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State Library of Massachusetts (63)

• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/18/2012
• 12:41

  What is in a name? The Story of the George Fingold Library

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The State Library of Massachusetts has been in the State House since 1826, and in its present locations in Rooms 341 and 442 since 1895. The Special Collections Department is housed in Room 55 in the west wing of the capitol.
  It was not until 1960, however, that the agency was given its current name: The George Fingold Library.
  Who was this man and how did the library acquire his name? Sadly, Fingold, who was the Attorney General at the time (he served in that role from 1953 until his death), died in August of 1958 while in the midst of his campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor. He had been a prominent Republican for many years and began his career in Massachusetts politics when he was just twenty one, serving as a member of the Malden City Council.
  
  The Library owns a collection of photos about his life with emphasis of his career in politics.
  
                                                                   Fingold second from the left
  In the years following Fingold’s death, the legislature enacted two laws, one in 1958 giving financial support to his widow, the other, Chapter 380 of 1960, honoring his memory by renaming the State Library.
  
  When one arrives at the entrance to Room 341 of the library, the tablet honoring him is omnipresent. It was dedicated on December 22nd, 1960.
  
  
  Pamela W. SchofieldReference Department
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/16/2012
• 09:15

  The Boston Immigrants: Bringing Four Centuries of Tradition and Innovation to The City upon a Hill exhibit is now on Flickr

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  

  Image adapted from Boston: Bird’s-eye View from the North, 1877

  The Library invites you to view its current exhibit, Boston Immigrants: Bringing Four Centuries of Tradition and Innovation to The City upon a Hill on its Flickr website. This exhibit shows materials from the State Library of Massachusetts’ collections highlighting the history of Boston’s immigrants and their contributions to the Commonwealth.
  
  The full exhibit runs through May 25, 2012 and can be viewed outside of the Library, Rooom 341 of the State House, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
  - The Marketing Committee
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/10/2012
• 10:34

  Brown Bag on Immigration

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Join us for a Brown Bag LunchOn Tuesday, May 15, 2012
  State Library of Massachusetts  Room 442, State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  Bring your lunch and join us to hear researchers Alan Clayton-Matthews (Northeastern University) and Paul Watanabe (UMass Boston) share their findings in the 2012 version of “Massachusetts Immigrants by the Numbers: Demographic Characteristics and Economic Footprint.” Some key economic areas that will be addressed include taxes paid by immigrants, their consumer spending and use of social services. The report was commissioned by The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc in Malden as part of its Institute to educate the public about immigrants in Massachusetts. Print copies will be available.
  To register, RSVP to [www.surveymonkey.com]
  
  You may also let us know you will attend by calling the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 of e-mailing to reference.department@state.ma.us
  
  
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/08/2012
• 10:20

  Massachusetts Photographers in the 19th Century

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  May is National Photography Month! People are taking more photos now than ever before, thanks to the advancements of digital photographic processes. And because of the Internet, photographs can now be uploaded and shared almost instantaneously with anyone in almost any part of the world. The State Library is currently working on its own photographic digitization projects: in the works is the digitization of our collection of WWI Massachusetts soldiers, and also of our legislative photograph collection.
  
  Due to the ease and accessibility of photography nowadays, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to experience the very concept as it was in its early stages. Early photographic processes were quite time-consuming and labor-intensive, and images were difficult to reproduce. Despite this, photography flourished throughout Massachusetts in the 19th century, and cities and towns both large and small saw commercial and portrait photographers setting up shop all around the area.  Boston in particular was home to many famous first generation American photographers, some of whom captured the images of notable men and women active during this time period: John Adams Whipple (1822-1891) and James Wallace Black (1825-1896) worked both as partners and individually, and are known for their photos of people such as Daniel Webster, Walt Whitman, and John Brown; the photographic firm Southworth & Hawes (Albert Sands Southworth (1811-1894) and Josiah Johnson Hawes (1808-1901)), also produced an extensive collection of famous portraits, including images of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charles Sumner, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. 
  One great primary resource for early Massachusetts photographers are advertisements found within our collection of 19th century Boston directories, which provide insight about the various types of services that were provided. For example, an 1848 advertisement for Southworth & Hawes states: “We take great pains to have Miniatures of deceased persons agreeable and satisfactory, and they are often so natural as to seem, even to Artists, in a quiet sleep.”
  
  
  Another more exhaustive resource, organized by town or city name, is “A Directory of Massachusetts Photographers, 1839-1900”; the authors of this book compiled information on nearly every photographer in Massachusetts between the years 1839 to 1900, including their business addresses, examples of their work (if available), and other pertinent info that the authors were able to uncover in their research.
  
  As a final note, this is a good opportunity to invite you to please check out the State Library’s official Flickr page! Our Flickr is full of images from our collections, including those of WWI Massachusetts soldiers, over 100 photographs documenting the damage caused by the hurricane of 1936, and a large collection of photographs depicting Massachusetts roads and highways from 1892 to 1893.
  
  Kaitlin ConnollyLibrary Technician, Reference Dept.
  
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/03/2012
• 11:53

  Farewell Card Catalog

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  Even if you are old enough to know what it is, you would probably consider the card catalog to be a relic of the past. The State Library still has one, but its days are numbered thanks to a $400,000 Fiscal Year 2012 capital investment grant from the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Information Technology Division to create a virtual library. This grant is part of Governor Deval Patrick’s Capital Investment Plan for the Future of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  
  With these generous funds, the State Library is undertaking a project to retrospectively convert almost 100,000 catalog cards to automated records in the library’s online catalog .
  
  This project will provide the citizens of the Commonwealth, and users throughout the world, virtual access to all the library’s research materials and allow them to immediately initiate requests to use these materials. Currently, these historically rich and unique collections are essentially hidden within the card catalog drawers and remain invisible beyond the physical library walls. Keep checking back to see what we can show you as these treasures are uncovered!
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/26/2012
• 12:12

  Town Reports: A Book Can Be Judged by Its Cover

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  When librarians shelf the annual town reports for the state of Massachusetts they can learn a lot of fascinating facts about a town. Many towns use the front cover of their town report to dedicate that town report to someone that has died during war; they put long time town employees or longtime town residents on the cover, and well known people from that town. Many town reports have scenic covers or covers that remind us of that town’s history. The Hingham town report has a Victorian scene at a railroad station on its 2003 annual report.
   The 2009 cover of the annual town report for Charlton has a picture of the grave of Grizzly Adams. The inside cover explains that he was an outdoorsman born in the town of Charlton with the name of John Capen Adams (1812-1860). According to the town report Adams was a premier bear hunter who earned the dubious distinction of greatly contributing to the extinction of the California grizzly bear. He worked at times for P.T. Barnum and captured some bears live giving them to zoos, exhibits, and cruel animal fights. His 1860 gravestone “is illustrated by a scene of Adams walking side-by-side through the woods with one of his bears.” The Charlton Historical Society put up a stone marker in front of his gravestone in 1976 that is labeled “Grizzly Adams.” There was also a motion picture and television show about Grizzly Adams that aired in the mid 1970’s.
  The Sandwich town report of 2010 has a beautiful cover of the town hall. Inside there are some facts about the town and two pages entitled: Sandwich Town Hall 1834 Significance & History. The 2010 town report states on page two:
  

  “In July 1847, the last wolf in Sandwich was killed by George Brailey, a teamster and wood carter for the furnaces of the Boston and Sandwich Glass Factory, then becoming one of the largest glass factories in America. The wolf was brought to the Town Hall and the body hung between the columns for exhibition. Bells were rung, and there was much rejoicing among Sandwich farmers for their loss of sheep had been great.”

  The town was incorporated in 1639 according to the inside cover of the 2010 Annual Report of the Town of Sandwich; it is the oldest town on the Cape; the town hall was built in 1834 and renovated in 2009.
  The State Library has a list of the town reports that we own.
  
  
  Naomi Allen,
  Reference Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/13/2012
• 08:30

  Celebrate Patriots’ Day and National Poetry Month

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  In honor of both Patriots’ Day and National Poetry Month, visit our Flickr page for a selection of historical and patriotic poetry. In this small set, read about the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere, and how to be a patriotic citizen.
  
  Poems were taken from Poems of American Patriotism, Longfellow’s Poems, Poems: Being Volume IX of Emerson’s Complete Works, and The Spirit of the American Revolution, as Revealed in the Poetry of the Period, all volumes from the State Library’s Special Collections Department.
  
  For more poems and literary works, including many compilations of war poems, poetical quotations, orations, and complete works by Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and more, visit Special Collections in Room 55. Hours are 9 – 5, Monday through Friday.
  
  Bianca Hezekiah
  Program Coordinator, Reference Department
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/12/2012
• 11:29

  Massachusetts Snapshot Day

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Today is Massachusetts Snapshot Day! So join the celebration and visit the Massachusetts State Library on April 12, 2012, smiles are welcome but not required.
  
  Nationally, Snapshot Day is supported by the American Library Association. Locally, Massachusetts Library Snapshot Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, the Massachusetts Library Association, and the Massachusetts School Library Association. You can see the snapshot Flickr set from last year.
  
  
  
  - The Marketing Committee
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/09/2012
• 08:30

  Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  From the time of Herbert Hoover (1929) to Barack Obama (2012), the Federal Register Division of the National Archives and Records Service has published official, multiple volumes about the Presidency of each individual who served or is serving in the office of President. These volumes are presented in chronological order.
  
  There was a series that covered the period from 1789 to 1897 and 1896 to 1899. These were assembled by James D. Richardson and published under the authority of the Congress. Then private compilations were issued. The Public Papers of the Presidents series was officially done as of 1957.
  
  The volumes contain photographs, addresses to the Nation and appointments as well as information about bill signings and vetoes. There are included: executive orders; proclamations; interviews with the news media; meetings with foreign leaders and letters and messages. Each volume contains a subject index, name index, document category list, a digest of White House announcements, nominations submitted to the Senate and a checklist of White House press releases.
  
  This set is an excellent, official resource for information about our Presidents.
  
