousands of city directories for genealogical and business history research, but the advertisements found within these volumes tell even more fascinating stories. This exhibition features examples of historical advertisements that teach us about the commerce and culture of Massachusetts from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries.

The exhibition runs from January 7 through April 30, 2019 and can be viewed outside of the Library, Room 341 of the State House. Library hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.