Boston Public Library
FY12 Accomplishments
The Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a literacy center, map center,
business library, neighborhood-based services in the Tierney Learning Center, and a website filled with
digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library
service in America. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in America, the first public library
to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the
Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and
exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning.
Demand for Services
Since 2006, there has been a 35% increase in books, CDs, and DVDs borrowed from the Boston Public
Library. During FY11, the Boston Public Library exceeded its goal for materials borrowed and
downloaded, crossing the 3.5 million threshold for the second year in a row. During the same time
period, the library had 7.2 million visits to its website, an increase of 2 million since FY09.
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Borrowing Continues to Increase. The lending of books, CDs, DVDs, eBooks, audiobooks, and more
continues to increase. In FY12 Quarter 2, the Boston Public Library lent more than 1.87 million
materials, the highest second quarter total on record.
New Threshold for Computer Use. For the first time, the Boston Public Library saw more than
400,000 free, public computer sessions take place by the end of the second quarter of FY12. During
Quarter 2, the Boston Public Library offered 334 computer-based trainings and lent laptops to
library cardholders 5,492 times.
Website Visits Strong. By the end of FY12 Q2 – halfway through the fiscal year – the library received
3.7 million web visits, which is just two hundred thousand fewer than the library received in all of
FY06.
Top Accomplishments
1. Compass Strategic Plan. After a robust, two-year public engagement process, the Boston Public
Library (BPL) Board of Trustees unanimously approved a strategic plan to guide the future of the
institution. The strategic plan and the process that led to its development is called the “BPL
Compass.” At the heart of the BPL Compass is a three-phase, community-based process that
consisted of 82 meetings, 1,500+ participants, and 15,500+ survey responses. Library users from
across the area were active participants in discussing the principles and outcomes, offering
opinions and ideas during interactive, feedback-gathering exercises. The BPL continues
community engagement with the strategic plan in FY12 and FY13 with ongoing Compass
Roundtables.
2. Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. For the first time in the organization’s history, the Map
Center has a highly-visible public space on the first floor of the Central Library in Copley Square.
The new location has interactive exhibitions, research areas, and map storage space. Since
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opening in October 2011, staff has welcomed and assisted 30,000 visitors. The Leventhal Map
Center is on target to digitize 5000 maps by the end of 2012.
3. New East Boston Branch Library. The new 15,000 square foot branch broke ground in April
2012 and will serve the entire East Boston community with more than double the combined
public space of the two branches currently operating in East Boston. This branch, scheduled to
open in the Fall of 2013, will be a LEED certified building, incorporating the latest in
environmental and operational efficiencies. The BPL is working with award-winning architects
William Rawn and the community to design an innovative, community gathering space that
fosters reading, thinking, creating, and learning.
4. Library for the Commonwealth. The Boston Public Library worked closely with the state
legislature and library advocates to establish the Library for the Commonwealth, formerly called
the Library of Last Recourse. The new program will focus on the delivery of statewide services,
including the initiation of the digital object repository which will offer digitization services to
libraries, archives, and historical societies throughout the Commonwealth. A formal partnership
with the Digital Commonwealth, which is a collective of libraries and other cultural institutions,
will be finalized in order to improve participation and content in a proposed Massachusetts
Digital Library.
5. Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. From May-December
2011, the Boston Public Library commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with
eight months of system-wide programming, including four unique exhibitions, guided tours,
lectures, film series, family events, educational outreach, and more. More than 85,000 visitors
toured the Norman B. Leventhal’s Map Center Torn in Two exhibition at the Central Library in
Copley Square alone, and thousands of participants took part in more than 100 programs
throughout the city.
6. Mobile Laptop Classrooms. The Boston Public Library successfully completed a full year of a
public computing center project funded by a $1.9 million National Telecommunications &
Information Administration grant. Two hundred fifty (250) laptops were deployed across the
Boston Public Library system for public use and for use in formal computer training in
conjunction with daily technology classes offered at the Central Library. Classes range from
keyboard basics, social media, eBooks, databases, and career resources training. Classes are
offered on a weekly basis in the branches. The project is estimated to lend laptops to Boston
Public Library cardholders nearly 24,000 times before the end of FY12.