  
  Photograph: Attending the funeral service for Former President Gerald R. Ford at the Washington National Cathedral, January 2007. Public Papers of the Presidents: George W. Bush 2007, Volume 1, Photographic Portfolio.
  
  Note that there are former Presidents in attendance: George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and the widow of Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan.
  
  The State Library holds this set of documents which can be accessed at our reference desk in room 341 of the State House. The call numbers are: GS 4.113 and AE 2.114.
  
  The Government Printing Office (GPO) has a searchable database for these documents at: [www.fdsys.gov] . The University of Michigan has digitized the set which one can access through the State Library’s catalog (www.mass.gov/lib). Choose the keywords: Public Papers of the Presidents.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/06/2012
• 11:03

  Get Ready:National Library Week, April 8-14, 2012

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Next week kicks off the annual week-long American Library Association-sponsored celebration that recognizes the many important roles that libraries play in our communities. This year’s theme is “You belong @ your library”, which encourages community members to take advantage of what programs and services their libraries have to offer. The State Library has a couple events planned for next week: Thursday, April 12th we are hosting a Brown Bag on the topic of redistricting titled “Breaking New Ground: Technological Advances for Redistricting”. The library is also participating in the Massachusetts Library Snapshot Day, sponsored by MLA, MBLC, MSLA, and MLS.
  
  On Tuesday, April 10th, National Library Workers Day recognizes current professionals in the field of library and information science. It also reminds us of historical figures that have contributed greatly to our understanding of library science and laid the foundation of our current practices. In honor of the upcoming celebration, I decided to examine one of our larger archival collections that houses records of the State Library. Of especial interest in Ms. Coll. 66 is correspondence addressed from Melvil Dewey and Charles Ammi Cutter to Caleb Tillinghast, the first State Librarian of Massachusetts; Tillinghast has been on our minds recently with the near completion of our preliminary Massachusetts Legislative Biographical File database. (http://www.mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/in-works-electronic-legislative.html).
  
  Dewey and Cutter were innovators in library science and, if anything, we immediately associate their names with the Dewey Decimal System and the Cutter Expansive Classification; each classification system, developed in the mid-to-late 19th century, has made an enduring impression and continues to help modern libraries better categorize and arrange their materials with efficiency and specificity. In addition, Melvil Dewey was, among other things, the founder and editor of Library Journal; a founding member of the American Library Association (ALA); Librarian of Columbia College, where he founded the School of Library Economy; and Director of the New York State Library. Charles Cutter was also a founding member of ALA, over which he served as president from 1888 to 1889; worked for the Winchester (Mass.) Town Library and the Boston Athenaeum, both at which he applied his newly developed classification scheme; and was General Editor for Library Journal (1881-1883).
  
  Below are just two examples of the correspondence in our collection: one message depicts the usual day-to-day library activities, and another is a letter that seeks Caleb Tillinghast’s opinion on a more personal matter.
  
  
  National Library Week events
  Month of April – School Library Month
  Monday, April 9 – 2012 State of America’s Report released
  Tuesday, April 10 – National Library Workers Day
  Wednesday, April 11 – National Bookmobile Day
  Thursday, April 12 – Support Teen Literature Day
  
  For more information please visit ALA’s Library Week website at: [www.ala.org]
  
  Kaitlin Connolly
  Library Technician, Reference Department
  
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• 08:07

  Breaking New Ground: Technological Advances for Redistricting

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  Thursday, April 12th, 2012
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and hear Representative Michael J. Moran and the staff of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting as they present “Breaking New Ground: Technological Advances for Redistricting.” Representative Moran and members of the committee staff will discuss the tools and technology used during the 2010 redistricting of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including: the process of soliciting opinions on the redistricting from elected officials, advocacy groups and the public at large, the use of interactive tools on the internet, and the use of Census and geographic information to produce maps and analysis.
  
  To register: please go to : [www.surveymonkey.com]
  
  You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or e-mail to reference.department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 03/26/2012
• 12:11

  Taxing Lemons or Using a Lottery to Build a Hall at Harvard:

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Pictured is a lottery ticket from 1780
  There are many interesting acts during the colonial period. Acts, also known as session laws are passed each year and put into separate volumes by year. Sometimes many years exist in one volume. In other words acts are laws. Nowadays, they get put into the Massachusetts General laws by subject. The early acts were put into books called Acts and Resolves of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
  
  Some acts were about goods that were taxed such as spirits, oranges, limes, and lemons. It was spelled lemmons during colonial times. There are many acts concerning preservation of alewives, which is a fish located in various rivers of the Commonwealth. Alewife Station on the red line is named for this fish.
  
  • There is an act allowing Quakers to use an affirmation instead of a solemn oath—Chapter 20 of the Acts of 1743-44 page 126.
  
  • Another law, chapter 6 of the acts of 1774 page 392 exempts "Quakers and Antipedobaptists from paying taxes for the support of ministers... and for the building and repairing [of] meeting-houses or places of public[k] worship."
  
  • Chapter 8 of 1776-77 page 555) concerns small pox inoculation.
  
  Finally there are laws about having a lottery to raise money for specific items such as building a hall at Harvard. A lottery in this time period is really a bond.
  
  • A lottery for completing putting down pavement at Boston neck (Chapter 38 of 1758-59 see page 222, or Chapter 24 of 1755-56 page 888).
  
  • A lottery for repairing Fanueil Hall (Chapter 26 of 1760-61 page 425).
  
  • A lottery for repairing Long Wharf (Chapter 4 of 1779-80 page 1070).
  
  • A lottery to repair a highway in Roxbury (Chapter 39 of 1758-59 page 223).
  
  • An Act that prevents gaming for money or other gain (Chapter 27 of Acts of 1742-43 page 45).
  
  
  
  Naomi Allen, Reference Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 03/21/2012
• 13:19

  Treasures of the State Library for March 2012- Materials about President Calvin Coolidge

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  When one thinks of Calvin Coolidge, it is most often of his Presidency. His public service included a long list of political positions, however, beginning with posts as City Councilor and Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts. He served also as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1907-1908 and he was in the State Senate from 1910-1915, serving as its President from 1914-1915. While Senate President, he was a Trustee of the State Library.
  
  His elections as Lieutenant-Governor and Governor followed before he became Vice President under Warren G. Harding and then President when Harding died in office in August of 1923.
  
  As is the case today, the role of the candidate’s spouse was prominent in the 1920’s, and much was written about Grace Coolidge. The newspaper article on the left refers to one of the major issues of the day, women’s suffrage.
  
  The State Library owns a plethora of material about Coolidge as well as about his wife. Many items are listed in the online catalog. Of great value to those interested in Coolidge’s political careers in Massachusetts and in Washington are some “treasures” -a manuscript collection and scrapbooks- located in the Special Collections department of the State Library.
  
  Scrapbook collection 10 is comprised of 34 volumes of newspaper clippings covering the years 1915 through 1928, with some also concerning his death in 1933. Most are from Massachusetts newspapers and coverage of his political campaigns, beginning with his run for Lieutenant- Governor, is robust. To help the researcher with this newspaper collection, there is a card file which indexes this vast collection.
  Manuscript Collection 19, the Calvin Coolidge Papers, has information covering the dates 1895-1933. Holdings include speeches and messages, statements and letters. The scan on the right, concerning Coolidge’s reelection as Senate President was done from an entry in the collection. There are materials about the Boston Police Strike of 1919, one of the most studied events of the Coolidge Governorship.
  
  The collections are available for research in the Library’s Special Collections department, room 55 of the State House. The staff can be reached at 617-727-2595 or email special.collections@state.ma.us
  
  
  Pamela Schofield
  State Library Reference Department
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 03/14/2012
• 10:31

  The Human Face of the Great War 1914-1918

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  Tuesday, March 20th 2012
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and hear Daniel Leclerc, vice-president of the Belmont Historical Society, former history teacher and past member of the Belmont Board of Selectmen, speak on the shocking human cost of World War I. The war staggered all involved and had a deep impact on culture, art and literature. Mr. Leclerc will discuss life in the trenches, shell shock, poetry, art and the impact of devastating sorrow and grief then and now.
  
  His presentation ties into the State Library’s collection of World War I photos: as he will trace the battlefield experience of one Massachusetts soldier.
  
  To register, please go to: [www.surveymonkey.com]
  
  You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or e-mail reference.department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 03/12/2012
• 11:23

  100 Years of Scouting in the US

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Today marks the centennial of the founding of the Girl Scouts! Inevitably, you’ve already munched on a Girl Scout cookie or two this year, but the organization is about so much more than selling treats. For 100 years the Girl Scouts have been a place for girls to learn about the importance of community, leadership, and independence, all while spending time amongst great friends.
  
  One hundred years ago, Juliette Gordon Low brought girl scouting to the United States after meeting Scout Movement founder Sir Robert Baden Powell. Low met the “Chief Scout” while summering in Scotland in 1910, and the two became fast friends based on their mutual love of the outdoors. Low admired Baden Powell’s work with the Boy Scouts, and learned a girls’ scouting movement had begun in the form of Girl Guides. Enthusiastic about the cause, Low started a handful of small scouting companies in Scotland and London alongside Agnes Baden Powell, Sir Robert’s sister and the informal head of the Girl Guides.
  
  
  
  Through scouting, young girls were given the opportunity to learn and refine useful skills like first aid, cooking, and sewing, and were also able to experience the joys of nature through camping, bird watching, hiking, and more. The program was a huge success, and was met with equal fervor when Low brought the idea back to the United States in 1912. By 1916, enrollment had grown to 3,000 girls and the organization was still expanding.
  
  Girls in the US were no strangers to social groups, though; another scouting group called the Camp Fire Girls had informal roots reaching back to 1910, and a US division of the Girls’ Friendly Society was started in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1877.
  
