Special Collections
The Special Collections department includes items that need special care due to their age, fragility, or format. Holdings comprise rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, newspapers, tax valuations, architectural drawings, prints and photographs, scrapbooks, and souvenirs. The collection is particularly strong in nineteenth and twentieth-century city directories, maps, and atlases.
Items in our Special Collections:
- Photographs, Prints and Pictures
- Rare Books Collection
- Directories
- Historic Maps and Atlases
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
- Architectural Plans
- Audio and Video Repository
- Legislative Papers
- Genealogical Resources
- Historical Newspapers
- Souvenirs
- Digital Collections
- Burrill File Subject Index
Preservation
The preservation of library collections is an important part of the mission of the State Library. To support this goal, the Library staff includes a full-time Preservation Librarian who oversees the Library’s preservation program including its preservation lab.
Housed in the Special Collections Department, the preservation lab is where all library items are repaired from basic procedures such as putting items in folders and envelopes to more complex procedures such as sewing and rebinding books. Additionally the Preservation Librarian monitors environmental conditions throughout library spaces to ensure the collections are housed in appropriate climates.
Outreach is an important part of the preservation picture at the State Library. Currently the preservation lab hosts one intern each semester to help with special projects and as a way to mentor local library science and history students. Local preservation students have toured the lab as a class field trip, and professors are invited to contact the Preservation Librarian for more information about touring the lab and library as a field trip. For individuals not associated with a school program, the lab is open for tours by appointment and as time allows. Please contact the Preservation Librarian for more information.
As an outreach initiative for those located outside of the Boston area, both the Preservation Librarian and lab interns post regularly to the library blog. Please visit the State Library's blog to find information and pictures about current lab work.
Guidelines for Use
All items in the Special Collections department are listed in the library's card and online catalogs. Many items, including those in non-book formats, can be found in the library's online catalog.
Special Collections materials do not circulate and must be used in the department's reading room. Staff members are on duty in the reading room to provide reference assistance in the use of collections. Users are asked to use extreme care in handling old and brittle items and are prohibited from bringing food and drink into the reading room.
Policies
For more information please contact:
The State Library of Massachusetts
Special Collections Department
State House, Room 55
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617-727-2595
Fax: 617-727-9730
Special Collections Staff
Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
lacy.crews@state.ma.us
This information is provided by The State Library of Massachusetts.