Board of Trustees
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Author Dennis Lehane was named a Boston Public Library Trustee by Mayor Thomas M. Menino
in December 2011.
Recognition
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A November Staff Recognition Ceremony honored 14 Boston Public Library staff members who
achieved 25 years of service to the BPL.
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The Brighton Branch was awarded LEED Silver Certification established by the U.S. Green
Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. LEED is the nation’s
preeminent program for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green
buildings. The Brighton Branch, a 22,400 square foot building at 40 Academy Hill Road,
reopened in December 2010 after more than 18 months of extensive interior renovations.
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The BPL’s pilot Digital Access Project with the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library received
honors from the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, home to
accessibility issues and advocacy within the American Library Association. The annual honor is
presented to organizations that produce noteworthy services and programming for library users
with disabilities.
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The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center was honored in American Libraries “2012 Library Design
Showcase” in the category of “Reuse and Restoration.”
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The Leventhal Map Center received an honorable mention in the “Single Space” category from
the International Interior Design Association and the Library Leadership & Management
Association, a division of the American Library Association. The Mattapan Branch of the Boston
Public Library also received an honorable mention in the category: Public Libraries, 30,000 SF
and Smaller.
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The BPL’s Civil War Commemoration brochure received national recognition as a “Best of Show”
award winner in the American Library Association/Leadership Administration and Management
Association/Public Relations and Marketing Section PR Xchange Competition. The 2011 Latino
Life Booklist was awarded an honorable mention in the “Bibliographies & Booklists” category.
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During National Library Week, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston City Council issued
proclamations making April 10, 2012 “Library Workers Day” in the City of Boston.
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The Best Colleges (thebestcolleges.org) voted the Boston Public Library in the Top 10 of most
amazing libraries in the world, beating out such impressive institutions as the New York Public
Library, the Seattle Central Library, the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, and the Library of
Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario.
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The Boston Public Library received “Bride’s Choice Award” from Wedding Wire and was ranked
#13 in Event Venues in Boston (based on square footage) in the Boston Business Journal Book of
Lists.
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The staff of the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library received a certificate of
appreciation in recognition of their generous collaboration with Hispanic Writers Week.
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Margaret Gardner, Children's Librarian at the South End Branch, received a "Community Builder
Award 2011" from the Phillips Brooks House Association for her efforts to partner with the
Keylatch Summer Camp groups that visited the branch last summer.
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Paul Edwards, Branch Librarian at the Grove Hall Branch, had an article published in Marketing
Your Library: Tips and Tools That Work. The article is titled Low Cost/No Cost, High Reward:
Successful Programming in a Difficult Economy.
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Catherine Willis, Technical Services Manager, wrote Boston Public Library which is a pictorial
history of BPL from its beginnings in 1848 through modern times. This book is published by
Arcadia Publishing and is in the “Images of America” series.
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Laura Foner, Children’s Librarian at the Connolly Branch, wrote a personal account of her
experiences working in Gould, Arkansas, as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee in 1965-1966, which appears in the recently published book, Arsnick: The Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Arkansas, published by the University of Arkansas Press.
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Chief Communications Officer Gina Perille graduated from the year-long LeadBoston program.
LeadBoston has been recruiting, training, and working with a diverse range of Boston leaders
since 1991.
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President Amy Ryan was elected a fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Fellows have a
vote in shaping the future of the Society and serve as emissaries, spreading knowledge of MHS's
resources and important role.
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President Ryan also serves on the Digital Public Library of America steering committee,
participating in a plan to digitize materials and make them free and accessible to all.
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The Jamaica Plain Branch celebrated its 100th anniversary with several events and the
Roslindale Branch celebrated its 50th.
