Special Collections: Visit Us

Special Collections is located at the Central Library in Copley Square, at 700 Boylston Street in Boston.

Inside the library, we are located on the 4th floor of the Boylston Street Building.

Take the Glass Elevator near the Boylston entrance to "3U."

The library is conveniently located near many public transit stations, including the Copley station of the Green Line, the Back Bay station of the Orange Line and Commuter Rail, and bus lines 9, 10, 55, 39, 504, 57, 553, and 501. Use the MBTA Trip Planner for more information on traveling by transit.

Schedule an Appointment

Schedule an Appointment

Engage with collections in the Special Collections reading room.

Take a Tour

Explore our Historic Building

Find out how to experience the Central Library, including with our digital visitor guide on Bloomberg Connects.

Currently on Display

Out of the Box: Unpacking the World of Archives

October 7, 2025 - April 3, 2026
Tuesday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Out of the Box: Unpacking the World of Archives opens up archives to visitors, demonstrating what archives are, what we can learn from them, and what archivists do to care for and make collections accessible. Highlighting a wide range of materials from twelve different collections, Out of the Box explores the stories, connections, silences, and local history within and across BPL’s collections, and takes you behind the scenes with BPL's archivists.

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