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Category Archives: Library Services

Major Projects Update

Posted on October 2nd, 2012 by Christine Schonhart in Library Services, Major Projects
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Over the next year, the Boston Public Library will focus on a systemwide facilities review based on the Compass principles. The BPL will be piloting this review at three branches: Dudley, Jamaica Plain, and Roslindale. There are also several projects in the branches and the Central Library at Copley Square focusing on children and teens, space rejuvenation, technology, and energy efficiency.

Some highlights of recently completed and underway projects are as follows:

  • The Rey Room at the Central Library added a new early literacy “book nook”  thanks to the generous donation of the McCue family.
  • The Boston Room at the Central Library received a renovation to create a children’s activity space; Rey Room staff have begun to host programs in the renovated space.
  • The teen room at the Hyde Park Branch was painted and some new furnishings will arrive in the spring of 2013.
  • The West End recently received a new roof and will, along with the Roslindale Branch, have HVAC upgrades in the coming months.
  • The Charlestown Branch remains temporarily closed for a new roof, heating and cooling system, and windows. There will also be a new early literacy nook installed.
  • Ground has broken for the new East Boston Branch and the BPL, City of Boston and William Rawn Architects are working hard on the new building, which is expected to be complete in the fall of 2013. See additional detail on the East Boston project here.

 

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Next Roundtable: Monday, October 1

Posted on September 4th, 2012 by Gina Perille in Library Services, Strategic Plan
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The next Compass Roundtable will take place on Monday, October 1, at 6 p.m. at the Honan-Allston Branch.

On October 1, join in a discussion about the Center of Knowledge principle with Chief of Collections Strategy Laura Irmscher and Manager of Reference & Instruction Services Gianna Gifford.

The Center of Knowledge principle states: The BPL is a center of knowledge that serves researchers, lifelong learners, and the intellectually curious through its incomparable collections, digital resources, and access to other scholarly networks.

The planned outcomes under the Center of Knowledge principle are:

  1. Develop community-responsive and neighborhood-reflective circulating collections.
  2. Develop and support a public training program that meets the needs of a wide range of communities.
  3. Support the research, scholastic, and literacy needs of the City and Commonwealth.

Download the PDF version of the October 1 Compass Roundtable flyer.

If you are not able to joins us in person in October, you are always welcome to leave a comment on this blog or send an email to compass@bpl.org with your ideas. There are three more roundtables to come:

  • November 2012: Special Collections. The BPL is committed to the ongoing development and preservation of its distinctive special collections, which provide citizens from all walks of life with access to their common cultural heritage.
  • January 2013: Community Gathering. The BPL exists to serve and sustain communities that foster discovery, reading, thinking, conversing, teaching, and learning, in accessible, sustainable, and welcoming facilities throughout the City, as well as with an engaging online presence.
  • March 2013: User-Centered Institution. The BPL is a user-centered institution with services that anticipate and respond to neighborhood interests and the changing demographics of the City and Commonwealth.

Specific dates, times, and locations will be published for the remaining three roundtables as soon as they are available.

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Out-of-school Time Survey Highlights

Posted on July 31st, 2012 by Gina Perille in Library Services, Outcomes, Strategic Plan
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During the development of the Boston Public Library’s strategic plan, community members expressed a desire for a reimagined and enhanced Homework Assistance Program (Principle V, Outcome B, Strategy 1). Since the spring, the Boston Public Library (BPL) has been engaged in a process to fulfill that very request by discussing and analyzing a range of out-of-school time program options.

In addition to the planning work of library professionals on the BPL’s Youth Services team, the library administered a survey to gain input directly from children and teens, along with a separate survey for parents and caregivers. The staggered survey roll-out schedule made it possible to incorporate comments from the children and teens survey (May 2012) into the adults and caregivers survey (June 2012).

