5 things you didn’t know Boston Public Library could do for you
Plus, tell us what you love about the library branch you visit most.
The Boston Public Library’s motto is a simple one: Free to all. And in recent years, the library’s leadership has extended its mission to mean a lot more than free books and public space.
“What really excites me about the Boston Public Library is how every day you can actually see how the library can change people’s lives so much. There are so many people that have so many different needs, varieties of needs, and the library can serve a lot of those needs really well,” said Michael Colford, BPL’s director of library services.
As the first large free municipal library in the country, it’s had nearly two centuries to build up one the most extensive research catalogs in the nation. They’re also adapting to modern times by innovating their digital services and technology. Last year alone, the library lent 5.5 million physical and digital items and served more than 6 million patrons.
With 25 active branches across the city — and renovations coming to Chinatown, Egleston, Fields Corner, and South End — BPL remains a cornerstone of our communities. Beth Prindle, the director of research and special collections, told Boston.com that the library is “busier than ever.”
“I think the exciting thing is thinking about what is the library of now and the future,” she said. “All [those] who said books are dead or libraries are dead have not stepped foot in a public library in a very long time, I’ll say that.”
You might be surprised to learn everything you can get with a Boston Public Library card. Ahead, find five resources your local library has to offer you, including rare books, financial advice, concerts, and more. Plus, tell us what you love about the library branch you visit most.
Free media of all kinds
The library isn’t just for paperbacks and hardcovers anymore. Among its circulating collection of 1.6 million items are physical books, DVDs, and audiobooks, plus downloadable e-books, audiobooks, magazines, and streaming media. That means your library card gets you access to movies, TV shows, and music — including classics and popular new releases.
And that’s all on top of the millions of books library patrons take out every year. If you are looking for books, not only do you have access to an endless supply of titles, you’ll also get the expertise of the reader services team, whose main responsibility is to help you find a book you’ll love. While this is work librarians have always done informally, the BPL has formalized it across the system to create the best service for visitors.
“If you want to read a book and you just don’t know what you want to read or you love British cozy mysteries, but you don’t know what to read next, we have a whole team of librarians that will help people figure that out,” he said. “We do a lot of work, both in person and online. I’d say that’s a very popular service that we have.”
Access to one of the nation’s most extensive research collections
BPL is home to one of the largest library collections in the nation, with more than 23 million items available to visitors in-person and digitally. That collection includes books, maps, manuscripts, letters, art, photography, artifacts, and more from as far back as the 10th century. And you don’t even have to be a Boston resident to see it all. The library has made more than 200 collections available through Digital Commonwealth, including first edition folios by William Shakespeare, original music scores from Mozart, and the letters of abolitionist John Brown. Come by the library for open houses and “samplers” curated for in-person research.
“Our collections are huge. To give you kind of just a sense of scale, we have nearly a quarter million rare books … These would be massive collections in any other library and it’s a portion of our larger research and special collections,” said Beth Prindle, director of Research and Special Collections. “We offer not only the ability to research, but also lectures and programs on how to conduct this research and [use] online tools.”
Their collections are so extensive that many turn to the library to do family research and genealogy projects, which BPL is more than happy to assist with. They have specialists on staff who lead workshops at various branches and can answer questions on local history, fine art, and everything in between. Virtual genealogy classes are so popular, in fact, that they’ve had to limit attendance to people living in the United States.
“I think one of the great opportunities in interacting with the Boston Public Library is it feels to me like anything that you’re interested in, we have a path to get you to more information about it,” Prindle said.
Help starting a small business or finding a new job
If you’ve a business idea, but don’t know where to start, try your local library. The Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, located at the Central library, helps budding entrepreneurs. Each year, the library has an entrepreneur-in-residence who holds office hours to work with young entrepreneurs trying to start their own businesses.
And the space isn’t just for entrepreneurs. Media creators, innovators, job seekers, nonprofits leaders, investors, coders, and other makers are welcome to use the space, which is equipped with technology for business research and production.
BPL also has a team working across all branches, dedicated to helping patrons develop their professional skills and making them more competitive in the job market. That includes career counselors for adults and youth, and more recently, partnerships that help connect job seekers with employers.
“The 21st century library is so much different than the libraries that we all grew up with. And in recent years, we’ve seen a dramatic shift into areas like workforce development, English as a second language, skill building, digital literacy, teaching people how to use computers, and entrepreneurship, and so, we have very strong programs,” Colford said.
Community learning resources
Even if you aren’t actively seeking employment, the library has tons of programming to keep your mind engaged and learn new skills. Each library branch has a full calendar of events for all ages, including children’s storytimes, author talks, book clubs, and even concerts. Colford highlighted the wealth of programming for English language learners and people looking to improve their digital literacy.
The popularity of literacy classes, conversation circles, and technology workshops has exploded, the library director said. They cover everything from how to open an email account to learning coding languages.
“It’s really about helping people with their personal success, whatever that might mean,” Colford said. “Whether it’s their jobs, whether it’s being able to use technology to talk to their grandkids who are at school, or just to be able to speak better English so when they’re talking to their grandchildren’s teachers, they can understand better.”
Social support services
While librarians are happy to help their communities, they aren’t always equipped to handle the needs of visitors who need social welfare support. That’s why BPL has invested in a growing social work team to better help those struggling with homelessness, addiction, hunger, and more.
The social work team helps connect people to SNAP, housing assistance, and mental health resources because “more and more, people who are using an urban public library are in need of those services,” Colford said.
“A lot of people say, why does the library need to do that work? There’s lots of different agencies that do that work. And the reason we do that work is because the people who need these skills are already in our libraries,” he said. “People trust a library where they may not trust another government organization. So they’re there at the library and … we can also direct them to other organizations that can help them better.”
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