  Girl Scouting reached Boston in 1913, and with the eventual help of prominent social figure Helen Storrow, grew into a great success. Massachusetts had over 3,000 girls enrolled by the time they had opened a state headquarters in 1917, and the organization had such a presence within the state that the Girl Scouts held their national meeting in Boston in 1934.
  Today, there are so many Girl Scouts in Massachusetts they are managed by two separate organizations, with over 45,000 scouts in Eastern Massachusetts alone. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will be holding a Forever Green Gala Celebration as part of their centennial activities on Thursday, March 29th. To learn more about the Girl Scouts visit [www.girlscoutseasternmass.org] .
  
  To find out more about educational organizations, girls’ interest groups, Juliette Low, and the Girl Scouts, visit the Reference Department at the State Library to see select materials. Avid researchers will even find the original recipe for the first Girl Scout cookie!
  
  The State Library of Massachusetts is open from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday.
  
  
  Bianca Hezekiah
  Program Coordinator, Reference Department
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 03/05/2012
• 09:44

  In the Works! An Electronic Legislative Biographical Database

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Here at the State Library, we receive numerous requests for information regarding past and current Massachusetts legislators. In addition to our “Bird Books”, one great resource that we’ve provided for over one hundred years is our Legislative Biographical File, which is located behind the library’s reference desk on the 3rd floor.
  
  
  This collection contains well over 20,000 index cards, alphabetically indexed by last name, with legislative biographical information that spans over 300 years—beginning from as early as the 18th century. Information provided on both the front and back of each card contains the legislator’s first and last names, and, if known, his or her middle name or initial, birth and death dates, birthplace and place of death, place(s) of residence, date(s) in which the individual served in the House or Senate, party affiliation, occupation, and education; other information that sometimes appears includes date of baptism, further details concerning a legislator’s death, and the location in which the legislator is buried.
  
  
  
  This collection of biographical materials would not exist if it had not been for Caleb Tillinghast, Massachusetts’ first State Librarian. Tillinghast (b. 1843-d. 1909) was deeply interested in genealogy, and was driven by his passion to compile biographical information about all of the Massachusetts legislators. In his efforts to retrieve this information, he estimated that he had sent out more than 75,000 letters and questionnaires total; much of these manuscript materials, upon which our Legislative Biographical file is based, can be located in our Special Collections. For more information on Caleb Tillinghast, please visit our blog entry, which discusses his life and contributions he made during the span of his career: [mastatelibrary.blogspot.com]
  
  As part of the State Library’s reference department, I am currently in the final stages compiling this legislative biographical information into a database for in-house use. It is our hope in the near future to convert the database to one that is electronically accessible for library users through our DSpace repository. Every index card in the collection has been digitized, and it is our ultimate plan to link searchable metadata to each card image, as well as link digitized images from our legislative photograph collection.
  

  

  This huge endeavor, though, has not been without a few bumps along the way. Some of the cards provide inconsistent, ambiguous, or even incorrect information that has snagged the process, and further research has not always proven successful in untangling questions that arise. In addition, many cards provide decidedly little or no information other than the legislator’s name. City and town names, as well as municipalities, have changed over the years, so information on locations and naming conventions has been an issue during the compiling process, as well.
  
  If you’re doing research or have general questions about a specific Massachusetts legislator, please come by Room 341 of the State Library. In addition, you can contact us by phone at 617-727-2590, or through our Ask a Librarian online form at:
  [www.mass.gov]
  
  Library hours are: 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Friday
  
  Kaitlin Connolly
  Library Technician, Reference Department
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/27/2012
• 10:10

  Digitization project to make Massachusetts atlases available on the web

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  As part of a grant-funded project, the State Library has started to digitize the Massachusetts Real Estate Atlases in its collection. The library has approximately 200 atlases, which include about 6500 maps in 12 counties and more than 80 municipalities throughout Massachusetts. These atlases provide information about property boundaries, plot size, ownership, building shapes and materials and are heavily used by genealogists, architectural consultants, people researching the history of their homes and others.
  
  The image on the left is from George Washington Bromley’s Atlas of the City of Boston, volume 1, published in 1883. It shows the State House before the back half of the building was added in the 1890’s and before the east and west wings were added in the early 20th century. It also shows the properties that were taken to make room for these additions.
  
  The image on the right is from the Atlas of Hampden County, Massachusetts, published by F. W. Beers in 1870. It shows the center of South Wilbraham.
  
  The first group of 45 atlases currently being digitized include a statewide Massachusetts atlas, atlases from Middlesex, Franklin and Worcester counties and municipal atlases that cover 45 cities and towns throughout the state from Pittsfield to New Bedford. These materials should be digitized and in our electronic repository by late spring. The entire project is expected to be completed by summer, 2013.
  
  The Massachusetts real estate atlas digitization project has been developed with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/21/2012
• 10:58

  Remembering Black Heroes from the First World War

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  How much do you know about black servicemen? Buffalo Soldiers of World War II are often the first that come to mind, having been immortalized many times over in song, television, and film. In addition, with the recent release of the movie “Red Tails,” many people have learned about the Tuskegee Airmen and their significant accomplishments, but what about black soldiers before the Second World War? Few know of the Harlem Hellfighters, and still fewer know of the Blue Helmets. These brave regiments fought alongside the French in World War I because their American comrades had refused to do so. At a time when “colored” soldiers were always in separate units and rarely got the proper respect they deserved, these men were doubly courageous for their steadfast resolve whilst fighting two wars… the harder of which was amongst their countrymen.
  
  Massachusetts’ Company L, Sixth Infantry was part of the National Guard, and the only black company to come out of the Commonwealth. As part of the 372d Regiment within the 93d Division, it was one of many companies that made up the entire “colored” division- between ten and fifteen thousand men. Originally the 93d Division was to fight under General John J. Pershing, but after pressure from France to provide U.S. assistance, Pershing decided to send the black troops to serve in the French Army.
  
  Unlike the U.S. command, General Mariano Goybet and the French did not discriminate and were more than happy to have reinforcements. New York’s “Harlem Hellfighters” were the first of the 93d to reach France. They were soon joined by the “Black Devils” of Illinois and parts of the 92d “Buffalo Soldier” Division. Eventually the entire 93d would be nicknamed “The Blue Helmets” because of the blue Adrian combat helmets worn by the French Army.
  
  Finally able to engage in combat instead of being relegated to labor-exclusive pioneer infantrymen, the men thrived. The efforts of the Americans were so extraordinary, over 500 awards and decorations were distributed by the French alone. The men of the 372d received a unit award of the Croix de Guerre with Palm (along with a second nickname, “The Bloody Hands”), many men received the Distinguished Service Cross, and Clarence Van Allen from Boston’s Company L even received the Médaille Militaire, which is one of France’s highest military honors.
  
  When Company L returned to Boston they were given a parade, celebrated as heroes, and received formal recognition for the military honors that had been awarded at home and abroad. Evidently the pomp and circumstance was short lived, since so few people today remember their unique story. As we celebrate Black History Month, let’s remember not only the men of Company L, but all of the black men who served in the First World War at a time when equality was considered a luxury.
  The above photograph of Company L is part of a collection of over 40 group photographs of units from Camp Devens. If you are searching for information on an ancestor from Massachusetts who served in World War I, visit the State Library’s Special Collections Department to check our database of soldier photos, or read even more about World War I in the Boston Globe by way of our microfilm collection.
  
  Bianca Hezekiah
  Program Coordinator, Reference Department
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/16/2012
• 09:46

  Laws of the United States

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  As a federal depository, the State Library has a collection of the Laws of the United States (Statutes at Large) starting with the organization of the Government in 1789. The U.S. Statutes at Large is the permanent collection of laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The Statutes are also known as session laws, analogous to Massachusetts’ Acts and Resolves.
  
  Among the laws one can find in this collection is the federal health care law passed in 2010, known officially as Public Law 111-148, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”. Much of this law was modeled after Massachusetts’ own universal health care law, Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006.
  
  The Library’s collections of both public and private laws (also known as slip laws) are available digitally from 1951-2007 (vols. 65-115). The digitized collection starts with the 82nd Congress (1951) and continues through the 110th Congress (2007). Prior to 1951 the collection is available in hard copy.
  
  The collection is available for use in room 341 of the State House, the main reading room of the State Library. To access Government and Congressional publications visit the website of the Government Printing Office (GPO) at: [www.fdsys.gov] .
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/13/2012
• 11:04

  Brown bag on The Salem Witch Trial

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Join us for a Brown Bag lunch
  Thursday, February 16th, 2012
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and hear Theresa Gillis McDougall, amateur historian and Salemologist, speak about this troubling period in Massachusetts history. Ms. McDougall has deep roots in New England ancestry, with relatives who participated in both sides of the trials. She has given presentations and led historical walking tours of Salem, Plymouth, Boston and other New England towns for over ten years.
  
  She will give a brief history of the Salem Witch Trials and its victims from the social origins, trials and aftermath, to the much-overlooked Boston connections and deep involvement in the trials of 1692.
  
  To register, please go to: [www.surveymonkey.com]
  
  You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or e-mail to reference.department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.
  
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/10/2012
• 15:02

  Boston Immigrants: Bringing Four Centuries of Tradition and Innovation to The City Upon a Hill

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The Library invites you to view the newest exhibit, Boston Immigrants: Bringing Four Centuries of Tradition and Innovation to The City Upon a Hill. This exhibit shows materials from the State Library of Massachusetts’ collections highlighting the history of Boston’s immigrants and their contributions to the Commonwealth.
  
  The exhibit runs through May 25, 2012 and can be viewed outside of the Library, Room 341 of the State House. Library hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
  
  Photo credit: North American Civic League for Immigrants Annual Report 1912-1913.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 02/06/2012
• 15:12

  I am an Abolitionist

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  February 7, 2012 marks the 161st anniversary of the publication of the lyrics to William Lloyd Garrison’s “I am an Abolitionist” in his anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator. Although there had been anti-slave trade and anti-slavery meetings in Philadelphia as early as 1794, the abolitionist movement did not gain momentum until the 1830s.
  
