BPL has two online catalogs. You can access the same records through both, but each catalog presents search results and information in different ways.
Approximately 30% of Printed materials in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department are currently listed in the online catalogs.
Click the images below to try each catalog.
Regardless of which catalog you use, it is important to remember that our card catalogs (see menu on the left) still contain the fullest and most accurate list of the department's holdings.
Most of the materials in the BPL Rare Books & Manuscripts Department are listed in the department’s card catalogs.
A card catalog is a set of index cards used to store information about a collection. In a typical card catalog, each individual card describes a separate item. The Rare Books and Manuscripts Department maintains two separate card catalogs. One contains descriptions of printed materials; the other contains descriptions of manuscripts.
Each card catalog is accompanied by two additional sets of cards: a "geographic file," in which descriptions of materials are organized by place, and a chronological file, in which they are organized by date.
Card catalogs in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department can be accessed in person or online, through this guide.
More about the card catalog
The card catalog is the best place to search for books and other printed materials. It fills 385 drawers and contains over 410,000 cards, filed in alphabetical order by author name. Where no author is known, cards are filed alphabetically by title. Materials related to certain special subjects, like “abolitionism,” or “music” are filed under author's name, as well as subject.
The card catalog is fully cross-referenced, meaning that multiple cards, each describing the same item, can be filed in several different places. For instance, cards describing a single letter from Jane Doe to John Smith, about an event during the American Civil War, might be filed under Doe, Jane, under Smith, John, and under United States--History--Civil War.
Geographic file
The geographic file lists materials alphabetically by place of creation, rather than by author or subject.
Chronological file
The chronological file lists materials by date only, from oldest to newest.
The card catalog for books and printed materials is organized alphabetically by author. When no author is known, cards are organized by title.
The card catalog fills 385 drawers and contains over 410,000 individual catalog cards. Each of the links below leads to a digitized copy of one whole drawer of cards. Scroll through the list and click on the links to browse.
To carry out a limited keyword search, see the Keyword Searching tab above.
Drawer 1. A-Accorso
Drawer 2. Account-Actors, American
Drawer 3. Actors, English-Adh
Drawer 4. Adi-Aes
Drawer 4a. Aes-Agr
Drawer 5. Agr-Alc
Drawer 6. Alcazar-Algebra
Drawer 7. Algebra, Extensive-Almanacs (A-F)
Drawer 8. Almanacs (G-Z)-Ama
Drawer 9. Amb-American coast
Drawer 10. American College-American Type
Drawer 11. American Union-Anda
Drawer 12. Ande-Annab
Drawer 13. Annal-Antom
Drawer 14. Anton-Arac
Drawer 15. Arag-Argy
Drawer 16. Aria-Arnim
Drawer 17. Arno-Asc
Drawer 18. Ase-Astronomical instruments
Drawer 19. Astronomical Journal-Astry
Drawer 20. Astu-Auk
Drawer 21. Aula-Avat
Drawer 22. Ave-Bacm
Drawer 23. Bacon-Baldy
Drawer 24. Bale-Bankette
Drawer 25. Bankr-Barius
Drawer 26. Barj-Bartolus
Drawer 27. Barton-Baxter's
Drawer 28. Bay-Bee
Drawer 29. Beebe-Benavente
Drawer 30. Benavides-Berry
Drawer 31. Berryman-Bible (texts)
Drawer 32. Bible (by subject, A-Z)-Bible, Old Testament, Samuel
Drawer 33. Bible, Old Testament, Song of Solomon-Bibliophist
Drawer 34. Biblioteca-Binn
Drawer 35. Birio-Bisco
Drawer 36. Bishop-Blix
Drawer 37. Bloch-Bolron
Drawer 38. Bolt-Book-keeper
Drawer 39. Bookkeeping-Bory
Drawer 40. Bos-Boston (by subject: A-Registry Dept.)
