Massachusetts Historical Society
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The Massachusetts Historical Society was founded in 1791 for the threefold purpose of collecting, preserving, and disseminating resources for the study of American history. It was not only the first North American historical society, but also the first institution of any kind to devote its attention primarily to collecting and publishing in American history.
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[edit] Address and Contact Info
Address: 1154 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215-3695
Phone: (617) 536-1608
Fax: (617) 859-0074
E-mail: library@masshist.org
Web page: http://www.masshist.org
President: Dennis A. Fiori
Online Catalog: ABIGAIL. Also see the List of Manuscript Finding Aids.
Principal contacts for advice on the collection: Library Reader Services Staff
[edit] Hours and usage restrictions
The library of the Massachusetts Historical Society is open:
- 9:00 am - 4:45 pm Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.
- 9:00 am - 7:45 pm Thurs.
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Sat.
The MHS library will be closed on some Saturdays that fall on three-day weekends and on the Saturday that falls between Christmas and New Years Day. In 2008, the dates the library will be closed on Saturdays are: Saturday, 24 May (Memorial Day weekend), Saturday, 30 August (Labor Day weekend), and Friday and Saturday, 21-22 November (the days following Thanksgiving). The library also is closed from noon on Christmas Eve through New Years Day (24 December-1 January 2009).
See the library's Hours & Directions page for detailed directions to the MHS.
First-time visitors to the library should review the Visiting the Library page, which contains most relevant MHS policies and procedures.
[edit] Collection Summary
The society’s collections cannot be matched either in scope or in depth by those of any similar American institution. The area of primary interest is the manuscript collection of more than 12 million pieces in 3,600 separate collections of personal papers and institutional records. These holdings, exceeded in quality only by those of the Library of Congress, cover such diverse subjects as the history of religion, law, education, and medicine; diplomacy and international commerce; the American Revolution and the Civil War; and environmental and women’s history. Although the holdings in the history of New England and in the period from colonization through the late 19th century are especially strong, the society also has significant materials for the study of the West Indies, Latin America, the China trade, and the 20th century.
The society holds 200,000 published items for early Massachusetts printing and New England local history. A number of special libraries of rare books and manuscripts, several of them given by 19th-century collectors, augment these holdings. Published materials include more than 20,000 broadsides, 30,000 18th- and 19th-century pamphlets, 5,000 maps, and more than 150,000 microforms. The society also houses more than 100,000 historic photographs.
See the Library Collections section of the MHS website for more information.
[edit] Usage Discussion
- Fellowships: The Massachusetts Historical Society now offers more assistance than ever before to the researchers who need to use its collections. In addition to approximately 20 short-term fellowships, the Society will help to provide at least 11 New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grants for projects that draw on the resources of several participating institutions, and at least two long-term MHS-NEH fellowships for study at the MHS. Each summer the Society offers 2-3 fellowships for K-12 teachers. During 4 weeks of on-site research at the MHS, teachers prepare a curriculum or comparable project based on primary documents to enhance instruction in American history, language arts, or science. Please see the Fellowships section of the MHS website for more information about the various fellowships.
- What to Bring: Readers may bring only personal computers or digital cameras into the reading room. The reading room staff will provide you with pencils and colored note paper. We do not allow pens, notebooks, and folders, as well as backpacks, briefcases, bags, and outer clothing of any kind in the reading room. Free lockers are available to store personal property. The library staff must approve any additional material or equipment in advance of bringing it into the reading room.
- Digital Photography: Non-flash digital photography is permitted in the MHS reading room with the approval of the Reference Librarian. Advanced notice is required to photograph materials requiring special handling or lighting, and permission to do so will be granted at the discretion of the Librarian. Readers must fill out a form listing all digital photographs taken.
- Wireless Internet Access: The MHS offers free wireless internet access in the public areas of the its building, including the reading room. You will need a laptop or PDA equipped with a Wifi card supporting "WEP" encryption (most WiFi cards support this standard). The password for WiFi access changes periodically. Please see a Librarian for more information and access instructions, including the current password. Please note we do not lend WiFi cards to readers. We also can provide wired jacks on an as-needed basis.
- Photocopying: The Massachusetts Historical Society will photocopy research materials from the collections with some restrictions. The staff will not make copies of printed materials protected by copyright, or items regardless of date that are too fragile to copy. Researchers must fill out a photocopy request form listing all manuscript items they wish to have copied. Library staff will review the request and will photocopy materials as time permits. A limit of 20 pages per day normally applies for each reader's requests. Researchers may not photocopy materials themselves. We do not copy materials that are available in another format (facsimiles or microfilms). If the staff is unable to complete a photocopy order during normal library hours, copies will be held for, or mailed to the researcher. The price of all photocopies, including mail orders and paper copies made from microfilms, is $0.50 per copy. There is a minimum charge of $10.00 for all copy orders placed by email, post, or telephone. Large orders or orders that require additional staff preparation will incur an additional processing fee of $15.00 per hour. Estimates for any additional fees will be arranged in advance.
- Rights and Reproductions: Please see the Rights & Reproductions section of the MHS website for detailed information on requesting permission to cite from manuscript collections, ordering images, and obtaining permission to publish images from MHS collections.
- Interlibrary Loan: The MHS does not loan original manuscript or printed materials. The MHS holds duplicate positive copies of more than 100 collections microfilmed by the Society. When available, the MHS will loan entire small film sets or portions of large film sets for 30-day periods. Please see the Microfilm Loan Procedures section of the MHS website for more information.
