Preserving Massachusetts History
The State Library Special Collections Department’s focus is to preserve and make accessible records of historic significance relating to the legislature in the Commonwealth. The papers of state legislators are particularly valuable resources for documenting the General Court as a lawmaking institution. The department works with scholars and legislative aides to make those papers available to researchers from all walks of life, such as historians, lawyers, journalists, students, and Massachusetts citizens.
Additional Resources
The Donation Process
We encourage you to contact the Special Collections Department before discarding or rearranging materials in order to reduce the risk of diminishing your collection’s research value. Staff will work with you to identify historically significant materials and to prepare them for transfer. Before physical transfer can occur, legal title to the materials needs to be transferred to the State Library of Massachusetts. This is done via gift agreement, which also details any restrictions on access.
What to Donate
The following types of materials, in any format, are of particular interest to the State Library:
- Records documenting legislative work, especially sponsored bills, including notes from debates, drafts of bills, and related correspondence
- Records documenting committee work and work in special task forces or commissions
- Correspondence, including letters, memos, and email printouts
- Background and subject matter on issues of particular concern to you and your district
- Material related to speeches, appearances, and events
- Records which provide insight into your daily work as a legislator, such as date books, diaries, call logs, invitations, and campaign material
Collection Care
Materials donated to the Special Collections Department are processed by professional archivists and pre-professional graduate students to provide researchers with easy access to materials. The resulting finding aids are posted online, and researchers use these guides to identify materials which will be useful to them. Special Collections are housed in an area with strict environmental controls and security measures to preserve and safeguard the materials.
Additional Resources
Contact for Donate Legislative Papers to the State Library
Online
Phone
Open M-F 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Open M-F 9 a.m.–5 p.m. *Advance appointments are strongly recommended
Fax
Address
| Date published: | March 21, 2024 |
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