Drawer 40a. Boston (by subject: School Committee-Sun Fire Society)
Drawer 41. Boston (by subject: Tallow Chandlers-Streets. Zeigler Street)
Drawer 42. Boston (by subject: Taxation-wharves)-Boston plute
Drawer 43. Bot-Bowring, Sir John
Drawer 44. Bowyers-Brashears
Drawer 45. Brass-Bright
Drawer 46. Brighter-Broadsides (by country: A-Spain)
Drawer 47. Broadsides, U.S. (A-K)
Drawer 47a. Broadsides, U.S. (L-O)
Drawer 48. Broadsides, U.S. (P-Z)-Broadsides, facsimiles
Drawer 49. Broadsides (facsimiles)-Brown, Arthur M.
Drawer 50. Brown, Benj.-Browning, Robert (works by)
Drawer 51. Browning (works about)-Bryantville
Drawer 52. Bryce-Bulli
Drawer 53. Bullo-Burnap
Drawer 54. Burne-Jones-Butze
Drawer 55. Bux-Cairnes
Drawer 56. Cairo-Californische
Drawer 57. Caligula-Campaigns
Drawer 58. Campan-Canny
Drawer 59. Cano-Caricatures
Drawer 60. Carigal-Cartas
Drawer 61. Carte-Castleman
Drawer 62. Castlen-Cathec
Drawer 63. Cathedral-Caxton
Drawer 64. Cav-Ces
Drawer 65. Cesnola-Chapbooks
Drawer 66. Chapbooks (American)-Charleston Mercury
Drawer 67. Charleston Mass.-Chesney
Drawer 68. Chestnut-Childs
Drawer 69. Chile-Christel
Drawer 70. Christen-Chronology
Drawer 71. Chronometer-Church of England (establishment)
Drawer 71a. Church of England (liturgy and ritual)-Churches
Drawer 72. Churchill-Clairac
Drawer 73. Clairaut-Clemencin
Drawer 74. Clemens-Codding
Drawer 75. Code-Collatio
Drawer 76. Colle-Colmans
Drawer 77. Colme-Comh
Drawer 78. Comic-Compleat
Drawer 79. Complete-Confederacy
Drawer 80. Confederate's Polka March-Connected
Drawer 81. Connecticut-Converse
Drawer 82. Conversion-Cormn
Drawer 83. Cormon-Couailhac
Drawer 84. Coubine-Crafty
Drawer 85. Craggs-Crond
Drawer 86. Cronf-Cubd
Drawer 87. Cube-Cusr
Drawer 88. Cussons-Danby
Drawer 89. Danca-Darr
Drawer 90. Darses-Days
Drawer 91. Dayton-DeFlander
Drawer 91a. Defoe, Daniel (Collected works. Selections-Individual works, A-J)
Drawer 91b. Defoe, Daniel (Individual works, K-Robinson Crusoe)
Drawer 91c. Defoe, Daniel (Individual works, Robinson Crusoe-Y)
Drawer 92. DeFoix-Denham
Drawer 93. Denina-Devienne
Drawer 94. Devig-Dickdook
Drawer 95. Dicke-Dilworth
Drawer 96. Diman-Divoz
Drawer 97. Divo-Dona
Drawer 98. Donaghy-Doy
Drawer 99. Doyle-Drama (English. Law)
Drawer 100. Drama (European. French)-Dryander
Drawer 101. Dryden-Duguet
Drawer 102. Du Halde-Durbin
Drawer 103. Dutch-Easie
Drawer 104. East-Edgett
Drawer 105. Edgeville-Eisler
Drawer 106. Ek-Elliott
Drawer 107. Ellipse-Emerson
Drawer 108. Emery-England (by subject: A-Theatres)
Drawer 109. England (by subject Verse-Z)-English language (by subject: A-Punctuation)
Drawer 110. English language (by subject: R-writing)-English poetry
Drawer 111. English Pope-Epstein