  William Lloyd Garrison, born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1805, was one of the leaders of the movement. He was originally involved in the temperance movement, and after meeting abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, Garrison shifted his focus to the immediate abolition of slavery. He promoted emancipation through “moral suasion,” which was nonviolent and nonpolitical resistance. The Liberator was published weekly from January 1831 until after the 13th Amendment was ratified in December of 1865. While considered an important abolitionist publication, the weekly newspaper ran largely at a financial deficit.
  
  Garrison, well-known for his oratory skills, helped to found the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1832 at the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill. He was also a major force behind the American Anti-Slavery Society, formed in 1833 in Philadelphia, a hub of the anti-slavery Quaker religion.
  
  The Museum of African American History held a rededication ceremony in December 2011 to celebrate the recently finished historic restoration and the 205th anniversary of the African Meeting House, which opened in 1806. The meeting house, the “oldest extant African American church building in the nation constructed primarily by free black artisans,” played host to several significant events during the abolitionist movement.
  
  The State Library holdings relating to Garrison include original issues of The Liberator from August 1859 through December 1865, and microfilm of issues from February 1861 through the last issue on December 29, 1865. The State Library also holds pamphlets of Garrison and other abolitionists’ speeches, a memorial to William Lloyd Garrison printed by the city council in 1886, reprints of records of the New England Anti-Slavery Society as well as many books on abolitionism and the people who led the abolitionist movement.
  
  Jennifer Hornsby, Special Collections intern
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 01/23/2012
• 12:44

  The State Library is now on Youtube!

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  We now have two short videos on our Youtube channel, MAStateLibrary.
  
  The first video is a slideshow highlighting some of the treasures in the State Library’s collection. These include Governor Bradford’s 17th century manuscript, the Haitian medal presented to Charles Sumner by the people of Haiti, as well as important photographs, maps and other items in the library’s collection.
  
  
  
  
  The second video outlines the process of researching the legislative history, a common type of research among those coming to the library. The video describes the sources used when doing this sort of research and is a good introduction for those needing to research the history of a piece of legislation.
  
  
  
  A special thanks to Libby Johnson, a reference intern last semester at the State Library, who produced these videos. Libby developed the storyboard, assembled the content and provided the voiceover for the legislative history video. Thank you also to Matthew Gamber, a former digitization intern, who photographed many of the objects in the treasures slideshow.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 01/18/2012
• 13:54

  Brown bag on Health Care Reform

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  Massachusetts: A Leader in Health Care Reform:
  The Affordable Care Act And its Impact on Massachusetts
  
  Join us for the first Brown Bag lunch of 2012 on
  Thursday, January 19th
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and hear Celia Wcislo, a Massachusetts Health Connector board member. The Connector is an independent state agency charged with implementing elements of the 2006 Massachusetts Health Reform law. Ms. Wcislo will speak on how the national Affordable Care Act may impact the achievements of the 2006 state law, often referred to as “Chapter 58.”
  
  To register, please go to:
  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7MNTQN3
  
  You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or e-mail to reference.department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 01/10/2012
• 14:27

  Of Pertinacious Pirates and Pusillanimous Patriots...

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The job of a preservation intern is replete with tasks that don't necessarily sound very compelling. When asked what I did at my internship on a particular day, however, I don't pipe up with "I removed staples and plastic covers and cleaned and scanned legislative documents!" While technically true, I can always find a way to make it interesting and satisfying.
  
  If nothing else, even setting out the tools of the trade for cleaning those legislative documents is somehow soothing – the crisp archival paper, a gentle eraser that nevertheless looks like a blue Scotch-Brite you'd use to scrub your kitchen sink, and a bamboo-handled sheep's-hair brush to sweep away the loosened soot particles and erasures.
  
  Take these legislative documents I've been cleaning and scanning. You might not think that an 1811 report on the contested election of Belchertown would prove all that fascinating, but if nothing else, the names of the Belchertown voters – that is, men over the age of 16 and "not a pauper" – are not ones I come across every day. Titus and Archelaus evoke Classical images, and Gamaliel, Jephtha, Zebede, and Jedediah are but a few examples of the dozens of Old Testament names that appear.
  
  Occasionally, a document really is interesting for its own sake. The thought, "how would these legislators or politicians have dealt with Twitter?" came to me the other day, as it often does when I am dealing with speeches or legislation from the early 1800s. These people were positively eager to use a 25-cent word, or several dozen of them, when five-cent ones would do, and I'm often silently urging them to get to the point. As I reached for a new document, I was fully prepared to do the same when the declaration of the War of 1812 leapt off the page. Sure, President James Madison's declaration didn't get his point across in 140 characters or less. To him, the British were predatory, plundering, polluting oppressors. The United States had been helpless victims of the "transcendent injustice" of British blockading along the coasts of America, as well as the boarding of American ships for the avowed purpose of looking for British deserters, in the process of which over 6,000 Americans were "forced or inveigled" from these ships and impressed to serve in British armies.
  
  Great Britain had "arrogated the complete dominion of the oceans" due to a "mad ambition, lust of power, and commercial avarice." Meanwhile, the United States had sent multiple remonstrances, expressing displeasure that the British had done this, as the US and Great Britain were not enemies. But finally, in 1812, "forbearance became pusillanimity," and rather than allowing the British to force Americans into "an ignominious and slavish bondage," war was declared. Samuel Dana, in informing the Massachusetts Senate of this turn of events, said "He that is not for his country, is against it." I think I've heard that somewhere before.
  
  Of course, the British had other views. The United States was populated by immoral, cunningly greedy, corrupt, irreligious, and sordid people – why, Congress actually included "one Sailor and one Weaver..., six or seven Tavern Keepers, four notorious Swindlers, one Butcher,...one Glazier, one Curer of Hams, several School Masters, and several Baptist Preachers," reported British diplomat George H. Rose.
  
  The War of 1812 is often called a "forgotten war," although we owe "The Star-Spangled Banner " to it. A new leader in England, Lord Perceval, had issued a repeal of the British blockade of the United States on May 11, 1812, but as it took this proclamation several weeks to cross the Atlantic, it arrived well after James Madison's June 18, 1812 declaration of war. Ironically, the end of the war also arrived weeks late. News of the December 14, 1814 Treaty of Ghent came before Major General Andrew Jackson led troops in the most significant battle, at least for American morale, the January 8, 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
  
  Although actually reading these papers while cleaning and digitizing them could be considered procrastinating, I would be prevaricating in a most calamitous fashion if I said that my vocabulary, and my knowledge of the "forgotten war" of 1812 hadn't improved. To perjure myself would be downright perfidious of me.
  
  
  Colleen McGhee-French
  Preservation Intern
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 12/20/2011
• 08:16

  Massachusetts Women in Politics Now on Flickr

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  During the winter of 2010, the State Library displayed an exhibit on women in politics in Massachusetts. The exhibit profiled sixteen women politicians who have worked in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in such roles as Mayor, Representative, Senator, and Lieutenant Governor. The exhibit is now available for viewing on the State Library's Flickr site.
  
  If you are interested in learning more about the women who have served in the Massachusetts Legislature, the State Library holds the legislative papers of fifteen women legislators, occupying approximately 200 linear feet. These materials are located in the Special Collections Department in Room 55 of the Massachusetts State House, open 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.
  
  The Massachusetts Women in Politics exhibit was co-presented by the State Library of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators during their 75th Anniversary year. Thanks to Bruce DiLoreto and Mark Kasianowicz for many of the photos and to Marietta Carr for her research.
  
  - The Marketing Committee
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 12/19/2011
• 15:02

  State Library Receives National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The State Library is happy to announce that it has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for 2012! The Preservation Assistance Grant provides funding for the continuation of the Massachusetts Room Preservation Project, a multi-year project that began in 2009.
  
  A previous NEH Preservation Assistance Grant in 2010 supported the systematic repair and preservation of several important sub-categories of collections within the State Documents Collection (the Massachusetts Room, 20th Century Massachusetts maps, legislators' papers). The 2012 grant will continue this work, focusing on ephemeral materials housed in the Massachusetts Room.
  
  For more information about the grant award, please see the National Endowment for the Humanities' press release. For more information about the preservation work performed as part of this multi-year project, please click on the "Massachusetts Room Preservation Project" label in the gray box at the bottom of this post.
  
  - Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 12/01/2011
• 12:02

  Swift Action, Strong Bonds: the Origins of a Holiday Tradition in Boston

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Have you ever pondered the origins of Boston’s official Halifax Christmas tree tradition? The story behind the generously lit tree displayed in Boston Common, marking the beginning of the holiday season, is one that originates from the horrors of a devastating accident that shook Halifax, Nova Scotia one wintery morning in December, 1917.
  
  On Thursday, December 6, 1917, Halifax, Nova Scotia experienced a powerful explosion—one that is still considered the largest man-made, non-nuclear accidental explosion in history. A French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc, transporting 2,300 tons of pyric acid, 35 tons of benzene, 200 tons of dynamite, and other chemicals collided with the Belgian Relief steamer, Imo, as the steamer maneuvered down the wrong side of the Bedford Basin to avoid other vessels. The Mont Blanc caught fire immediately, and soon after the crew, aware of the extremely dangerous situation, was ordered to abandon the ship. As it drifted toward the piers and the city’s residential and industrial Northend, a series of small explosions drew the attention of Halifax citizens preparing for the day. A few minutes after 9:00am the Mont Blanc exploded entirely, causing a fiery mushroom cloud to rain hot iron fragments from the destroyed ship down onto the city. The force of the explosion sparked a series of chain reactions. A tidal wave crashed down over nearby neighborhoods; men, women, and children were swept from the lower streets into the harbor where they drowned. Fires raged uncontrollably, tremors could be felt as far away as Prince Edward Island, and blasts of wind caused by the explosion fractured and toppled buildings throughout.
  
