Rare Books and Manuscripts Department

Boston Public Library Archival and Manuscript Finding Aid Database

At the link above, you will see essential information about collections, including titles, dates, general summaries, and detailed descriptions of contents

• Open up the Arrangement, Administrative/Biographical History, and Subjects sections to learn more
• To view an inventory of the collection contents, with box and folder information, click on Detailed Description
• You can also see digitized items available in Digital Commonwealth by clicking on On-line Images/Records

For help navigating through BPL finding aids, please feel free to contact us directly.

A finding aid is a document that describes the contents and arrangement of a specific collection. Finding aids typically group materials together based on similarity of format, their relationship to the creator of the collection, or simply by date of creation. Finding aids can be used to describe many different kinds of collections, but they are typically used to describe archival collections.

What is an archival collection?

An archival collection is a group of materials that documents the activities of a specific individual, family, or organization. Typically, archival collections contain personal papers or the records of a business or other organization.

Archivists, who organize and describe archival collections, strive to preserve the “original order” of the materials they work with. By preserving original order, archivists can assure that important historical context is maintained; often, this also means that specific materials are easier to find.

BPL's finding aids have changed over time; some were created as basic paper inventories, while others were generated electronically. BPL finding aids that have been made available online can be accessed through the Boston Public Library Archival and Manuscript Finding Aid Database.