Drawer 112. Equal-Essanto
Drawer 113. Essay-Europas
Drawer 114. European War. 1914-1919 (by subject: A-P)
Drawer 115. European War. 1914-1919 (by subject: R-Z)-Exmoor
Drawer 116. Exner-Fairyl
Drawer 117. Faith-Fate
Drawer 118. Father-Fenon
Drawer 119. Fenton-Fiction
Drawer 120. Fidalgo-Finly
Drawer 121. Finn-Flameng
Drawer 122. Flaming-Flushing
Drawer 123. Flute-Forjo
Drawer 124. Form-Fow
Drawer 125. Fox-France. Legation
Drawer 126. France. Marine-France (by subject: Antiquities-Heraldry)
Drawer 127. France (by subject: History-Z)-Franceschini
Drawer 128. Francesco d'Assisi-Franklin, Benjamin (works by)
Drawer 129. Franklin, Benjamin (biography)-Freducci
Drawer 130. Free-Frenc
Drawer 131. Frend-Frontenac
Drawer 132. Frontier-Functions
Drawer 133. Functions (Spherical)-Gallucci
Drawer 134. Gallup-Gardel
Drawer 134a. Garden-Garfield
Drawer 135. Gargantua-Gay neck
Drawer 136. Gaya-Gentlemen
Drawer 137. Gentlewoman-Geop
Drawer 138. Georg-Germany (maps)
Drawer 139. Germany (nationality)-Gilardone
Drawer 140. Gilbert-Gliddon
Drawer 141. Glide-Goldin
Drawer 142. Golding-Gorf
Drawer 143. Gorgeous-Granberg
Drawer 144. Grand-Great Bo
Drawer 145. Great Britain (Acts and laws-Parliament. House of Lords)
Drawer 146. Great Britain (Parliament, by date-Yearbooks)-Great Britain (Subject: A-Claims)
Drawer 147. Great Britain (by subject: Colonies-Historic houses)
Drawer 148. Great Britain (by subject: History. Baker-George II. Poetry)
Drawer 149. Great Britain (by subject: History. George III-Politics and Government, 1689-1702)
Drawer 150. Great Britain (by subject: Politics and Government, 18th century-Taxation)
Drawer 151. Great Britain (by subject: Theater-Zoology)-Greenl
Drawer 152. Greenough-Gromort
Drawer 153. Grondalla-Guilpin
Drawer 154. Guim-Haith
Drawer 155. Haiti-Hall's
Drawer 156. Hallam-Hanh
Drawer 157. Hanifen-Harril
Drawer 158. Harriman-Harver
Drawer 159. Harvest-Hayley
Drawer 160. Haym-Heig
Drawer 161. Heir-Hercules
Drawer 162. Herder-Heyv
Drawer 163. Heyward-Hinm
Drawer 164. Hindo-History (Ancient)
Drawer 165. History (Modern)-Hoadly
Drawer 166. Hoag-Holme
Drawer 167. Holmes-Hoper
Drawer 168. Hopes-Hou
Drawer 169. How-Hudspeth
Drawer 170. Hue-Hunters
Drawer 171. Hurtia-Hym
Drawer 172. Hynck-Illuss
Drawer 173. Illust-Incunabula (by author: A-Ari)
Drawer 174. Incunabula (by author: Ars-Lyr)
Drawer 175. Incunabula (byt author: Mac-Zut)-Indagine
Drawer 176. Indarte-Indians of North Carolina
Drawer 176a. Indians of South America-Institoris
Drawer 177. Institut-Irem
Drawer 178. Irena-Italy (by subject: A-Education)
Drawer 179. Italy (by subject: Fine arts-Z)-Jacobi
Drawer 180. Jacobs-Jara
Drawer 181. Jardin-Jesu
Drawer 182. Jewett-Johnson, P.