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The Fields Corner Branch received an honorable mention in the Fields Corner Main Street’s
Holiday Storefront Contest.
Partnerships
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In honor of Harvard University’s 375th anniversary, the Boston Public Library and Harvard
University collaborated on the John Harvard Book Celebration. Harvard University professors
spoke at ten locations throughout the city. Lecture topics ranged from medical care to ereaders. Harvard University students sponsored “College Life” information sessions for teens in
branches throughout the city. Various student performance groups performed plays and
interactive programs for preschool and elementary aged children.
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The BPL launched a pilot project in partnership with the Boston Housing Authority to offer
library services to the South Boston community at the Tierney Learning Center.
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The BPL established a model partnership with the Chinatown community to bring BPL services
to the people of that neighborhood. BPL books, DVDs, programs, and services are offered in the
neighborhood in collaboration with the Chinatown Lantern Cultural and Educational Center.
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A partnership with the Boston Medical Center Health and Wellness Center in the pediatrics
department began in FY12. A monthly book deposit and BPL information is housed in the
Wellness Center.
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The BPL continued its partnership with Princeton Review. During FY12, eight BPL locations
offered free practice SAT tests through the partnership.
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The BPL is working with the Learning Games Network to pilot Xenos, an online, game-based
language learning experience built on an Integrated Social Learning Environment (ISLE), created
to increase English language learning, especially among low-income, at-risk, Spanish-speaking
English language learners.
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The Riffs & Raps: Jazzin’ the Generations program, a partnership with JazzBoston, continued for
a second year with stops at eight BPL locations bringing free, live jazz concerts to neighborhoods
across the city.
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The Boston Public Library again served as a key venue for the annual Boston Book Festival
which boasted over 100 authors presenting around Copley Square, and drew a crowd of over
25,000 participants in its third year. The BPL played an active role in the “One City One Story”
program with public discussions held in six neighborhood branches.
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Teen Services at the Central Library has expanded its outreach to at-risk teens in foster care and
group home settings in addition to implementing an outreach and lending program of the
newest and most popular books to young patients in long-term care at the Shriners Hospital.
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Five Tech Goes Home classes were offered at BPL locations during FY12. Graduates complete 15
hours of computer and internet training and may choose to purchase Dell NetBook PCs for only
$50. Graduates may also benefit from affordable home internet access through an agreement
reached this year between Comcast and the City of Boston.
Services & Programs
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The BPL has written criteria and drafted a preliminary list of Collections of Distinction which will
identify and support the library's most extraordinary collections. The Collections of Distinction
will receive priority in terms of acquisition, cataloging, digitization, and preservation.
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The Author Talk Series continued to be a popular program. This past year, the Boston Public
Library brought in more than 40 authors ranging from Steve Inskeep to Anne Perry. The BPL also
hosted three author talks celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park and an author talk
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Titanic.
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The summer Concerts in the Courtyard series continued to be a popular summer lunchtime
destination. Music ranged from classical to indie rock.
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The Lowell Lecture Series in 2011-2012, titled “Remembering the Civil War,” gathered an
outstanding lineup of acclaimed writers and scholars to reflect on this pivotal period in
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American history and its enduring legacy. Celebrated speakers included Jeff Shaara, Tony
Horwitz, Nell Irvin Painter, Susan Hockfield, James McPherson, and Drew Gilpin Faust.
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The Local and Family History Family History Lecture Series expanded and grew in popularity,
offering bi-weekly lectures that have attracted more than 1,000 attendees.
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The Boston Public Library’s 28 volunteer art and architecture tour guides gave 389 tours to over
7,300 visitors to the Central Library.
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The most recent theme of the BPL’s Drop-in Science Program was “Creations and
Constructions” which allows young people to explore science through hands-on activities in BPL
locations. This year, students created the building of their dreams by exploring architecture and
the fundamentals of structural engineering in four separate challenges.
