Arts Department, Special Collections
Hours & Contacts
Library Cards
The Boston Public Library provides three types of library cards: library cards, eCards, and research cards.
Massachusetts residents can get a library card or eCard. Visitors can get a research card.
A library card is for Massachusetts residents only. With a library card patrons can:
- Check out circulating materials (that you can take home)
- Look through in-library use only materials
- Check out eBooks
- Use library databases from home
- Reserve museum passes
How do I get a library card?
To get a library card, please bring:
- A photo ID
- Proof of Massachusetts address. This could be a piece of mail, bill, or lease, with your name and address on it.
If you have a Massachusetts driver's license, that counts as both a photo ID and proof of address.
You can get a library card at any Boston Public Library branch.
At Central, you can get a library card at these desks -
- The Borrower’s Services desk on the first floor of the Boylston building.
- The Delivery Desk on the second floor of the McKim building.
- Special Collections on the third floor of the Boylston building.
What is an eCard?
An eCard is an electronic library card. It is for Massachusetts residents only. An eCard allows patrons to use only electronic resources. Electronic resources are ones that are online, such as eBooks and databases. You cannot check out hard copy materials with an eCard. We can switch an eCard into to a regular library card at any Boston Public Library branch. You will need a photo ID and proof of a Massachusetts address.
How do I get an eCard?
To get an eCard, sign up using this online form. You will receive an email with your eCard number.
What is a Research card?
A research card is for visitors who live outside of Massachusetts. It allows visitors to look at in-library use only materials. This includes materials from the Research, Fine Arts, and Microform collections. You cannot log into a public computer with a research card, and you will need a guest pass. Ask a library staff member near the computers for a guest pass.
How do I get a research card?
To get a research card, come into the Central Library at Copley Square with a picture ID. You can get a research card from two desks:
- The Delivery Desk on the second floor of the McKim Building
- The Borrower’s Services desk on the first floor of the Boylston Street Building.
- Special Collections department on the third floor of the Boylston Street Building.
Your PIN is the password for your library account. It is a 4-digit number that is set up when you get a library card. For most things, your library card number is your username and your PIN is your password.
What is a PIN used for?
You need to know your PIN when logging into a library site, such as:
- Logging into your library account online
- Using databases from home
- Checking out eBooks
- Printing at the library.
eCards also have PINs to access electronic resources such as databases and eBooks.
While you do have to create a PIN when you make a research card, the PIN is not used for much. You will need a guest account to use the computer and print at the library.
What if I don't remember my PIN?
You can reset your PIN. Take a look at this page about resetting PINs. If you have logged into your account on our website at least once, you can reset it online. If you have not set up your online account, you can email webmaster@bpl.org to have it reset. You can also reset your PIN in person at any Boston Public Library location.
Getting Started
Welcome to the Arts Department!
With its renowned collection of photographs, prints, drawings, musical scores, paintings, sculpture, archives, books and manuscripts, the Arts Department supports the Boston Public Library as a center of knowledge. Spanning the 15th century to the present day, our collections offer a view into Boston and a portal to the world beyond its borders. We create opportunities for discovery and exploration of visual and musical materials by ensuring their preservation and providing multiple forms of access to these materials. We uplift current holdings and select new collections that connect to and support the dynamic needs of our users, document the history of our time, and demonstrate the relevance and value of artistic practice in society.
You Don't Know Beans, Boston Postcard Collection (ca.1911)
This guide provides introductory information for each curatorial area represented in the Arts Department: fine arts, music, photography, prints and drawings. Each curatorial page offers overviews of major collections and provides options for general and more in-depth searching within these curatorial areas.
The Arts Department maintains card catalogs, paper finding aids, accession lists, and other inventory documents. However, many items and collections are not yet cataloged online and are primarily searchable on-site and in print form only. Researchers are encouraged to visit in person or contact the Arts Department for further information.
Objects in historical collections reflect the attitudes, ideas, and norms of the era and culture in which they were created or collected. Therefore, some images or historic descriptions may contain potentially offensive imagery, language, or opinions, including disparaging portrayals or descriptions of persons based on characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or religion. Some photographs may depict ceremonies, objects, or clothing from historically marginalized cultures in a disrespectful or exploitative fashion. Our efforts to repair outdated descriptions and to describe our collections in an equitable way are iterative and ongoing. These materials are presented for the purpose of preserving the historical record and do not constitute any endorsement of the viewpoints or sentiments expressed within them.
Read our statement on Potentially Offensive and Harmful Content here.
Learn about the other collections within the Special Collections Department including
Rare Books & Manuscripts, Archives and Preservation.
Click on the image below.
Boston Public Library does not own the copyright to all of the materials in our collections. While we may provide copies of images, it is up to the user to determine if the image is in the public domain, secure permissions from the rights holder(s), or determine if the intended use may be considered exempt from copyright restrictions under the fair use section of U.S. copyright law. Further information about copyright for images is available through our image repository Digital Commonwealth.
We do not apply any further licensing restrictions beyond those already asserted by the copyright holder. In order to help others locate published images, we require credit lines to include the Boston Public Library, Arts Department, as the custodial institution.
For copyright-related questions, please e-mail specialcollections@bpl.org.