Drawer 183. Johnson, R.-Jorg
Drawer 184. Jornada-Justicia
Drawer 185. Justification-Kelso
Drawer 186. Keltie-Kilner
Drawer 187. Kilpatrick-Klutschak
Drawer 188. Kluver-Kri
Drawer 189. Kroeber-Lafuente
Drawer 190. La Garaye-Landry
Drawer 191. Lands-Lark
Drawer 192. Larke-Lavoro
Drawer 193. Law-Ledyard
Drawer 194. Lee-Lekeux
Drawer 195. Lelaid-Lesko
Drawer 196. Lesl-Letter to
Drawer 197. Letter-Lexique
Drawer 198. Ley-Lig
Drawer 199. Ligg-Linc
Drawer 200. Lincoln, A. (by subject: A-Z)-Linforth
Drawer 201. Ling-Litt
Drawer 202. Liturgia-Loge
Drawer 203. Logic-London so
Drawer 204. London Stage-Lopez De Ayala
Drawer 205. Lopez, de Banos-Louisville Times
Drawer 206. Lounger-Luac
Drawer 207. Lu, Chi-Lyre
Drawer 208. Lyric-McGrath
Drawer 209. Mach-Macy
Drawer 210. Mad-Mai
Drawer 211. Mait-Mann
Drawer 212. Manners-Mar
Drawer 212a. Marb-Mari
Drawer 213. Marjorie-Martin
Drawer 214. Martin, W.-Mase
Drawer 215. Maser-Massachusetts (by subject: Acts and laws-Geological survey)
Drawer 216. Massachusetts (by subject: Governor-Medicine)
Drawer 217. Massachusetts (by subject: Militia-Zoology)-Math
Drawer 218. Mathematical-Matheo
Drawer 219. Mather-Matzer
Drawer 220. Mau-Medal
Drawer 221. Medals-Memoranda
Drawer 222. Memoranda-Merle
Drawer 223. Merli-Mexico (by subject: A-Geography)
Drawer 224. Mexico (by subject: History-Z)-Milanes
Drawer 225. Milbert-Milscent
Drawer 226. Miltimore-Missel
Drawer 227. Missing-Modjeska
Drawer 228. Modo-Monk
Drawer 229. Monk, George-Moonshine
Drawer 230. Moor, James-Moreas, Jean
Drawer 231. Moreau-Morse and Shaw's
Drawer 231a. Morsels-Moulin
Drawer 232. Mouffle-Murphy
Drawer 233. Murray-Mythus
Drawer 234. N-Natti
Drawer 235. Natupe-Navy
Drawer 236. Naw-Neu
Drawer 237. Nev-New England Press
Drawer 237a. New England Primer-New Hampshire
Drawer 238. New Harmony-New York (Colony)
Drawer 239. New York (State)-Newspaper carriers
Drawer 240. News-Nizza
Drawer 241. No-Northwood
Drawer 242. Norton-Nuremberg
Drawer 243. Nurse-Offers
Drawer 244. Office-Olivarius
Drawer 245. Olive-Orcutt
Drawer 246. Ord-Othon
Drawer 247. Otia-Pacey
Drawer 248. Pach-Palmas
Drawer 249. Palmella-Parin
Drawer 250. Paris-Parlor
Drawer 251. Parlour-Patterson
Drawer 252. Patti-Pelzer
Drawer 253. Pember-Peoples
Drawer 254. Pepacton-Periodicals (English, A-O)
Drawer 255. Periodicals (English, P-Z)-Pertz
Drawer 256. Peru-Phenol
Drawer 257. Phi-Philpott
Drawer 258. Phin-Picus
Drawer 259. Pidal-Pir
Drawer 260. Pis-Pleasures
Drawer 261. Plebian-Poetisches
Drawer 262. Poetry-Polly
Drawer 263. Polo-Porteous
Drawer 264. Porter-Portuguez
Drawer 265. Portulani-Preceptor
Drawer 266. Preces-Priestesses
Drawer 266a. Priesthood-Printed
Drawer 267. Printers-Prioleau
Drawer 268. Prior-Prophecies
Drawer 269. Prophecy-Pryce
Drawer 270. Pryde-Puzzlecap
Drawer 271. Puzzles-Quinones y Zuniga
Drawer 272. Quint-Randol
Drawer 273. Randolph-Razzolini
Drawer 273a. Re-Reedy
Drawer 274. Reef-Remaking
Drawer 275. Remark-Revell
Drawer 276. Revels-Rhymings
Drawer 277. Rhys-Rilke
Drawer 278. Rima-Robertus
Drawer 279. Robeson-Rogers, H.
