The City of Boston has funded a $15.7M capital project to perform a full renovation, including extensive environmental and mechanical improvements to the Library’s Rare Books & Manuscripts Department.
The renovation includes improvements to the special collections reading room, lobby, collection storage areas, staff spaces, and conservation lab to ensure the long-term preservation of the library’s exceptional rare book and manuscript collections. This project is a collaboration between the Boston Public Library and the Public Facilities Department, under the leadership of Mayor Martin J. Walsh, and the firm Finegold Alexander Architects. Project highlights include:
- Convenient, direct public access to the department from a centrally-located elevator in the Johnson building
- Welcoming visitor’s entrance featuring museum-quality gallery space to showcase treasures from the library’s special collections
- New reading room facilities to serve researchers across all special collections departments
- Dedicated classroom space for educational programs and small group visits
- State-of-the art building systems for environmental control, security, & fire suppression
- Improvement of special collections storage systems and enhanced capacity
- Renovated and enhanced conservation facilities and staff workspaces
Project Timeline
- Programming Study - completed 2017
- Design - completed 2017—2018
- Construction - 2019—2021
- Move In - 2021
- Projected Reopening - late 2021
Interim Services
The Rare Books and Manuscripts department is currently closed to all in-person public service for the duration of the renovation. However, department staff may be able to answer certain basic questions about the extent of our holdings via email; staff will respond to inquiries within five business days.
Selections from the rare books and manuscripts collection have been digitized and are available via the Internet Archive or Digital Commonwealth. Please note that we are not able to fulfill custom digitization requests.
We know that this closure deeply affects the research community and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding while we complete this important work to preserve and protect the library’s most important holdings.