  A day after the accident the Halifax Herald vividly described the destruction:
  
  “Buildings over a great area collapsed, burying men, women and children. Tug boats and smaller vessels were engulfed and then a great wave washed up over Campbell Road. Fires broke out and became uncontrollable, stopping the work and rescue. Not a house in Halifax escaped some damage, and the region bounded on the east by the harbor, south by North street (sic) and west by Windsor street (sic), is absolutely devastated. The wounded and homeless are in different institutions and homes over the city … Hundreds of the bodies which were taken from the ruins are unrecognizable and morgues have been opened in different parts of the city.” (Friday, December 7, 1917)
  
  It is estimated that about 2,000 people died as a result of the explosion. A vast number of those who survived suffered injuries, many of which were disfiguring, and thousands were left homeless. Property damage climbed above $30,000,000.
  
  The Massachusetts State House received news about the accident two hours later, at approximately 11:00am. Under the leadership of Governor Samuel W. McCall, Massachusetts, especially Boston, began immediate work to organize relief efforts. McCall sent a series of messages, including the following, to the Mayor of Halifax:
  
  “Understand your city in danger from explosion and conflagration. Reports only fragmentary. Massachusetts ready to go the limit in rendering every assistance you may be in need of. Wire me immediately.”
  
  “Since sending my telegram this morning offering unlimited assistance, an important meeting of citizens [Massachusetts Public Safety Committee] has been held and Massachusetts stands ready to offer aid in any way you can avail yourself of it. We are prepared to send forward immediately a special train with surgeons, nurses and other medical assistance, but await advices from you.”
  
  With his previous messages left unanswered, and fully aware of Halifax’s urgent and dire need for medical assistance, McCall made the decision that Halifax could not afford any delay:
  “Won’t you please call upon Mr. Ratshesky for every help that you need. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will stand back of Mr. Ratshesky in every way.
  Respectfully yours,
  Samuel W. McCall
  Governor
  
  P.S. Realizing that time is of the utmost importance we have not waited for your answer but have dispatched the train.”
  
  A train carrying a corps of surgeons, doctors, nurses, and medical supplies pushed through blizzard conditions and reached Halifax on December 8th. In a report written for Governor McCall by A.C. Ratshesky, the Governor’s representative and Commissioner-in-Charge, he describes his first encounter upon arrival with C.A. Hayes, General Manager of the Canadian Government Railways and West Springfield, MA native:
  
  “He was so affected that tears streamed down his cheeks. He arose and greeted me with: ‘Just like the people of good old Massachusetts. I am proud of them.’” (December 8, 1917)
  
  A meeting was held by the Massachusetts-Halifax Relief Committee at Faneuil Hall, resulting in the establishment of a relief fund which raised $100,000 on the first day alone. Supply ships loaded with donated goods were sent from Boston to Halifax, and arrived at their destination 3 days later. Boston and other cities around Massachusetts continued to tirelessly pull together to raise money and collect provisions that were soon after delivered to the devastated city.
  
  In 1918, Halifax gifted to the city of Boston a giant Christmas tree as a token of appreciation and remembrance for the immediate assistance that the Boston Red Cross, the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee, and the citizens of Boston provided during the most critical and darkest period after the 1917 explosion. In 1971, the practice was reinstated and has since continued as a yearly holiday tradition that signifies humanity and selflessness in times of disaster.
  
  Two of the digitized images above were adapted from original photography that can be found in Manuscript Collection 90, located in the State Library’s Special Collections. Also included in this collection are reports prepared by the Massachusetts-Halifax Relief Committee and other officials, meeting minutes, records of aid distribution, letters, and photographs that document the damage in Halifax and efforts to rebuild.
  
  Kaitlin Connolly
  Library Technician, Reference Dept.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 11/22/2011
• 13:32

  Of Pertinacious Pirates and Pusillanimous Patriots...

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The job of a preservation intern is replete with tasks that don't necessarily sound very compelling. When asked what I did at my internship on a particular day, however, I don't pipe up with "I removed staples and plastic covers and cleaned and scanned legislative documents!" While technically true, I can always find a way to make it interesting and satisfying.
  
  If nothing else, even setting out the tools of the trade for cleaning those legislative documents is somehow soothing – the crisp archival paper, a gentle eraser that nevertheless looks like a blue Scotch-Brite you'd use to scrub your kitchen sink, and a bamboo-handled sheep's-hair brush to sweep away the loosened soot particles and erasures.
  
  Take these legislative documents I've been cleaning and scanning. You might not think that an 1811 report on the contested election of Belchertown would prove all that fascinating, but if nothing else, the names of the Belchertown voters – that is, men over the age of 16 and "not a pauper" – are not ones I come across every day. Titus and Archelaus evoke Classical images, and Gamaliel, Jephtha, Zebede, and Jedediah are but a few examples of the dozens of Old Testament names that appear.
  
  Occasionally, a document really is interesting for its own sake. The thought, "how would these legislators or politicians have dealt with Twitter?" came to me the other day, as it often does when I am dealing with speeches or legislation from the early 1800s. These people were positively eager to use a 25-cent word, or several dozen of them, when five-cent ones would do, and I'm often silently urging them to get to the point. As I reached for a new document, I was fully prepared to do the same when the declaration of the War of 1812 leapt off the page. Sure, President James Madison's declaration didn't get his point across in 140 characters or less. To him, the British were predatory, plundering, polluting oppressors. The United States had been helpless victims of the "transcendent injustice" of British blockading along the coasts of America, as well as the boarding of American ships for the avowed purpose of looking for British deserters, in the process of which over 6,000 Americans were "forced or inveigled" from these ships and impressed to serve in British armies.
  
  Great Britain had "arrogated the complete dominion of the oceans" due to a "mad ambition, lust of power, and commercial avarice." Meanwhile, the United States had sent multiple remonstrances, expressing displeasure that the British had done this, as the US and Great Britain were not enemies. But finally, in 1812, "forbearance became pusillanimity," and rather than allowing the British to force Americans into "an ignominious and slavish bondage," war was declared. Samuel Dana, in informing the Massachusetts Senate of this turn of events, said "He that is not for his country, is against it." I think I've heard that somewhere before.
  
  Of course, the British had other views. The United States was populated by immoral, cunningly greedy, corrupt, irreligious, and sordid people – why, Congress actually included "one Sailor and one Weaver..., six or seven Tavern Keepers, four notorious Swindlers, one Butcher,...one Glazier, one Curer of Hams, several School Masters, and several Baptist Preachers," reported British diplomat George H. Rose.
  
  The War of 1812 is often called a "forgotten war," although we owe "The Star-Spangled Banner " to it. A new leader in England, Lord Perceval, had issued a repeal of the British blockade of the United States on May 11, 1812, but as it took this proclamation several weeks to cross the Atlantic, it arrived well after James Madison's June 18, 1812 declaration of war. Ironically, the end of the war also arrived weeks late. News of the December 14, 1814 Treaty of Ghent came before Major General Andrew Jackson led troops in the most significant battle, at least for American morale, the January 8, 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
  
  Although actually reading these papers while cleaning and digitizing them could be considered procrastinating, I would be prevaricating in a most calamitous fashion if I said that my vocabulary, and my knowledge of the "forgotten war" of 1812 hadn't improved. To perjure myself would be downright perfidious of me.
  
  
  Colleen McGhee-French
  Preservation Intern
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 11/15/2011
• 15:23

  Kindle Downloads Now Available!

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The State Library of Massachusetts is pleased to announce that e-book downloads are now available for the Amazon Kindle through the C/W Mars consortium. Permanent state employees with a State Library card may borrow a book for their Kindle reader or another electronic device equipped with the free Kindle app.
  
  Please visit the C/W Mars Digital Catalog to browse the titles available for the Kindle and the Kindle Help page to get started borrowing your first e-book today!
  
  -Libby Johnson, Reference & Outreach Intern
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 11/02/2011
• 09:38

  Seals of Massachusetts Cities and Towns

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  One of the treasures in the Special Collections Department is a scrapbook titled Seals of Massachusetts Cities and Towns. The Massachusetts Department of Agriculture donated it in 1924 but it is not clear who originally began the collection. Alan Fox, an Assistant Librarian at the State Library, included additional seals in 1967. Seals in the first section are embossed and generally on white paper which makes it difficult to appreciate the amount of detail included. However there are some on metallic and colored papers that show details more clearly. The other section of the volume contains printed seals which generally include a white background and one other color for text and pictures.
  

  These seals are used to authenticate official documents and all of them include the name of the city or town and the year it was incorporated. The majority also have, in the center space, a picture related to the city or town’s beginnings. A useful reference for understanding the significance of the depictions used for these seals is Town and City Seals of Massachusetts (State Street Trust Company, 1950-1951) which is available in the State Library.

  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

  This is a selection of seals used in Massachusetts since the 1600’s. Find the remainder of the collection at the State Library's Special Collections Department.

  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

  Kate Boutin, Special Collections Intern

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 10/27/2011
• 14:02

  The Halloween Storm of 1991

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  

  Twenty years ago, the interaction of three meteorological events produced an extreme nor'easter that became known as the Halloween Storm of 1991. The subject of much media attention at the time, interest in the storm was renewed after the 1997 publication of of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm. The book tells the story of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat that was lost at sea attempting to return to Gloucester in the midst of the storm. While the exact fate of the three men aboard is unknown, their story was later dramatized in the 2000 film adaptation of Junger's work.

  Through the collections at the State Library of Massachusetts, one can revisit the history of this devastating storm from multiple perspectives. In addition to Junger's book, library patrons can also explore newspaper articles that report on the storm's destruction and process of recovery in coastal communities. Proquest is an excellent electronic resource for accessing full text articles from the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald is available via the Library's microfilm holdings. At the time, news reports drew the comparison between the Halloween Storm and the Blizzard of '78, an issue examined in a 1994 report by the Army Corps of Engineers. The report, titled Coastal Storm Evaluation Halloween Storm of 1991 offers a wealth of information about the storm itself, as well as the significant impact that it had from Nantucket to Portland, Maine. The damage experienced by each community is described in detail and illustrated in striking color photographs.

  Combined, these State Library resources offer a depth of information on an event that touched the lives of many Massachusetts residents. Please contact the Library if you are interested in viewing these items or learning about what else the collection has to offer.