Drawer 280. Rogers, J.-Romayne
Drawer 281. Rombauer-Rossetti
Drawer 282. Rossi-Royaute
Drawer 283. Royce-Rutebeuf
Drawer 284. Ruter-Sacont
Drawer 285. Sacra-Salamina
Drawer 286. Salas-Sanchez
Drawer 287. Sanchico-Satirist
Drawer 288. Satisfaction-Schiller's
Drawer 289. Schilling-Sckell
Drawer 290. Sclater-Scaggs
Drawer 291. Scrap-Secker
Drawer 292. Seco-Sepulveda
Drawer 293. Sequirira-Sewall
Drawer 294. Seward-Shakespeare (works by language: A-Spanish)
Drawer 295. Shakespeare (poems-works by title: A-King Richard II)
Drawer 296. Shakespeare (works by title: King Richard III-Venus)-Shakespeare (works, spurious)
Drawer 297. Shakespeare (by subject: actors-drama)
Drawer 298. Shakespeare (by subject: editions-translations)
Drawer 299. Shakespeare (by subject: versification-yearbook)-Shenton
Drawer 300. Shepard-Short supply.
Drawer 301. Short talk-Simmons
Drawer 302. Simms-Slaughter
Drawer 302a. Slave-Slavery in the South
Drawer 303. Slavery in the U.S.-Slythe
Drawer 304. Smail-Smyth
Drawer 305. Smyth-Soldeville
Drawer 306. Soldier-Songs about life
Drawer 307. Songs & ballads-Southeby
Drawer 308. Southern-Spain (by subject: A-Foreign Relations)
Drawer 309. Spain (by subject: Geography-Laboring class)
Drawer 310. Spain (by subject: language-Z)-Spalatin
Drawer 311. Spalding-Speechly
Drawer 312. Speed-Staff
Drawer 313. Stafford-Stars (distribution)
Drawer 314. Stars, double-Stephens's
Drawer 315. Stephenson-Stoc
Drawer 316. Stoddard-Strassen
Drawer 317. Strat-Suk
Drawer 318. Sul-Swar
Drawer 319. Swaz-Sz
Drawer 320. T-Tara
Drawer 321. Tarbe-Tee
Drawer 322. Tee-Tert
Drawer 323. Tertullian-Theater, in favor of
Drawer 324. Theater, in opposition to-Theobald
Drawer 325. Theobrome-Thompson, E.
Drawer 326. Thompson, F.-Tieve
Drawer 327. Tiffany-Toldi
Drawer 328. Tole-Tragedian
Drawer 329. Tragedie-Tricks
Drawer 330. Trigo-Tubbs
Drawer 331. Tube-Tyng
Drawer 332. Type-U.S. Army
Drawer 333. U.S. Army A.G.O.-U.S. District Court
Drawer 334. U.S. Engineer Dept.-U.S. Church history
Drawer 334a. U.S. civilization-U.S. history (study and teaching)
Drawer 335. U.S. history (colonial period)- (Revolution, poetry)
Drawer 336. U.S. history (Revolution, portraits)-(Civil War, caricatures)
Drawer 336a. U.S. history, Civil War (causes-personal narratives, A-M)
Drawer 337. U.S. history, Civil War (personal narratives N-Z)-U.S. literature (influence)
Drawer 338. U.S. literature (poetry)-U.S. taxation
Drawer 339. U.S. theaters-Utrum
Drawer 340. Uttenhofer-Van Dyke
Drawer 341. Vane-Vega y Carpio, L.F. De, Poesias
Drawer 342. Vega y Carpio, L.F. De. Por La Puente-Verbiest
Drawer 343. Verbs-Vidal
Drawer 344. Vidalin-Virginia. War Office
Drawer 345. Virginia. Citizens-Voltaire
Drawer 346. Volterra-Wah
Drawer 347. Wai-Wanck
Drawer 348. Wand-Washington, George (correspondence)
Drawer 348a. Washington, George (farewell address-inauguration)
Drawer 349. Washington, George (medals)-Watson, Evelyn
Drawer 350. Watson, F.-Weemes
Drawer 351. Weems, Mason L.-West Hendon
Drawer 351a. West India Association-West Indies
Drawer 352. West Laurel-Whig
Drawer 353. Whig-Whitlock
Drawer 354. Whitman-Wilde
Drawer 355. Wilde-Willyoung
