Online Collections

• Anti-slavery Manuscripts
• Boston at the Movies
• BPL at the Internet Archive
• Children's Books from the Jordan Collection
• Government Information
• Flickr Collections
• John Adams Library
• Norman B. Leventhal Map Center
• Sound Archives
• Sports Temples

Related Links

• BPL Catalog (MBLN)
• Downloadable Media
• Digital Magazines

Boston Public Library
Our Collections

Online Collections

General Collections Collections of images on Flickr Archival and Manuscript Finding Aid Database Boston Public Library at the Internet Archive Overdrive and Downloadable Media Digital Magazines Historical Government Information Sound Archives Newspaper Directories

Specific Collections American Revolutionary War Manuscript collection Anti-Slavery Manuscript collection Boston at the Movies (short historical films of Boston) Children's books from the Jordan Collection, available online via the International Children's Digital LIbrary John Adams Library Norman B. Leventhal Map Center On the Edge: The HIdden Art of Fore-edge Painting Sports Temples of Boston

 

 

Online Collections by Type of Material

Books and Manuscript

• Anti-slavery Manuscripts Collection at the Internet Archive - The papers of William Lloyd Garrison and other historical figures central to the Boston anti-slavery movement can be viewed and downloaded for free.
• Archival and Manuscript Finding Aid Database - Search for and view the finding aids for some of our Rare Books and Manuscripts collections.
• BPL at the Internet Archive - Read thousands of rare and research materials online thanks to our partnership with the Open Content Alliance.
• Children's Books from the Jordan Collection - Over 500 historical series, tracts, and Mother Goose collections are available via the International Children's Digital Library.
• John Adams Library - Browse and search 3,500 books from John Adams's personal library, view his marginal notes, and learn more about this President and his passion for books.
• OverDrive Downloadable Media - Choose from hundreds of digital titles available in eBook, audio book, music, and video formats. Note: Additional software may be required to borrow OverDrive titles. Please visit OverDrive Help to learn the basics and get any software that you may need.

Newspapers

• Newspaper Directories - Newspaper Directories were created for prospective advertisers to learn about media markets. They may give information about publication's circulation and are one of the first places to look to discover which titles were published in a given year or for a geographical area.

Government Information

• Government Information from Our Collections - Peruse reports and statistics from years gone by, published by local and federal governments.

Maps

• Norman B. Leventhal Map Center - View the collection, browse maps in the news, take virtual tours, and find resources for the classroom.

Prints, Photographs, and Other Images

• Flickr Collections - See what we have been scanning from our vast collection of photographs, lithographs, stereographs, posters, postcards, book bindings, and more. Browse by Library Collections, Featured Creators, Featured Subjects, Formats / Item Types, Exhibition, or look through Treasures in BPL buildings.
• On The Edge: The Hidden Art of Fore-edge Painting - Unlike the spine and covers of a bookbinding, the page edges are not usually decorated, however, a fore-edge painting is where the page block is fanned and an image applied to the stepped surface. Discover the trove of these treasures housed at the Boston Public Library.
• Sports Temples of Boston - Discover the Boston area's rich sporting history through historical images of fifteen important sports facilities.

Audio

• Sound Archives - Listen to hundreds of spoken word and musical recordings from our special collections.

Video

• Boston at the Movies - Watch historic silent films of Boston at the turn of the 20th century.

Latest additions to our Flickr account:

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