  -Libby Johnson, Reference & Outreach Intern

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 10/12/2011
• 11:58

  One Large Exhibit, Two Small Cases

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  With a dazzling array of binding colors, lettering styles, and subjects, the seven-case exhibit Decorated Publishers' Bindings 1840 to 1930: Collections from the State Library of Massachusetts was extraordinarily popular, but had to come down eventually to make way for the new exhibit, Worcester: Heart of the Commonwealth. Although the full bindings exhibit is still available digitally on the Library's Flickr site, the library wanted to continue to display a selection from this exhibit on a much smaller scale. The question was, how?
  
  This is where I came in! As a preservation intern beginning in September, my first assignment was to help the Preservation Librarian, Lacy Stoneburner, take down the full exhibit and design a much smaller one using the same materials. First, I looked at the approximately eighty books from the original exhibit, knowing that I had to pare these down to about ten. I also realized that the large text panels that "told the story" were too large to keep with the books and fit in the smaller cases. So, what essence of the original exhibit could I retain?
  
  While the two small display cases did not have enough room for one volume from each decade from 1840 through 1930, I wanted to maintain a wide range of publication dates, and to include one 1938 paper-covered book representing the end of the era of decorative publishers' bindings. I chose covers in cloth and wood veneer, in red, black, green, blue, and yellow, and many with eye-catching gilt lettering. Finally, I wanted the volumes to represent the wide variety of the books' subject matter, which included almanacs, histories of places or battles, and educational books covering topics from steam to nature studies.
  
  How did I do? Come visit the two exhibit cases just inside the entrance to the State Library, Room 341 of the State House, and you can decide!
  
  Posters of the original exhibit are available for $8 in both the library administration office (Room 341) and in the Special Collections department (Room 55). Shipping options are also available. Please let us know if you have any questions by calling (617) 727-2595.
  
  -Colleen McGhee-French, Preservation Intern
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 10/06/2011
• 09:30

  A Celebration of Facial Hair in the Legislature

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Anyone who has been on a library tour I've given in the last four years will know that one of my favorite library collections is Photograph 361, which contains approximately 3,000 images of state legislators from 1855 through 1908. While my love for old photographs plays a part in my devotion to this collection, the anthropological study of facial hair trends presented in this collection is really the draw for me.
  
  Changes in facial hair styles have a long history, and until recently were primarily guided by the ruling monarch or clergy, some even specifying in law or edict which class of men should shave and which should grow their beards. The last true heyday of facial hair in the United States occurred in the last half of the 19th century when, heavily influenced by European trends, men grew all styles of moustaches, sideburns and beards. In fact, from Abraham Lincoln's presidency (1861 - 1865) through Grover Cleveland's second term (1893 - 1897) only one President lacked some form of facial hair: the clean-shaven Andrew Johnson.
  
  Members of the Massachusetts legislature did not escape these trends. For example, in the 1880 House of Representatives photograph album, 230 of the 244 representatives pictured wear some sort of facial hair! The diversity of styles worn is truly amazing and I highly recommend visiting the Special Collections department to look through these albums.
  
  As shaving technology advanced (led by Massachusetts-based King C. Gillette) beards began to fall out of fashion. By the early 1900s a safety razor with disposable blade made it easier, safer and less expensive for men to shave regularly. The impact of this technology can be seen in the 1915 volume of Who's Who in State Politics. When facial hair is present, it is predominantly relegated to a well-trimmed moustache. Very dapper, but quite the contrast to the free-wheelin' 1880s styles.
  
  Today there is a resurgence of men growing full and intricate moustaches and beards. With the second annual National Championships of Beard Team USA set for this weekend in Lancaster, Pennsylvania I thought it appropriate to comb our digital collection for a few fine examples of beards and moustaches from the past. Please click over to the State Library's newest Flickr set, "A Celebration of Facial Hair Trends in the Legislature" to see some amazing styles and learn a bit about the men who wore them so elegantly.
  
  - Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 10/05/2011
• 10:41

  African Americans in the Massachusetts Legislature Exhibit Now on Flickr

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  In the winter of 2009 the State Library displayed an exhibit called "African Americans in the Massachusetts Legislature." This exhibit is now available to view online as a set of images on the State Library's Flickr site.
  
  The exhibit documented the lives and contributions of noteworthy people who have served the General Court of the Commonwealth and changed Massachusetts history. Legislators highlighted include Lewis Hayden, Royal Bolling, Sr., Royal Bolling, Jr., Bill Owens, Shirley Owens-Hicks and Mel King, among others.
  
  Please visit the State Library (State House - Room 341) Monday through Friday, 9am to 5 pm to view the library's current exhibit, "Worcester: Heart of the Commonwealth," open though January 27, 2012.
  
  - The Marketing Committee
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 10/01/2011
• 16:04

  State Polka Turns Thirteen

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Did you know that Massachusetts has an official polka song?
  
  On October 1, 1998 acting governor Paul Cellucci signed “An Act Designating the Words and Music of "Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts” the Official Polka of the Commonwealth”. Paul E. Caron introduced the measure as H.B. 5472 and it was enacted by the House of Representatives on September 17, 1998 and the Senate on September 21. The words of the song are particularly fitting this time of year as the leaves start to change color:
  

  
  

  “So they say you booked a flight and you’ll be leaving.
  Is it business, is it pleasure, is it both.
  And they say that you’ll be landing in New England,
  What a perfect time of year you chose to go,
  The weather’s fine out there, this time of year is lovely.
  With all the color and the mountainside to view...”
  

  
  

  From electronic resources like InstaTrac to our extensive print collection, the State Library of Massachusetts has a wealth of resources to offer individuals interested in legislative history. Please contact the Library if you think we can be of assistance with your research.

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 09/30/2011
• 11:16

  Worcester: Heart of the Commonwealth

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  You are invited to visit the library's newest exhibit, Worcester: Heart of the Commonwealth.
  
  In this exhibition, materials from the State Library of Massachusetts' collections highlight the history of Worcester and its contributions to Massachusetts and America.
  
  The exhibit runs through January 27, 2012 and can be viewed outside of the library, room 341 of the State House. Can't make it to the library? View the digital exhibit on the library's Flickr site!
  
  Image adapted from Birdseye View of Main Street, circa 1900.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 09/21/2011
• 15:27

  Massachusetts Book Awards Must-Reads Arrive

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  This was an exciting week for the bibliophiles at the State Library with the arrival of the Must-Read Books of 2011 from the Massachusetts Center for the Book. These books represent the best of the best of writing by Massachusetts authors or on a Massachusetts theme. With works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and even children's and young adult literature, there really is something for everyone. Please come by the library to see these wonderful additions on display or even check one out for your own leisure reading. Don't forget to stay tuned on October 20th when the winners in each category are announced at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Center for the Book and Mass Book Awards Celebration, right here at the State House!
  
  For more information about the Massachusetts Book Awards, please visit the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
  
  -Libby Johnson, Reference & Outreach Intern
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 09/13/2011
• 09:11

  Decorated Bindings Exhibit Extended

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Due to popular demand, the Decorated Publishers' Bindings exhibit has been extended. The exhibit will remain open through Tuesday, September 20th.
  
  Love the exhibit? Take home a memento! Posters are available for $8 in both the library administration office (room 341) and in the Special Collections department (room 55). Shipping options are also available.
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 09/12/2011
• 14:10

  Brown Bag with Noah Berger from Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Brown Bag on the
  Massachusetts
  Budget and Policy
  Center
  The State Fiscal Crisis: Short Term and
  Long-Term Causes, and the Consequences
  Join us for a BROWN BAG LUNCH on
  Tuesday, September 20th 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 noon until 1:30 PM
  Bring your lunch and hear Noah Berger, President of The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), provide in depth analysis on our state fiscal crisis examining the immediate and longer term causes.
  The presentation will also examine how fiscal policies in Massachusetts compare to those in other states, and how the performance of our state economy stacks up.
  MassBudget is widely viewed as a go-to resource for accessible, independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policy, as well as economic issues with particular attention to effects on low and moderate income people in Massachusetts.
  The presentation will also include a short demonstration of MassBudget’s unique and user-friendly Budget Browser, an online interactive budget tool for searching state budget information from Fiscal Year 2001 to present.
  Learn more about MassBudget before the Brown Bag Lunch by visiting [www.massbudget.org]
  To RSVP, please go to : [www.surveymonkey.com]
  You may also do so by calling the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or by e-mailing Reference at reference.department@state.ma.us
  
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 08/29/2011
• 13:07

  Love that Dirty Water? Not Quite

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Earlier this year a library staff member brought me a badly water-damaged item. What follows is a photo essay of the preservation process. Here's how the item looked when it first arrived in the preservation lab:
  It kind of looked like a topographic map had been added to the cover. The item was dry when I received it, and my best guess is it had been in the path of a periodic leak. The drying and subsequent wetting of the item could cause rings of varying sizes. A close up of the title and images:Sediment from the water was left at the edges of the puddles as the water dried, creating dark rings of hardened sediment. The rings from a slightly different angle:
  
  The cover of the book has a glossy finish which both saved this item from being destroyed and allowed for cleaning. Using a cotton swab dipped in distilled water, I carefully tested one small area of the cover to see if it would come clean. This test showed positive results and I began slowly cleaning the entire cover. After a bit of cleaning, this was the result:
  
  The top layer of dirt was removed from the majority of the cover and many cotton swabs were used in the process. Blotter paper was put on both sides of the front cover and the item was placed under weights overnight. This process helped to draw out any remaining dampness from the cover and help prevent further warping from water absorption.
  
  After the remaining area of dirt had been cleaned, I was left with only the toughest areas of residue to clean.
  The first layer of dirt had been easy to lift with just a damp cotton swab. However for this next phase of cleaning, I swabbed on a bit of distilled water and let it sit for about one minute before I began lifting the dirt with a damp cotton swab. This technique proved quite effective, though I was careful to keep the water used on the item to a minimum. If I had to leave the item for any substantial amount of time I would sandwich it between blotter paper and put it under weights.
  