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Digitization of the John Adams Library continued. To date, over 3,100 volumes from the
historical collection of more than 3,500 volumes have been scanned with the support of the
Sloan Foundation and the Internet Archive. The online volumes have been downloaded more
than 950,000 times.
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The National Endowment for the Humanities-funded traveling exhibition, John Adams
Unbound, a facsimile panel exhibition featuring the personal library of President John Adams,
completed its three-year, 20-city tour. In FY12, the exhibition made stops in Grand Haven,
Michigan; Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Brockport, New York; Holbrook, New York; and Quincy,
Massachusetts.
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To date, there have been over 7 million views of over 34,000 digitized BPL books on the Internet
Archive.
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The BPL launched a new online public training series called “Learning for Life Online,” focused
on bridging the digital divide and designed to help library users safely navigate the online world.
The program is on track to have posted 50 guided lessons by the end of June 2012.
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Exhibitions took place throughout the Boston Public Library system during FY12 – at the Central
Library and in the branches. During December 2011 alone, there were 10 unique exhibitions
open simultaneously across the system.
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BPL special collections were featured in a series of exhibitions in FY12 at the Central Library
including From Pen to Print, produced in collaboration with UMass Boston and featuring original
manuscripts from the BPL’s collections, and American Master Prints in the Wiggin Gallery.
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The Boston Public Library showcased area artists in a significant new exhibition, reThink INK: 25
Years at Mixit Print Studio, at the Central Library. This collaborative exhibition was created in
partnership with Mixit Print Studio of Somerville, MA.
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During FY12, the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center opened several exhibitions: Unconventional
Maps, Treasures, and most recently America Votes: Mapping the Political Landscape, which
features political cartoons, maps, and other images.
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Social Media & Community Conversation
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The Boston Public Library’s Facebook page has more than 7,700 “likes” and its Twitter handle
has more than 5,900 followers, a year-over-year increase of nearly 75% for both social media
outlets.
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Nearly 70% of BPL branches are now using at least one social media tool. In FY12, two
departments located at the Central Library in Copley Square – Microtext and the Kirstein
Business Library – launched their own Facebook pages.
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The library’s eNewsletter, “Free to All,” reaches over 125,000 subscribers each month.
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The BPL continues to add to its growing collection of images on Flickr, which now total over
50,000 items viewed over 6 million times. Digital projects completed in FY12 include the Spencer
Grant photo collection, over 2,800 images of late 20th century Boston events and landscapes,
and a small collection of vintage magic and circus posters.
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The Boston Public Library was the first department in the City of Boston to make use of the
Foursquare geo-location social media platform.
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In honor of National Library Week, the library launched a new “BPL Stories” page on the Boston
Public Library website to allow members of the Boston community to say thank you to library
workers and share personal stories about what libraries mean to them.
Energy Management & Facilities
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Since FY08, the BPL has reduced total system-wide energy costs by 25%. BPL Green Action 
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The BPL has reduced water costs by adding meters to cooling towers and irrigation systems.
Savings will result from the elimination of sewer charges for those items included in water bills.
BPL Green Action 
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The energy management system that covers the Central Library and four branches was
completed. BPL Green Action 
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The BPL entered the final phase of the transfer of materials to the City of Boston Archives
Center (COBAC) from the Norwood storage facility which will improve public access to a wealth
of historical materials. It is anticipated that this transfer will save the library up to $200,000 per
year.
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Construction was completed on Harvard University’s Library Park project in Allston, located
directly behind the Honan-Allston Branch. The park, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh
Associates, is available for use by library staff for public programming. In November 2011, the
park was named after community leader Ray Mellone.
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Technology
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The BPL selected a vendor to implement a new Integrated Library System (ILS). The existing ILS
is being replaced so that the BPL can deliver services to the public in a more reliable manner. A
new ILS will ensure functions are running on a stable, scalable, and resilient technology
platform; and will be able to adapt to changing staffing and workflow models.
