Researching at the Boston Public Library
Overview
Research Services staff assist with finding collections for the casual learner, for formal education support, or for scholarly research. Local history, community data, legal research, and genealogical research are all areas with which the Research Services staff can help - and more!
What is in the Research Services Collection?
Research Services manages all of BPL's non-circulating and circulating non-fiction collection. This is millions of items. In many cases, patrons can search our catalog on bpl.org to learn if BPL has certain material and where it is located. However, keep in mind that Boston Public Library's collection has items that were collected and date back to the 17th century! Some items may not be found in our catalog. Always feel free to email us to be sure.
Research Services specializes in five areas: local history, government documents, genealogy, arts research, and music & performing arts. Our specialist librarians create and update numerous research guides for researching patrons. Please see below for detailed explanations of our collections.
Right: Bates Hall, 1912
Where are these Collections?
Our collections span both buildings in closed stacks and open stacks, offsite storage, online databases, and digitization websites. Patrons interested in browsing our collection may visit Bates Hall, the Elliott Room, the Washington Room, and our circulating non-fiction in the Boylston Building (see Map & Lingo). Patrons may request closed-stack Research Services materials at the Washington Desk or via email.
How do I locate materials?
You can you tell if an item belongs to Research Services or another department through our catalog:
If our catalog notes the location as Research Services, like the image above, the item belongs to the Research Services department. If an item is in the open stacks (as opposed to our on-site or off-site storage locations) the catalog tells you which room an item is in - like the Elliott Room. If no room is provided and it says "In Library Use Only" request your item at the Washington Desk because it is in our closed stacks.
Research Collections
BPL's Local history & Genealogy section (bpl.org/genealogy) is located in the Elliott Room of McKim. While we do have a hefty amount of historical materials outside of present-day Massachusetts (for example, Maine used to be part of Massachusetts), the collection focuses on Boston, Greater Boston, and Massachusetts history. Local history and Genealogy materials include: newspapers, books, genealogy databases, surname card catalog, and more. A few popular Local History and Genealogy guides:
Right: Boston's Newspaper Row on Washington Street, postcard from BPL's Prints Department
Our research specialists in the arts and the performing arts manage our physical and digital collection of music, scores, art history, architecture research, artists, and more. Check out some popular research guides in this subject area:
Right: The Chancel of Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston, Mass., 1937, architectural drawing.
Boston Public Library is a federal repository. This means that we are mandated to collect all government publications. We also collect legal research materials including the Massachusetts General Laws, Black's Law Dictionary, and more. Related research guides include:
- Historic Congressional Committee Hearings and Reports
- Boston (City) Departmental Reports
- Law & Legal Research
Right: Cover of Boston's 1910 List of Residents, an example of a government document
Aside from our specialties, Research Services manages any and all research questions! Some of the most frequently asked questions we receive include help finding: obituaries, newspaper articles, historical events and lore, legal research, sports research, and so much more. We help lay researchers, genealogists, students, attorneys & staff, and members of Boston's Mayoral Cabinet. Below are some miscellaneous popular research guides from the Research Services team:
Right: Execution of Mrs. Ann Hibbins. An illustration of a Salem Witch Trials execution.
Material Descriptions
What is Microfilm and Microfiche?
Microfilm is an analog storage medium that predates digitization. It involves reducing the size of materials and capturing on film for archiving, preservation, and use. It looks like a tiny film reel.
Microfiche is essentially the same thing but fiche lays flat, like a postcard.
These reduced size materials are collectively called microtext.
Microtext Holdings in Research Services
BPL holds thousands of items on microtext including newspapers, government documents, and even our original card catalog. The Washington Room has microfilm readers connected to Research Services computers. Request microfilm at the Washington Desk. Staff will retrieve film/fiche for you and are available to provide tutorials on using the microfilm readers, if needed. Allow 10-30 minutes for microfilm and fiche to be retrieved. Times vary based on the item requested.
Requirements for requesting microfilm:
- A library card or research card must be provided
- Patrons must request a specific or narrow date
- For example, patrons cannot request "The Boston Globe from 1890" since this time frame is too large. Instead, ask for something similar to "The Boston Globe, March 1890" or "The Boston Globe, March 1-15 1890"
- Patrons will not be given more than six reels of film at a time
- Fill out a call slip (at the Washington Desk) providing your name, card number, document title, and the date(s) you would like
Keep in Mind...
- Film/fiche is not keyword searchable, it is read like a book or newspaper. Microtext research is often time intensive.
- To save time, check our catalog or ask a librarian if the item you're seeking is available online.
- Digital files can be saved from microfilm which can then be emailed, saved digitally, or printed. See BPL's webpage about how to print and printing costs.
Right: A microfilm reader with microtext displayed on a computer at BPL
Which Research Materials are Available Virtually?
Despite the age of our collection, many items have been digitized! However, digitization is very time intensive and expensive so most items are not available online. Our catalog will often (but not always) note when an item is available online. Librarians have also made research guides to help 
patrons navigate to digitized versions of materials. Below is round-up of places to check to see if your item is available online:
- BPL's Catalog
- Internet Archive
- Digital Commonwealth
- City Directories Research Guide
- Newspapers Research Guide
- Boston Lists of Residents
This is not an exhaustive list. Email ask@bpl.org for further assistance from librarians.
Right: an example of a BPL catalog entry noting the link for online availablity.
Accessing Fragile Items
Some items are not available for patrons to browse, even upon request. This is to protect items from further damage with the intention of prolonging their shelf-life for as long as possible. Boston City Directories are an example. Librarians strive to digitize our most fragile and/or valuable items to make them easily accessible for patrons. For items not digitized, patrons should submit their request to ask@bpl.org and librarians will access fragile materials for patrons, as needed.