Drawer 356. Wilme-Wishart
Drawer 357. Wishes-Wolves
Drawer 358. Woman-Women (legal status)
Drawer 359. Women (legal status)-Women's work
Drawer 360. Wonalansett-World Peace Foundation
Drawer 361. World Politics-Xylander
Drawer 362. Y-Young, William
Drawer 363. Young Abolitionists-Zaragoza
Drawer 364. Zarate-Zyrychzee
The default view for all digitized catalog cards is in the form of a book reader. With the scroll bar, you can navigate quickly through the whole drawer, or you can click from one card to the next using the "left" and "right" arrows. Limited keyword searching across the entire main entry file is available through the Internet Archive collections page. See the Keyword search tab above for detailed instructions.
[Under development]
Geographic file (printed material) | Scroll down ⬇ |
Drawer 1.
Drawer 2.
Drawer 3.
Drawer 4.
Drawer 5.
Drawer 6.
Drawer 7.
Drawer 8.
Drawer 9.
Drawer 10.
Drawer 11.
Drawer 12.
Drawer 13.
Drawer 14.
Drawer 15.
Drawer 16.
Drawer 17.
Drawer 18.
Drawer 19.
Drawer 20.
Drawer 21.
Drawer 22.
Drawer 23.
Drawer 24.
Drawer 25.
The default view for all digitized catalog cards is in the form of a book reader. With the scroll bar, you can navigate quickly through the whole drawer, or you can click from one card to the next using the "left" and "right" arrows. Limited keyword searching across the entire main entry file is available through the Internet Archive collections page. See the Keyword search tab above for detailed instructions.
[Under development]
Chronological file (printed material) | Scroll down ⬇ |
Drawer 1.
Drawer 2.
Drawer 3.
Drawer 4.
Drawer 5.
Drawer 6.
Drawer 7.
Drawer 8.
Drawer 9.
Drawer 10.
Drawer 11.
Drawer 12.
Drawer 13.
Drawer 14.
Drawer 15.
Drawer 16.
Drawer 17.
Drawer 18.
Drawer 19.
Drawer 20.
Drawer 21.
Drawer 22.
Drawer 23.
Drawer 24.
Drawer 25.
The default view for all digitized catalog cards is in the form of a book reader. With the scroll bar, you can navigate quickly through the whole drawer, or you can click from one card to the next using the "left" and "right" arrows. Limited keyword searching across the entire main entry file is available through the Internet Archive collections page. See the Keyword search tab above for detailed instructions.
This set of cards contains shelf lists for a number of different call number ranges. In general, materials within each range are listed in numerical order. In some cases, sequences are broken out by size (folio, portfolio, broadside); in other cases, books of different sizes are presented within the same sequence.
While many of these files still accurately reflect the collections to which they correspond, others do not. Some lists date to the early 20th century and, over time, books may have been deaccessioned, transferred to other curatorial departments, or reclassified. However, researchers might still find these lists valuable for the comprehensive overview of collections that they can provide.
Additionally, cards in these files often contain brief notes about acquisition of the materials described. In many cases, this acquisition information is not readily available in other sources.