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In conjunction with the City of Boston’s MIS department, the BPL executed several data center
improvements and migrated to a virtualized server and storage environment, reducing the
number of physical servers and bringing each server and application to a current supportable
revision, avoiding regular system outages and potential critical failures. The result is a smaller
data center footprint, requiring less power and cooling. BPL Green Action 
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The implementation of an electronic ID & badging access system moved forward with the
purchase and setup of a new system, including a new workstation for processing. Badges were
rolled out to staff, BPL contractors, and BPL affiliate organizations.
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The PC replacement project progressed, replacing about a third of all staff and public PCs over
the course of FY12.
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With funding from the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, the BPL launched
TixKeeper, a web-based service to facilitate public access to the popular museum pass program.
The City-Wide Friends have also funded system-wide passes to the New England Aquarium and
the Museum of Fine Arts in addition to passes to four other museums for the Central Library.
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BPL created an online Interlibrary Loan Request form to reduce the amount of time spent by
frontline library staff who mediated each individual ILL request. The form enables users to place
their own requests for books, CDs, and DVDs not owned by the BPL online 24/7. BPL Green
Action 
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The volunteer tour program launched new, web-based technology to enable online scheduling
and organization of the 30+ guides for the popular public Art & Architecture tours of the McKim
Building.
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The Retrospective Conversion project, transcribing old catalog cards and creating MARC
bibliographic records that are discoverable in the library’s online catalog, was continued with
Library for the Commonwealth funding in FY12. The BPL’s online catalog does not include
millions of the library’s older titles.
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Replacement of paper notices with electronic alternatives. As part of the library’s commitment
to sustainability and responsible environmental stewardship, FY12 marked the end of mailed
paper notices. Notifications historically printed every day and mailed to library users about
holds, overdue materials, and request cancelations are now communicated via email and
automated phone messages, saving on paper, printing, and postage costs as well as staff time.
BPL Green Action 
Staff
Boston Public Library Accomplishments, updated May 10, 2012
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The BPL launched a robust staff training program in basic computing services, web-based
trainings, customer service, and other library-related services.
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The BPL hired a new Coordinator of Youth Services and a Manager of Reference & Instruction
to provide leadership and build capacity to provide innovative services in their respective service
areas.
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Two positions, a Repository Developer and a Web Programmer, were created using Library for
the Commonwealth funding in order to build and maintain a digital repository and web portal to
provide users across the State with access to digitized collections from libraries and cultural
institutions throughout Massachusetts.
Key Grants, Fundraising, and Enterprise
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Through a Library Services and Technology Act grant, the BPL has begun to digitize collections
for libraries across the state. To date nearly 60 institutions have applied to the BPL for
digitization services. Services include consultation on collection assessment, metadata creation,
transportation of materials, and digitization. Nearly 900 books, and over 11,000 individual
objects have been digitized through this service.
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The BPL partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and received a
National Endowment for the Humanities grant for a major gallery exhibition and website to
examine the history and creative contributions of Rafael Guastavino and his family, a Spanish
immigrant family whose construction technique transformed the urban landscape of the United
States. The Boston Public Library’s McKim Building was the first major American public building
to feature Guastavino tile construction. MIT will administer the $350,000 grant. The exhibition
will originate at the Boston Public Library in the fall of 2012.
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The WHDH film collection catalog was completely digitized and made available as part of
Boston Local TV News grant project (http://bostonlocaltv.org/)
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Collectively, BPL affiliate organizations, donations, endowment, and enterprise funds will
contribute over $4M in FY12 to establish and support services and programs that benefit the
BPL.
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The BPL’s Events Office facilitated 135 private event bookings – including 61 weddings, a 12%
increase over FY11 activities.
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Along with the Catered Affair and DM Designs, the BPL hosted the first Boston Public Library
Wedding Gala. The free event had over 500 visitors, 32 vendors, and 2 fashion shows. It resulted
in multiple wedding bookings.
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