  The result of this detailed work is an item that looks remarkably beautiful when compared to its pre-preservation state:
  There is still a bit of staining along the top edge where the water was able to migrate between the glossy top layer and the backing paper. Removal of a section of the glossy layer might aid in further cleaning, however I am reluctant to remove it as it includes the grid design seen throughout the cover. A custom phase box will be the last step in preserving this item. I leave you with one final shot of the title and images:
  
  - Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 08/25/2011
• 10:19

  91st Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States constitution, granting women the right to vote, became law. Here in Massachusetts the state legislature had approved in June "An Act to Enable Women Voters to Vote at Primaries and Elections When Qualified." You can read the preamble to that Act on the right, and the full text of the Act is available through the State Library's website.
  
  A celebration of Women's Equality Day will take place on Friday, August 26, from 11am to noon at the Swan Boats Pavilion of the Boston Public Garden. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino will be the guest speakers. You can find more information about this event at the Attorney General's website.
  
  Happy Women's Equality Day!
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 08/22/2011
• 09:55

  Brown Bag on the Massachusetts State Archives

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  On Thursday, August 25th, 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and join us to hear Dr. John Warner,
  Archivist of the Commonwealth, speak about resources
  and programs of this important division of the Secretary
  of State’s office. He will provide handouts and will answer
  questions about the historical documents available for researchers
  at this Columbia Point, Boston, location.
  To register, RSVP to: [www.surveymonkey.com]
  You may also let us know you will attend by calling the Reference
  Department at 617-727-2590 of e-mailing to reference.department@state.ma.us
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 08/04/2011
• 11:54

  A Slight Diversion

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
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  The mind ought sometimes to be diverted, that it may return the better to thinking.

  Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 08/02/2011
• 15:22

  World War I Scanning Project Completed

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
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  As part of a long-term State Library project to make as many collections as possible available to the public through the web, we have been at work since late 2007 digitizing a collection of World War I portraits given to the State Library by the Boston Globe in 1935. With over 8,000 photographs and three times as many corresponding biographical cards, we have also created a database that includes basic information about each soldier – assignment, rank, merit awards, and sometimes even extra facts from newspaper clippings.

  On July 20, scanning was finally completed—8,487 New England soldiers yielded over 11,000 images! The final photograph is of J.W. Zwinge, member of the 101^st Field Artillery, Battery A. Although the last photo scan suggests the end of an era, the database will continue to grow with over 25,000 biographical cards that have yet to be added. In addition, over the coming months these images will be added to our digital repository. To view a selection of photos from the collection, please visit the State Library's Flickr page.
  

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 07/14/2011
• 11:55

  Special Event at the State Library, Monday, July 18

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  On Monday, July 18, 2011, the State Library of Massachusetts will commemorate the earliest public reading in Boston of the Declaration of Independence, first read from the balcony of the Old State House on July 18, 1776.

  While we read the Declaration, we will have on display a document from the library’s Special Collections Department: a broadside printed in Salem in July 1776 that gives the full text of the Declaration.
  

  This event is free and open to the public. Please note that the State Library is in the current State House, not the Old State House!

  For more information, please call the Special Collections department: 617-727-2595.

  Location: Reading Room of the State Library, State House, Room 341

  Date: Monday, July 18, 2011

  Time: 10am

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 07/07/2011
• 18:40

  Brown Bag with an Investigative Reporter

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “The scoop from
  An Investigative
  Reporter”
  
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  On Thursday, July 14th, 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and join us to hear, Sean Murphy,
  Boston Globe reporter and professor at Suffolk
  University discuss his work for the Boston newspaper.
  He will answer questions about his work and some of the
  noteworthy issues in state government he has researched
  and chronicled.
  To register, RSVP to:
  [www.surveymonkey.com]
  You may also let us know you will attend by calling the Reference Department at
  617-727-2590 of e-mailing to reference.department@state.ma.us
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
  Future Brown Bags will include:
  
  
  August 11th, 2011, Dr. John Warner, Archivist of the
  Commonwealth, The Massachusetts State Archives
  
  September, 2011, Noah Berger, Massachusetts
  Budget and Policy Center (date to be announced)
  
  October, 2011, Celia Wcislo, The Commonwealth
  Connector (date to be announced) The Connector is the
  independent state agency charged with implementing elements
  of the Massachusetts 2006 Health Care Reform Law
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 06/27/2011
• 08:27

  Decorated Publishers’ Bindings 1840 to 1930: Collections from the State Library of Massachusetts

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The library is pleased to announce the opening of its new exhibit Decorated Publishers’ Bindings 1840 to 1930: Collections from the State Library of Massachusetts, on display June 27 through September 9, 2011 outside of the State Library, Room 341 of the State House.
  
  Books were once the luxury of the wealthy, bound by hand in leather or silk to suit the individual. As the literate public and its appetite for books increased, publishers began to take on the task of binding, greatly reducing the need for independent bookbinders. The Industrial Revolution brought about several technological advances that turned the craft of hand bookbinding into a process that could produce books en masse. The invention of mechanical presses enabled the cloth bindings to be imprinted, stamped and gilded to resemble the fine bindings traditionally produced by hand.
  
  Publishers’ bindings enjoyed popularity from 1830 to the end of the 1930s when they were replaced by decorative dust jackets. This exhibit explores the artistic development of publishers’ bindings, their styles and reflections upon the events of the time, with over seventy-five examples from the State Library of Massachusetts.
  
  A digital version of the exhibit is available on the Library’s Flickr site. Click here to view the online exhibit.
  
  For more information on the exhibition please contact the State Library’s Special Collections Department: special.collections@state.ma.us.
  
  Special thanks to Ann-Katreen Hollon, Marissa Sorek, Krista Barresi, Kate Boutin, April Pierce and Angela White for their work on this exhibit.
  
  - Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 06/10/2011
• 10:55

  Brown Bag on the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "The Funding Of Public Sector Benefits in an Era Of Limited Means”
  
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  On TUESDAY, June 14th 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and join us to hear Michael J. Widmer, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, speak about this prominent public policy organization. The MTF deals with state expenditures as they relate to such topics as health care, state government reform and capital spending among others. The State Library’s holdings include many materials published by the Foundation.
  To register, RSVP to: [www.surveymonkey.com]
  You may also let us know you will attend by calling the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 of e-mailing to reference.department@state.ma.us
  
  
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
  
  
  Future Brown Bags will include:
  
  July 14th, 2011- Sean Murphy, reporter, Boston
  Globe, professor, Suffolk University
  
  August 11th, 2011, Dr. John Warner, Archivist of the
  Commonwealth, The Massachusetts State Archives
  
  September, 2011, Noah Berger, Massachusetts
  Budget and Policy Center (date to be announced)
  
  October, 2011, Celia Wcislo, The Commonwealth
  Connector (date to be announced) The Connector is the
  independent state agency charged with implementing elements
  of the Massachusetts 2006 Health Care Reform Law
  
  More... »
  
  
• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 06/08/2011
• 11:36

  Exhibit Preview

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The library's summer exhibit opens June 27th and I am happy to give you a sneak peek into the exhibit. Decorated Publishers' Bindings 1840 to 1930: Collections from the State Library of Massachusetts is an exhibition exploring the artistic development of publishers' bindings, their styles and reflections upon the events of the time, with examples from our collections.
  
  At left is one example from the exhibit, which will include over sixty books spanning ninety years of publishing history. The subjects of the books vary widely, including Boston and New England history, the arts, farming, industry, society and travel writing.
  
  Can't wait for the exhibit to open? Check out the library's Flickr set of Decorated Bindings. This set has grown over time, but only six of the books were chosen to be included in the exhibit. Additional images from the summer exhibit will be added to the Flickr set after the exhibit opening. Can you guess which six made the cut?
  
  Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Image: Adams, John Coleman. Nature Studies in Berkshire. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1899.
  
  - Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 06/01/2011
• 12:50

  Inaugural and State of the State Addresses of the Governors of the Commonwealth- Treasures of the State Library for June, 2011

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  In the first year in office, the Governor of the Commonwealth delivers his or her Inaugural Address. Speeches given in a Governor's other years in office are called the "State of the State." These non-inaugural addresses have also been termed "Communication from His Excellency the Governor" or "Annual Message."
  
  These special documents are all housed in the State Library. For the years before the legislature adopted a "two year session" (the first was 1995-1996) ,these were always found in the legislative documents of the Senate and were Senate bill number 1 of each year.
  
  With the two year sessions, the Inaugural address is Senate 1 and the subsequent speeches by a Governor may have another Senate number.
  The State Libary's collections include all petitions put forward in the legislature.
  
  Pamela W. Schofield, State Library Reference
  
  
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/19/2011
• 09:55

  Electronic Repository Software Being Upgraded

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The library is in the process of upgrading DSpace, its electronic repository software. We expect this process to take 3-4 weeks. During this time, we will not be able to add new material to the repository and there may also be short periods of downtime.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/17/2011
• 10:52

  Five Feet High and Rising

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} On a rainy May 16, 1874, residents of Williamsburg and surrounding towns were struck by disaster. Early that morning the Mill River Dam, which harnessed over six hundred million gallons of water, gave way, wiping out four villages, destroying homes and factories, and taking 139 lives early that morning. The explosive wave of water ranged between 20 and 40 feet wide, and was the length of a football field. It only grew larger as it barreled down the river bed, ripping sediment and trees out of the ground as it gained momentum. Survivors of the flood described it as an enormous cloud of dirt and debris (including furniture, farm animals, and even people) speeding downstream.

  There was a coroner’s inquest to discover who was at fault. It was apparent that the mill owners who commissioned the dam construction in 1865 had no formal engineering training. After consulting with engineers on the potential project, the mill owners felt the proposals ranging around $100,000 were beyond their $30,000 budget. They instead decided to consult with a railroad engineer to write up an inexpensive and flexible design, and found contractors to do the work for a mere $22,000. After construction was complete, there was much speculation among professional engineers as well as villagers living around the dam as to its safety. These accounts of concern are well documented in the interesting and engaging book, In The Shadow of the Dam: the Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874 by Elizabeth M. Sharpe.
  

