- State Library of Massachusetts
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The State Library of Massachusetts (est.1826) in Boston, Massachusetts, "supports the research and information needs of government, libraries, and people through ... services and access to a comprehensive repository of state documents and other historical items."[1] It "opened in 1826 and has been in its present location in the State House since the 1890s."[2] The State Library falls under the administration of the governor.[3] In fiscal year 2011, the state budgeted $786,237 for the library.[4]
Massachusetts State Library, State House, Boston, 2010
Contents
History
Massachusetts State Library, State House, Boston, 190819th century
"In 1811 the Legislature of Massachusetts made provision for the annual exchange of statutes with the several States of the Union, and in 1826 it provided that the books and maps which had accumulated in the various departments in the State House should be collected and arranged in the Land Office under the care of the Land Agent. This act marks the formal establishment of the State Library of Massachusetts."[5] In other words, "the State Library was established in 1826 to collect, deposit, and house the Commonwealth’s collections of maps, statute books, and government documents in a single central location."[1]
"Alexander H. Everett, of Boston, introduced into the Senate of 1833 an Order, instructing the committee on the library to consider the expediency of purchasing for the library, a copy of the Birds of America, by John James Audubon, of Louisiana. The measure encountered a strong opposition, and after an earnest and eloquent debate for several days, a Resolve was passed, March 22, 1833, authorizing the committee, if they deemed it expedient, to purchase the work at an expense not exceeding eight hundred dollars. Subsequent expenditures were authorized for its preservation, March 23, 1835, and, including binding and repairs, its cost to the State has exceeded one thousand dollars." The library continues to own the Audubon book.[6] As for other acquisitions, in the 1840s some foreign materials were acquired through M.A. Vattemare.
C.B. Tillinghast, Massachusetts State Librarian, 1893-ca.1907By 1848, the library owned some 5,700 volumes.[7] "In 1849 the custody of the Library was transferred from the Land Agent to the Secretary of the State Board of Education."[8] Heads of the library in the 19th century included Samuel C. Jackson (ca.1858)[9] and John W. Dickinson. "In 1893 the office of State Librarian was created, and Caleb B. Tillinghast ... who had served as acting librarian since 1879, became the first encumbent."[10]
20th century
"In 1960, the library was named the George Fingold Library under Chapter 380, Acts of 1960. George Fingold was the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1958. Fingold received the nomination for Governor in 1958, and died of a heart attack on August 31, 1958."[11]
21st century
In 2011, the library's trustees are Therese Murray, Designee: Senator James B. Eldridge; Robert A. DeLeo, Designee: Representative Kate Hogan; William Francis Galvin, Designee: Michael Maresco; (each "by virtue of state office held"); and Sharen Leonard, Matthew O'Connor, and Joffrey Smith[12] (each "appointed by the governor").[13]
Collections
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To meet Wikipedia's quality standards and comply with Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy, it may require cleanup.Digital Collections
Many library collections are available digitally through the library's website.[14] Digital items most often downloaded include the Massachusetts Acts and Resolves (1692 to present),[15] annual reports of various state agencies, and Special Collections materials, such as the IMLS funded project Mapping Massachusetts: The History of Transportation Systems in the Commonwealth.[16] The State Library makes its collections available digitally by both scanning print documents and capturing born-digital state documents, which are then archived in the library's digital repository.[17]
Library's holdings of "Annual Reports" of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from the 1940s, with the report for 1941 on top (photo 2010)Print Collections
The library holds collections in the areas of government documents, law, Massachusetts history, and public and current affairs. "As the legally designated depository for Massachusetts state publications, the State Library has the most complete collection of Massachusetts government documents in existence, with holdings dating from the seventeenth century." [18] The library has a wealth of primary and secondary legal resources for conducting legislative histories and drafting contemporary legislation.[19]The Periodicals department hosts a collection of newspapers, journals and magazines, which includes dozens of daily and weekly newspapers from various towns and cities in Massachusetts.[20]
Special Collections
The Special Collections department houses the library’s oldest and rarest materials, as well as the copy of record for Massachusetts legislative records. Holdings comprise rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, newspapers, tax valuations, architectural drawings, prints and photographs, scrapbooks, souvenirs and archival collections from former Massachusetts legislators. The collection is particularly strong in nineteenth and twentieth-century city directories, maps, and atlases for towns across Massachusetts. Collections date to the early 1600s and include several important pieces of American history.[21]
The medal presented to Charles Sumner by President Nissage Saget of Haiti in honor of Sumner's work to gain U.S. recognition of Haiti as a sovereign state. Donated to the State Library of Massachusetts by Charles Sumner.[22]Exhibitions
The library curates several exhibits each year that showcase interesting and important library collections as they relate to Massachusetts' people and places. Past library exhibits have included:
- The 55th Regiment and the Alfred S. Hartwell Collection, Spring 2008.
