Special Event: Treasures of the State Library of Massachusetts

Thursday, May 4th, 2017—3:00-3:45pm
State Library of Massachusetts, Special Collections—Room 55
Massachusetts State House

Detail of Aprosmictus splendens.
(Peale.), from the atlas volume “Mamalia
and ornithology,” United States
Exploring Expedition: During the
Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842,
Under the Command of Charles
Wilkes, U. S. N. Philadelphia, 1844-1874.

The State Library is once again participating in ArtWeek Boston!  On May 4th from 3:00-3:45pm the Library’s Special Collections Department will be hosting the event “Treasures of the State Library of Massachusetts.” Visitors will be able to view and learn about materials that are normally not on public view.  Items include some of the earliest published laws of Massachusetts, a realistic facsimile of Mayflower passenger William Bradford’s manuscript journal Of Plimoth Plantation, broadsides recruiting soldiers for the Civil War, photographs of African-American soldiers from the Massachusetts 54th and 55th Regiments, a handwritten journal by a Civil War soldier from Massachusetts, early maps of Boston, and beautifully illustrated books on natural history.  Space is limited so register today!

To register or learn more about the event, please visit: Treasures of the State Library of Massachusetts

Have a question?  Contact the library’s Special Collections staff directly via e-mail or by phone:
E-mail: special.collections@state.ma.us
Phone: 617-727-2595

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

Haitian Flag Day: May 18, 2009

In conjunction with a reception sponsored by Representative Linda Forry, the State Library celebrated Haiti’s Flag Day with a display of several historical items related to Haiti from the Library’s collections. Of special interest was a biography of founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines and a bound volume of official documents entitled Haytian Papers, both published soon after the republic’s independence in 1804 as well as a 1797 map (see below) of the island. Also put on view was the medal Haiti awarded to United States Senator Charles Sumner in 1871 for his work on behalf of that nation. All of these and other items related to Haiti are available to see in the State Library’s Special Collections department.

Paige Roberts, Head of Special Collections

Constitution Day 2008 at Bunker Hill Community College

The State Library will have a table at Bunker Hill Community College's Constitution Day celebration on Wednesday September 17. We will be handing out magnets and bookmarks, and also displaying a new poster we've created featuring the Mayflower Compact as it appears in its earliest existing form: the Bradford Manuscript held by the library. Click at left to see the poster, and read more about the Mayflower Compact below:

On November 21, 1620, before they came ashore at Cape Cod, passengers on the Mayflower made an agreement to join togethers as a "civil body politic." They also agreed to submit to the government that would be chosen by common consent and to obey all laws made for the common good of the colony. It included the names of all male heads of families, free single men, and three of the male servants. The earliest surviving copy of the text is included in Governor WIlliam Bradford's "Of Plimouth Plantation,"written between 1630 and 1646 and held by the State Library of Massachusetts. Bradford did not list the signers nor did he refer to the document as "Compact" or "Mayflower Compact."

The English Magna Carta, written more than 400 years before the Mayflower Compact, established the principle of the rule of law. The Mayflower Compact expanded the concept of rule of law to include government by the people: the idea that lies at the heart of democracy. From its beginning in Plymouth, Massachusetts, self-government evolved into the town meetings of New England and larger local governments in Colonial America. By the time of the Constitutional Convention in the 1780's, the Mayflower Compact had been nearly forgotten, but the notion of self-government had not.

- Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian, and Paige Roberts, Head of Special Collections

Coming June 9: North American Wild Flowers Exhibit

The Library's new exhibit, Mary Vaux Walcott's North American Wild Flowers, will run from June 9 through September 30, outside Room 341 of the State House. The State Library has an original printing of Mary Vaux Walcott's North American Wild Flowers, an extraordinary five-volume collection of botanical prints. This exhibit will feature some of the most striking spring and summer blossoms from the collection.

-Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian

Selections from the State Library's Collection of Legislative Papers

This display showcases the careers of four Massachusetts legislators: Senator Jack Backman of Brookline, Representative Barbara Gray of Framingham, Representative Barbara Gardner of Holliston, and Senator Edward Kirby of Whitman. A state legislator's work is divided between issues that concern their constituencies and issues that face the entire state. The papers you see here represent both aspects of the legislator's careers. In some cases, a legislator adopts an issue that concerns everyone in the state, like Edward Kirby's efforts to increase mandatory testing for the AIDS virus. In others, a legislator does work to help one single constituent solve a problem, like Jack Backman's work on behalf of a family besieged by grackles. Finally, sometimes a legislator's work can begin in his or her district, but then go on to influence policies on a larger stage, like Barbara Gray's advocacy for prison inmates at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham. Each of the stories told by these documents explores a different aspect of a legislator's career.

Senator Jack Backman
Democrat
Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1965-1970, 13th Norfolk District
Massachusetts Senate, 1971-1987, Norfolk and Suffolk District (1971-1974), 3rd Middlesex and Norfolk District (1975-1978), 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District
(1979-1996)

Brookline High School
These selections from Backman's constituent correspondence file show the work he did on behalf of Brookline High School to improve bus service.

• Leo Cusick of the MBTA's response to Backman's query.


• Backman's letter to the Headmaster of Brookline High


• Backman's letter to Leo Cusick of the MBTA.

A Bird Problem
In 1970, Senator Backman helped a Brookline family with an avian infestation.

Tenants' Rights
Senator Backman worked throughout his career to improve tenants' rights. The bill below passed in 1970.

• Background material: History of a "slum- lord"


• Correspondence from business interests: the Rental Housing Association and the Standard Maintenance Company


• Press release from Backman's office


• Draft of a rent control bill.

Representative Barbara Gray
Democrat
Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1973-1996, 56th Middlesex District (1973-1978), 6th Middlesex District (1979-1996).

Prisoners' Rights
Representative Gray focused on the rights of prisoners in state correctional institutions, particularly the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham. These materials document her work. Correspondence highlights the issues faced by inmates and the relationship that Gray formed with this population. Notes from Gray's 1995 visit to MCI Framingham show how carefully she studied the lives of inmates. And finally, with H2293, Gray fought to provide better facilities for prisoners.

• Letter from a member of the Bay State Lifers' & Long Timers' Group


• Letter from an inmate's family member (page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5)


• Notes MCI Framingham visit (page 1, page 2, page 3)


• Statement of Support for H2293


• Statement of Intent for H2293


• Copy of H2293).

Representative Barbara Gardner
Democrat
Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1988-2000, 8th Middlesex District

Sexual Misconduct
Sexual abuse by care providers was a central issue for Gardner. These materials document her work on legislation designed to prevent and punish abuse by mental health and health care providers.

• Draft of the bill


• Letter from Gardner to House Speaker Sal DiMasi asking for his support for the legislation: page one, page two.

Domestic Violence
Representative Gardner was involved throughout her term in office with efforts to protect citizens from domestic violence.

• Notes on domestic violence, probably taken by Gardner for debate on a bill: page one, page two, page three.


• Document from the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators describing the trajectory of domestic violence legislation in the late 20th century: page one, page two.

Senator Edward Kirby
Republican
Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1960-1966,5th Plymouth District
Massachusetts Senate, 1981-1992, 2nd Plymouth District

Mandatory AIDS Testing
Senator Kirby was active in the effort to increase mandatory AIDS testing, especially for couples applying for a marriage license. The bill never passed, although Kirby sponsored it in multiple sessions.

• Kirby's copy of the bill


• Text of a speech about the bill: page one, page two.

Kingston Police Officers
"Ned" Kirby was a beloved figure in his district for decades, fighting to improve infrastructure and education in the South Shore. In this letter, a Kingston town employee thanks Kirby for his help with H6408 of 1989, which improved police service in the town.

Event: Come visit the Legislative Papers Collection at the State Library

When: Monday-Wednesday, April 14-16
Where: State Library Special Collections, State House Room 55
Reception: Tuesday, April 15, 10:30AM.
Refreshments will be served.

In honor of National Library Week, the State Library of Massachusetts is presenting an exhibit of materials from the Legislative Papers Collection. Come and learn about the careers of former state legislators, and find out more about the legislative papers collection: how it preserves the history of the Commonwealth, and how it is used by researchers.

The exhibit will highlight the careers of Barbara Gardner, Jack Backman, Barbara Grey, and others. These papers show senators’ and representatives’ commitment to the issues facing Massachusetts as a whole as well as their own constituencies.