Drawer 1. A.1-A.399
Drawer 2. A.400-A.1169
Drawer 3. A.1170-A.1749
Drawer 4. A.1750-A.2288
Drawer 5. A.2289-A.2999
Drawer 6. A.3000-A.3839
Drawer 7. A.3840-A.4339
Drawer 8. A.4340-A.5139
Drawer 9. A.5140-A.5699
Drawer 10. A.5700-A.6599
Drawer 11. A.6600-A.7479
Drawer 12. A.7480-A.8499
Drawer 13. A.8500-A.9099
Drawer 14. A.9100-A.9995.2
Drawer 16.1. Abbe
Drawer 16.2. Adams (folios)
Drawer 17. Adams.10-199
Drawer 18.1. Adams.200-849; Add.1
Drawer 18.2. Artz Cab.
Drawer 19. B.110.2-
Drawer 20. B.4110-B.4199
Drawer 21. B.4200-B.4299
Drawer 22. B.4300-B.6039
Drawer 23. B.6040-B.6087
Drawer 24. B.6088-B.6109B
Drawer 25.1. BAC
Drawer 25.2. BLS
Drawer 25.3. BLS xb (broadsides)
Drawer 25.4. BLS pb, Xxb (flat boxed)
Drawer 25.5. BLS folio
Drawer 26.1. BLSA
Drawer 26.2. Bentley
Drawer 27. Benton
Drawer 28. Cab.1-Cab.23.59
Drawer 29. Cab.23.60-Cab.29
Drawer 30. Cab.30-Cab.39
Drawer 31.
Drawer 32. D.Cab.-D.137
Drawer 33. D.140-D.159
Drawer 34. D.160-D.178
Drawer 35. D.180-D.232
Drawer 36. D.233-D.602
Drawer 37. D.604-D.P.967
Drawer 38. D. xb and pf (broadsides and portfolios)
Drawer 38.1. Defoe MS.1-Defoe.21.S89 1840
Drawer 39. Defoe.21.T-Defoe.30.695
Drawer 40. Defoe.30.696-Defoe.30.710.A4E
Drawer 41. Defoe.30.712.A66C-Defoe.30.725.A10E2
Drawer 42.1 Defoe.30.725.A10F-Defoe.977.A10R
Drawer 42.2 Defoe xb, f, m, pf (broadsides, folios, mini, portfolios)
Drawer 43. Cab.E-E.195
Drawer 44. E.196.1-E.230.25
Drawer 45. E.500-E.750
Drawer 46. E.751-E.999
Drawer 47. E.5010-E.5081
Drawer 48. E.5082-E.5123
Drawer 49. E.5124-E.5143
Drawer 50.
The default view for all digitized catalog cards is in the form of a book reader. With the scroll bar, you can navigate quickly through the whole drawer, or you can click from one card to the next using the "left" and "right" arrows. Limited keyword searching across the entire main entry file is available through the Internet Archive collections page. See the Keyword search tab above for detailed instructions.
Card catalog searching guide
1. Do you know the author's name, or the name of a person who is associated with the item, like the recipient of a letter or the subject of a biography?
2. Do you know the place where the item was created?
3. Do you know the date when the item was created?
4. Is the item you’re looking for related to a particular subject, like mathematics or astronomy; or is it a particular kind of book or manuscript, like a diary or a Bible?
5. Can you think of ay keywords associated with the item?
Reading Catalog Cards
The information found in catalog cards is typically structured in order to be consistent from one card to the next. Information is also formulated to adhere to cataloging standards. So, for example, names are typically recorded last-name-first, certain abbreviations are used regularly, and the extent of an item (how many pages it contains) is recorded in a very particular way. Understanding where these pieces of info typically appear and what they usually look like will make it easier to use the card catalog. See the explanations below.
1. Author name. Allen, Joseph, Bp. of Ely, d. 1845
This is the name of the person primarily responsibly for the creation of the item. In this case, we are looking at a description of a letter written by Joseph Allen, Bishop of Ely (1770-1845).
