Association of Christian Librarians presents the Fifty-second Annual Conference
June 9 - 12, 2008 on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts
Local Professional Library Tours
Tuesday, June 10
Not Available: Mary Baker Eddy Library Tour
Full: Harvard Library Tour
Two hundred librarians cannot come to a new city without seeing the real sites (the libraries!). We want to offer you the most exciting and interesting tours available for the interest shown. So, get your registration in early and let us know your preference. Bring your walking shoes, $4.00 for the subway and $10-$25 or a credit card for dinner with your colleagues in the city (the perfect ending to any tour with a meal in one of the many eclectic restaurants available throughout the metropolitan area). Your choices include the following tours. Numbers for most tours are limited, so send in your selection early.
Click here to view a map of the sites!
Because Boston Public Library has a great wealth of information and resources, we have planned 3 tours in order to focus on a variety of professional interests.
Librarians’ Tour - Founded in 1848, the Boston Public Library is the nation’s first free municipal public library. The current building, located in historic Copley Square, was designed by architect Charles Follen McKim. Highlights of the tour include the many sculptures and paintings by world-renowned artists, the architectural details of McKim and Philip Johnson, as well as the over 7 million books including an extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, and maps.
Digital Preservation Tour - The Boston Public Library's digitization lab and imaging studio is where items from the library's vast and varied collections will begin their new lives as electronic files in the long-overdue BPL Digital Library. Come learn about the gadgets and procedures that will help grow their digital library into one of the world's most unique and accessible repositories on the Internet. You will also learn about the recent partnership between the Boston Library Consortium and the special scanning center set up in the Boston Public Library. Tours will be held in the studio where demonstrations of the state-of-the-art digital capture station will take place. Participants will be able to see high-resolution files on screen. Discussions and questions will center on the implications of such technology both locally and globally, as well as the current state of and future plans for digital initiatives.
Rare Books and Conservation Tour - In the field of printed books, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the Boston Public Library has outstanding collections of Elizabethan and Restoration literature including the First, Second, and Fourth Folios of Shakespeare in the Barton Library; Spanish Literature of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in George Ticknor's library; early astronomy, mathematics, and navigation in the Bowditch collection; early American printing from the libraries of John A. Lewis and Rev. Thomas Prince (including the Bay Psalm Book); the West Indies, especially Haiti, from the library formed by Benjamin Hunt; and the Defoe and Defoeniana Collection assembled by W.P. Trent; the liturgy of the Church of England and its sources, collected and endowed by Josiah H. Benton; the library of President John Adams; and the Robert A. Feer Collection of World's Fairs of North America. In addition, the Department possesses widely representative examples of the graphic arts. These examples range from Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts to fine modern printing, illustrations, and binding.
Mary Baker Eddy Library and Museum at the Church of Christ, Scientist: TOUR IS NOT AVAILABLE
Highlights of the tour include the Mapparium - a three-story stained glass globe that has been present in the building since 1935; the Hall of Ideas - which contains more than 800 quotes from 3,000 years of human history; and the Quest Gallery – a hands-on, interactive look at the work of Mary Baker Eddy. Also, a new permanent exhibit offers a rare view of the changing and sometimes unpredictable newspaper coverage Mary Baker Eddy faced while gaining national fame and prominence as a publisher, preacher, writer, teacher, public speaker, and healer. The exhibit also highlights the motivations behind the global newspaper Eddy started at the age of 87, The Christian Science Monitor. We will look at the press room where the paper is published and will take a behind-the-scenes look at how the library accomplishes its mission. This library, originally constructed from 1932 - 1934, was completely renovated and expanded from 1998 - 2002.
Widener Library, Harvard University: TOUR IS FULL
One of 90 libraries in the Harvard University system, Widener Library houses over 3 million volumes. The collection, while focusing mainly on the social sciences and humanities, also contains international works representing hundreds of languages and also is the home to a Gutenberg Bible. Probably one of the most photographed libraries in the world, we are offering this amazing opportunity to enter inside the library, tour the collections, and get a glimpse of how the Harvard Library System works.
Founded in 1807 by members of the Anthology Society, the Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. Their collection includes more than a half million volumes centering mostly on Boston and New England history, biography, and English and American Literature. The Athenæum's five galleried floors overlook the peaceful Granary Burying Ground, and as Gamaliel Bradford wrote, "it is safe to say that [no library] anywhere has more an atmosphere of its own, that none is more conducive to intellectual aspiration and spiritual peace" (The Quick and the Dead, 1931). The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The library is often the site of art exhibitions, scholarly discussions, and musical presentations.
Massachusetts Historical Society:
Founded by Boston minister, Reverend Jeremy Belknap in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society is an independent research library and manuscript depository. In the absence of any other American historical repositories in the 1790s, the MHS took on a broadly national role, one still apparent in both its collections and its publications. As other historical institutions were founded elsewhere—for instance, the New-York Historical Society in 1804 and the American Antiquarian Society in 1812—the Society started to direct special attention to Boston, Massachusetts, and New England. The continuing legacy of its early years as the nation's only repository of American history, however, is a program of collections and activities of national and international importance. The library currently serves primarily as a repository for manuscripts, letters, and diaries of prominent individuals and families of Massachusetts. Highlights of the collection include the Adams family papers, the Coolidge collection of Thomas Jefferson manuscripts, and a number of daguerreotype photographs.
New England Historic Genealogical Society:
Beatley Library and Information Commons, Simmons College:
Check out a local example of an academic library that has recently undergone renovations to incorporate technology. Visiting this library will be a wonderful choice if you are planning a future renovation (or just dreaming of one!). Those attending the preconference session with Cheryl Bryan on Academic Commons will have an opportunity to see some of the panels’ ideas and concepts in action, as well as ask questions and have discussions with a staff who have just completed the process.
Boston University Theology Library:
Housed within the School of Theology, the founding school of Boston University, the Theology Library is home to numerous online and print resources, manuscripts, and letters. The archives include the papers of the Morgan Memorial-Goodwill Industries and many materials dealing with the New England United Methodist Church. We will also take the opportunity to tour the African Studies Library, which is housed in the main undergraduate library of Boston University. The African Studies Library (ASL) is responsible for a multidisciplinary collection of resources for the study of Africa. Strongest in the social sciences and humanities, it has considerable strength in the sciences, as well, particularly in public health, and encompasses a broad spectrum of subjects in nearly every academic discipline. It also supports the international aspects of Boston University’s mission and strategic planning. The President of the University and his newly appointed President's Council on Boston University and the Global Future emphasize the role of Africa at Boston University. The School of Public Health's Global Health Initiative has Africa as a major focus. The African Presidential Archives and Research Center (APARC) was established in 2001 to provide a forum for African statesmen to continue working for African development after their terms of office, and to collect papers and documents relating to their presidencies. The APARC collections will be housed and preserved in the African Studies Library.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark, Thomas Crane Public Library’s main branch is located in the heart of Quincy, MA. The original library designed by H. H. Richardson in 1882 recently underwent an extensive restoration and an addition was added in 2001. The library and its branches serve the city of Quincy with services including an extensive genealogy collection and the Quincy Room dedicated to local history resources, as well as exhibits and concerts held throughout the year. This tour will also include an exclusive look at the Stone Library, home to the collections of John Quincy Adams, which includes over 14,000 volumes. John Quincy Adams had requested in his will that a fireproof structure be constructed separate from the house for his books and papers. Note: this tour is local to ENC and is best for those with physical considerations.
The Revolution Continues
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