- Plymouth, Massachusetts: People, Politics and Primary Resources, Fall 2008.
- African Americans in the Massachusetts Legislature: A History, Winter 2009.
- Holyoke: Queen of Industrial Cities, Fall 2009.
- Massachusetts Women in Politics, Winter 2010.
Select images from these exhibits can be viewed on the library's Flickr page.[23]
State Librarians
- Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast, appointed in 1893.[24][25]
- Charles F.D. Belden, ca.1913[26]
- Foster W. Stearns, ca.1916[27]
- Edward H. Redstone, ca.1918-1921[28][29]
- Stephen Fulchino, ca.1997-2007
- Elvernoy Johnson, 2007 to present[30]
See also
- Massachusetts State House, site of the library
- State Library, general article about state libraries
References
- ^ a b MA State Library. Mission Statement. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ State Library of Massachusetts Through the Years. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ MA General Laws. Part I, Title II, Ch.6. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ MA FY2011 Budget Summary. George Fingold Library. Retrieved 2010-12-09
- ^ Manual for the use of the General Court for 1921; p.724
- ^ Herman. 2010
- ^ Edward Edwards. A Statistical View of the Principal Public Libraries in Europe and the United States of North America. Journal of the Statistical Society of London, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Aug., 1848)
- ^ Manual for the use of the General Court for 1921; p.724
- ^ Massachusetts State Library. Annual report. 1858
- ^ Manual for the use of the General Court for 1921; p.724
- ^ About the State Library. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ Joff Smith for city council. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ Board of Trustees. Retrieved 2010-08-05
- ^ Digital Collections
- ^ Massachusetts Acts and Resolves
- ^ Mapping Massachusetts: The History of Transportation Systems in the Commonwealth
- ^ State Library's electronic repository
- ^ Government Data & Documents
- ^ Guide to Tracing Massachusetts Law
- ^ Newpapers, Magazines & Journals
- ^ Special Collections
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Myg53LRiBBYC&lpg=PA306&ots=OEyKW9ok_d&dq=charles%20sumner%20haiti%20medal&pg=PA306#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/
- ^ Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast (1843-1909); cf. Bolton. Memoir of Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast. Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. 1909. Google books
- ^ Massachusetts State Library. Annual report. 1903, 1907
- ^ Massachusetts State Library. Annual report. 1914
- ^ Massachusetts State Library. Annual report. 1917
- ^ Massachusetts State Library. Annual report. 1919, 1920
- ^ Manual for the use of the General Court for 1921; p.724
- ^ Library Administration. Retrieved 2010-08-05
Further reading
- Catalogue of the State library of Massachusetts. Boston: W. White, printer, 1858. Google books. Includes history of the library, 1811-1857.
- Massachusetts State Library. Annual Report. 1903; 1907; 1908; 1910; 1914; 1920
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A manual for the use of the General Court for 1921. Boston: 1921; p.724. Google books
- Colman M. Herman. Hidden treasure: The state's library and archives are underfunded, understaffed, and inaccessible to both researchers and ordinary citizens. Commonwealth, April 13, 2010
External links
- State Library of Massachusetts homepage
- State Library of Massachusetts blog
- Internet Archive. Massachusetts State Library collection
- Flickr. State Library of Massachusetts' photostream.
- Flickr. 2002
- Dennis Wright's Blog. State House #3 – The George Fingold Library
Categories:- 1826 establishments in the United States
- State libraries of the United States
- Libraries in Massachusetts
- Libraries in Boston, Massachusetts
- Beacon Hill, Boston
- Government of Massachusetts
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