Below are highlights from both survey instruments utilized. Adult and caregiver responses appear in blue; children and teen responses appear in orange. For the chart immediately below, survey takers were allowed to choose multiple program types in their response. The numbers along the left-hand side represent what percent of respondents chose a particular program type.

For the chart immediately below, survey takers were allowed to choose multiple activities in their response. The numbers along the left-hand side represent what percent of respondents chose a particular activity.

Work continues on the library’s out-of-school time program offerings. The surveys have direct influence on the out-of-school time programming model the BPL will unveil in September of this year. Programming will focus on themes such as arts, writing, science, math, and robotics each month during the school year. From September to May, the Boston Public Library will partner with other Boston-based organizations offering those types of programs. The library’s calendar (www.bpl.org/calendar) will list out-of-school time programs beginning in September.

Thank you to all who completed the surveys and who offered comments in the open response sections in addition to the objective questions. Ninety-five (95) young people completed the May survey and 191 parents and caregivers completed the June survey.

 

 

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Next Roundtable: Tuesday, July 10

Posted on May 23rd, 2012 by Gina Perille in Library Services

The next Compass Roundtable will take place on Tuesday, July 10, at 12:30pm in the Orientation Room at the Central Library in Copley Square.

On July 10, join in a discussion about the Fun principle with Exhibitions Manager Beth Prindle.

The Fun principle states: The BPL leads the way for people of all ages with recreational reading and media, invigorating programs, user-created content, and opportunities for discovery in settings that are stimulating and engaging.

The planned outcomes under the Fun principle are:

  • Connect people to popular books, music, films, and artwork – whether the materials are brand new or simply new to select audiences.
  • Embrace role as a cultural and entertainment hub in the City of Boston.
  • Create an engaging and positive atmosphere for library users and staff.
  • Showcase the library’s collections through vibrant, interactive exhibitions and programs.

If you are not able to joins us in person, you are always welcome to leave a comment on this blog or send an email to compass@bpl.org with your ideas.

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Digitization at the BPL and a Digital Library for Massachusetts: Chapter 6

Posted on April 30th, 2012 by Tom Blake in Library Services
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Raiders of Lost History

By Christina Manzo, Digital Projects Intern
February 17, 2012

Over the course of this grant project, the Boston Public Library team has been lucky enough to visit some of the prettiest libraries that the state has to offer. From small, redbrick buildings to newly renovated structures, I would safely boast that Massachusetts has some of the prettiest libraries in the country. So when we pulled up to a storage facility in Mattapoisett, we were all a little unsure of what to expect. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from working at the BPL, it’s that you find the most interesting items in the oddest places. When we first entered the facility, we were taken to a private room where we could examine the collection proposed for digitization by the Mattapoisett Free Public Library. The boxes were pulled from a giant storage warehouse not unlike the one from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Contained within was the complete, half-century run of a local newspaper called The Presto Press, a magazine-format serial publication that  included everything from want-ads to local historical and genealogical information.

The first thing that strikes you about The Presto Press is the cover art. The publisher, Donald Jason, was a talented artist and illustrated a good majority of the covers  himself. The real prize at the bottom of these serial boxes, however, is the advertisements. Normally, readers tend to skim over advertisements in any publication. When the publication is historic, however, the ads become a window into the miniscule, almost negligible parts of history that often get overlooked.

For example, in The Presto Press, you could see ads for a number of items, services, and local businesses, including some that are still around today. The fact that you can discover the price of roast beef or milk ($0.75 per pound and $0.45 per gallon respectively) or how sewing machine companies tried to reach women of that era, is simply amazing. These are aspects of history that are largely ignored, but they play a role in how we understand our past.

It’s like having our own local version of Mad Men. By comparing an add for a sewing machine from 1955…

to how the same product is portrayed today…

we can see how the country, its people, and the world has changed over time.

With or without the trademark fedora and whip, I think it’s undeniable that all librarians have a little bit of Indy in them. Even if they don’t escape from snake pits or hijack any German U-boats.

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