Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library
The Seal of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, as designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Motto: Omnium Lux Civium (Latin)
"The Light of All People"
42°20′57.55″N 71°4′41.78″W / 42.3493194°N 71.0782722°W / 42.3493194; -71.0782722
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, US
TypePublic
Established1848
Branches24
Collection
Size24,079,520
Access and use
Circulation7.6 million (FY 2025)
Population served
6,547,629
Other information
Budget$49.5 million (FY 2026)
DirectorDavid Leonard, President
Ray Liu, Chair of the Board
AffiliationBoston Library Consortium
Public transit access
Green Line (MBTA) Copley Disabled access
Websitebpl.org
The Chavannes Gallery at the McKim Building with murals painted by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

The Boston Public Library (BPL) is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly library of last recourse), meaning all adult residents of the state are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 24 million items, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and New York Public Library, which is also privately endowed. The Boston Central Library in Copley Square was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2000.

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