  In 1875 the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed an Act which would hold builders of dams accountable for the first time. Plans for building would now have to be approved by county commissioners before construction began, and inspections would continue to take place even after construction was complete, in order to assure the safety of the structures. You can view the State Library's copy of An Act To Provide For The Supervision Of The Construction And Maintenance Of Reservoirs And Dams online.

  
  

  -April Pierce, Special Collections intern

  Newspaper image taken from Hartford Daily Courant, May 18, 1874, Hartford CT (courtesy of Newsbank and the American Antiquarian Society, 2004).
  

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/16/2011
• 13:36

  Brown Bag on the Massachusetts General Court

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
  On Thursday May 19th 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  Bring your lunch and join us to hear Neil Savage, historian and author, speak about the Massachusetts legislature. He will focus on the origination of the Great and General Court of the Governor and the Company At the Massachusetts Bay in New England. His presentation will also include discussion of significant legislation and about some outstanding members.
  To register, RSVP to: [www.surveymonkey.com]
  You may also let us know you will attend by calling the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or e-mailing to reference.department@state.ma.us
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
  Future Brown Bags will include:
  June 14th, 2011- Michael Widmer, President, The Massachusetts Taxpayers Association
  July 14th, 2011- Sean Murphy, reporter, Boston Globe, professor, Suffolk University
  August 11th, 2011, Dr. John Warner, Archivist of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts State Archives
  September, 2011, Noah Berger, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, (date to be announced)
  October, 2011, Celia Wcislo, The Commonwealth Connector, (date to be announced)
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 05/05/2011
• 13:52

  Discovery of Five Brothers Serving in World War I

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  In the Special Collections Department we are nearing the completion of a large scanning project to digitize a collection of photographs of World War I soldiers. The collection was given to the State Library by the Boston Globe in the 1930s and contains approximately 9,000 photographs. So far we have scanned 8,180 photographs. There is also a corresponding collection of about 30,000 index cards that contain biographical information on individual soldiers, often with newspaper clippings glued to the back. The data from these cards has been entered into a spreadsheet along with the information from the photographs and their envelopes. This spreadsheet contains a wealth of information on New England soldiers who served during World War I.
  
  Occasionally, when scanning the photographs, we come across interesting individuals and unique stories. A previous post by intern Samantha Westall describes the discovery of two men with the same last name who looked nearly identical. Just this past week, I came across the photographs of Paul G. Watts, Robert E. Watts, Seymour H. Watts, and William H. Watts, Jr., four brothers from South Boston who were all serving at the same time. In the folder for Seymour H. Watts' photograph there was also a newspaper clipping from the Boston Globe with the title "Five Sons in United States Army." The subtitle explains the story further: "Mr and Mrs William H. Watts of South Boston Have Another Boy Who Longs to Be of Draft Age." Besides the four sons whose photographs are in the collection, the newspaper clipping mentions another son in service and a 6th, a 16-year-old, who is waiting until he is old enough to join the army.
  
  One might wonder how their mother feels knowing that she has six sons serving in the army. Having just one family member fighting in the war would be difficult to deal with, but according to the paper: "The mother is also very patriotic and did not hesitate to allow her sons to step forth to battle, knowing that the country expects every man, woman and child to do their bit." "Stand by Uncle Sam" is the motto of this family, according to the paper. I don't think anyone could doubt their patriotism!
  
  This is just one of dozens of unique stories that have come to light through the World War I photographs digitization project. Stop by the Special Collections Department to view these amazing photographs for yourself!
  
  - Katie Trexler, Special Collections Intern
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/28/2011
• 12:56

  Special Collections Department to Expand Hours for Research

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
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  Starting on Monday, May 2, 2011, the State Library’s Special Collections Department will expand its hours to Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. The department is located in Room 55, on the basement level of the State House of Massachusetts.

  Department staff members are available to answer questions about the collections at 617-727-2995, or at special.collections@state.ma.us.

  
  

  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/26/2011
• 11:02

  Brown Bag on Preserving Family Papers

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  
  
  
  
  Join us for a Brown Bag lunch
  Thursday, April 28, 2011
  State Library of Massachusetts
  Room 442 State House
  12 until 1:30 PM
  
  Bring your lunch and visit the State Library to learn how to apply preservation techniques used in the library to preserve your family papers. This program, presented by Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian, is offered in celebration of the American Library Association's National Preservation Week, April 24-30, 2011.
  
  To register, please go to:
  [www.surveymonkey.com]
  
  You may also sign up by calling Reference at 617.727.2590 or emailing reference.department@state.ma.us.
  
  Sponsored by the Friends of the State Library
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/22/2011
• 16:24

  Peer Violence Perpetration among Urban Youth

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Joanna Almeida, Associate Research Scientist at Northeastern's Institute of Urban Health Research, spoke at the State Library's Friends of the Library program earlier this month about findings from a survey that dispelled the myth of the violent immigrant. The results were based on an anonymous biannual survey of Boston high school students administered January - April, 2008 in homeroom classes. 1,348 9th - 12th graders took part in the questionnaire.
  
  Topics included health behaviors, mental health and emphasized multiple types of violence. The students were asked if they had pushed, punched or kicked another student in the last 30 days. They were also asked whether they had lied or spread rumors about a peer.
  
  The survey concluded that recently arrived immigrant youth are less likely to perpetrate physical peer violence than U.S.-born peers. Another finding was that non-physical, verbal violence toward peers does not vary by whether the student was first, second, or third generation or the amount of time in the U.S. A significant conclusion was that the protective effect of being foreign-born and less violent disappeared after 5 years in this country. In other words, it takes 5 years to assimilate and become prone to being violent as American-born youth.
  
  The survey's report was co-authored by Renee M. Johnson, Mariah McNamara, Jhumka Gupta and was done with the cooperation of the City of Boston and Boston Youth Survey.
  
  Statistics from previous studies led to these conclusions:
  

  • Violent crime decreased during historic waves of immigration to this country. (FBI statistics)

  • Foreign-born youth had half the likelihood of violence compared to those born in the U.S. (Sampson, et al., 2005)

  • A national study found children of immigrants are more apt to be involved in 3+ violent acts than immigrant youth. (Harris, 1999)
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  • Latino men born in the U.S. are 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than their counterparts born abroad. (2000 US census)

  Naomi Allen
  Assistant Documents Librarian
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/20/2011
• 16:15

  Financial Crisis Inquiry Report

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The State Library recently received the federal document The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report: Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States. More than two years after the crisis began, Americans are experiencing the aftershocks. People have lost their jobs. Many have lost their homes, and the economy is struggling to rebound. This report is intended to provide a historical accounting of the events and to help policy makers and the public to see how the calamity came into being.
  
  The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act (Public Law 111-21). According to the preface, the Commission was created to "examine the causes of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States" and to publish their conclusions.
  
  The publication covers topics such as subprime lending, shadow lending, credit expansion, the mortgage machine and the bust. It also explains how the financial system worked, how the pieces fit together and how the crisis occurred. The financial institutions that played a part are discussed. The institutions include American International Group (AIG), Bear Stearns, Citigroup, Countrywide Financial, Fannie Mae, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Moody's and Wachovia.
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  The report can also be found at this web address: [www.gpo.gov]
  
  Naomi Allen
  Assistant Government Documents Librarian
  
  
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/13/2011
• 16:38

  Library Closed for Patriot's Day

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The Library will be closed Monday, April 18 for Patriot's Day. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday. The main reading room (room 341) and the periodical balcony (room 442) are open
  Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Special Collections' hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m. and by appointment. To make an appointment, call 617.727.2590.
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/12/2011
• 13:56

  FDSYS -- Federal Digital System

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The Government Printing Office (GPO) offers electronic access to federal documents at a new web site: www.fdsys.gov. FDSYS offers the breadth of United States Government information.
  
  Full text legislative documents are available such as: Congressional Bills, the Congressional Record, Public and Private Laws, the Code of Federal Regulations, Public Papers of the Presidents, Budget of the United States Government and many others.
  
  Among the myriad of publications, there is also access to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine database and to Science.gov, publications from the scientific community.
  
  See your government at work.
  
  The Government Documents Staff
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/11/2011
• 14:00

  Campaign and Political Finance

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent state agency. Its focus is to administer the state's campaign finance laws and the limited public financing program for statewide candidates.
  
  The State Library has many of their reports and their quarterly newsletter both in tangible copies (paper) and online. The tangible documents may be viewed in room 341 of the State House, Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 5. The call number for the quarterly report is: MR 353.21 M3 OI27. The collection starts with volume 1, no. 1 in 1995. The online version is available at http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/36800.
  
  The agency has its own website where one can file reports that are required by candidates: www.mass.gov/ocpf
  
  The Library is a repository for state documents and invites all to visit us in person or on line at www.mass.gov/lib
  
  The Government Documents Staff
  
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• Massachusetts blogs (US-MA), 04/06/2011
• 10:09

  Vintage Postcards of the State House Now Available on Flickr

   »  State Library of Massachusetts
  Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The State Library has scanned and uploaded a selection of our postcard collection onto Flickr for your viewing pleasure. Ranging from the early 1900s to the mid 1920s, the postcards primarily depict the iconic golden dome and façade of the Massachusetts State House. Also included are the Shaw Memorial, the General Hooker Monument, the interior legislative chambers, Memorial Hall, and the Brewer Fountain in the Boston Commons.
  

  Most of the collection consists of traditional souvenir postcards, but some are of a more promotional quality. While not available online due to copyright restrictions, there is a group of campaign postcards depicting Massachusetts politicians, such as Governor Frank Sargent and Lieutenant Governor Elliot Richardson. To view these campaign postcards and our complete collection of postcards ranging from the early 20th century to the 1990s, please visit the State Library Special Collections Department, Room 55.

  The majority of our collection of nearly two hundred postcards can be found in Souvenir 68, a gift of former State Senator Edward L. Burke. Additional postcards have been recently donated by Beth Carroll-Horrocks.

  -- Marissa Sorek, Special Collections Intern
  
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