2. Other associated name. To A[nthony] Panizzi
Anthony Panizzi was the recipient of this letter. Brackets typically enclose words or letters not found in the original manuscript. So in this case, we can assume that the name of the recipient appears in the letter as "A. Panizzi."
3. Date of creation. 1847 May 17
This is the date on which the item was created. The date typically appears in the upper-left portion of the card. If no date is known, cards are sometimes marked "n.d." (for no date). If date and month, but not year, are known, cards are sometimes marked "n.y." (for no year)
4. Place. [Dover St. London]
This is the place where the item was created. Usually this information is taken directly from the item. If it is not found on the item, but has been added to the description by the cataloger, it will usually be enclosed in brackets, as with this example.
5. Summary. Would be glad to purchase the brass bishop for the Cathedral . . .
This is a brief summary of the content of the item. These summaries are sometimes very lengthy, containing direct quotes. At other times, they can be very brief. Often they are omitted entirely.
6. Call number. G.51.7.1 no. 15.
A call number is a unique ID given to every item in the collection. A call number tells librarians where the item is stored. If you end up requesting to see a particular item, remember to always include the call number in your request. If you're not sure where the call number begins or ends, it's always better to include more info than less.
7. Extent and size. 2 pp. 4 1/2 x 7 1/2 cm.
In this area, the extent of an item (how many pages it's made up of) and the full size of the item is recorded. In this particular note, "pp." stands for pages -- the letter is two pages long and it measures 4.5 x 7.5 cm.
BPL's digitized card catalogs are hosted online by Internet Archive. Each card catalog has been digitized along with the geographic and chronological files that go along with it. Limited keyword searching within the card catalogs and their accompanying files is available through the Internet Archive collection page for each:
For best results, and to fully understand the significant limitations of keyword searching, please read the guide below.
Guide to keyword searching
To perform a limited keyword search of all cards in any specific catalog, first go to the Internet Archive collection page for the catalog you want to search.
Each collection page will have a search box on the left side of the screen. There are two buttons underneath the search box. Select the "text contents" button, type your query into the search box, then hit "enter." Files that contain matching results will appear. Click on each file to browse any cards that matched your search.
Once you have clicked on the file, you will see one or more blue marks along the scroll bar in the book reader. These marks show the locations of cards that contain text matching your search. You can scroll to the matches, or navigate directly to them using the arrow buttons above the scroll bar.
Limitations of searching
Search results should never be considered complete. The search engine relies on text files that have been automatically generated from digitized images of the cards themselves. The process of generating machine-readable text from images is called optical character recognition (OCR). OCR is far from perfect. Blurry or poorly printed cards, handwritten notes close to text, and even different typefaces can all render text generated via OCR extremely unreliable.
Above, a standard catalog card, with small, slightly blurred text. Below, the searchable text file generated from this image is partially garbled.
Boston Public Library catalog records describe historical materials that reflect the attitudes, ideas, and norms of the time periods and cultures in which they were created. Researchers using these records might therefore encounter direct quotations or detailed descriptions of original documents that incorporate inappropriate or harmful language used to describe persons and events. This includes language that is racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or ableist.
Furthermore, while the Boston Public Library strives to catalog its collections in an equitable and inclusive manner, we recognize that this has not always been the case. The majority of the records contained in our legacy card catalogs, for example, are decades old and reflect the prevailing biases of the time periods in which they were created.
Card catalogs also reflect the biases of the librarians, staff members, and affiliates who created them. Descriptions of materials contained in our card catalogs -- including titles, subject headings, and summary notes -- sometimes also contain harmful language and often prioritize access to information about white, male creators, while deprioritizing description and access to materials about women and people of color.
Because many of the electronic records contained in our online catalogs were copied over directly from cards, outdated and harmful language was sometimes carried over as well.
Catalog cards and electronic catalog records derived from catalog cards have been made available online because the access that they provide to primary source materials is uniquely valuable to the research community at large. Our efforts to repair outdated descriptions and to describe our collections more equitably are iterative and ongoing.