American Association of Law Libraries
2004 Annual Meeting, July 10-14
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Area Libraries Open to AALL Visitors

Boston offers a plethora of libraries to see and visit. So, while in Boston for the Annual Meeting, take a "busman's holiday" and visit another library. Refer to the following listing for libraries of varying types and distances from the Hynes Convention Center.

• Within Walking Distance of the Hynes Convention Center
• Within a Short Subway Ride from the Hynes
• Within a Longer Subway Ride from the Hynes
• Libraries Accessible Mainly by Car

Click on the train station name to open a new window for T (subway) directions from the convention center.

NOTE: Massachusetts uses 10 digit dialing. All phone numbers are in the 617 area code unless otherwise stated.

Within Walking Distance of the Hynes Convention Center

Berklee College of Music, Stan Getz Media Center & Library
150 Massachusetts Avenue
Tel: 747-2258
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-11:45pm; Fri 9am-9:45pm; Sat 10am-9:45pm; Sun 1pm-11:45pm

Directions: Massachusetts Avenue, one block away from the back of the Hynes Convention Center.

Description: Dedicated in 1998 to the memory of the great jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, the Media Center and Library occupy two floors in the 150 Mass. Ave. building. In addition to an ever-growing collection of recordings, compact discs, videocassettes, laser discs, and DVDs, the library also collects print and online resources. The library catalog includes a comprehensive song index by song title.

Boston Architectural Center Library
320 Newbury Street, 6th Floor
Tel: 536-9018
Hours: Mon-Thu noon-10pm; Fri-Sun CLOSED

Directions: Newbury Street is only one block over from Boylston Street side of the Hynes Convention Center.

Description: Library supports the curriculum of the School of Architecture, a school geared to the needs of working adults who want to pursue architectural careers. Visitors might be interested in the Center's materials on Boston history and photographs. Collection includes materials on architecture, interior design, urban planning and designs for energy conservation.

The Boston French Center
53 Marlborough Street
Tel: 912-0400
Hours: Tue-Thu 10am-8pm; Fri-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun & Mon CLOSED

Directions: Walk down Boylston Street, take a left onto Berkeley Street and walk three blocks to Marlborough Street.

Description: A library devoted to French language, literature and culture. It started in 1945 as a one-room lending library and now occupies two historic Back Bay mansions. The center offers a selection of courses, movies and cultural events. On Monday July 12th, the Library celebrates Bastille Day with dinner and dancing at the Boston Harbor Hotel (advance tickets required).

Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street
Tel: 536-5400
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-9pm; Fri-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 1pm-5pm

Directions: Walk down Boylston Street to the library main entrance just before Copley Square. The library takes up the whole Boylston Street block between Dartmouth and Exeter Streets.

Description: The Boston Public Library (BPL) is one of the five or six largest libraries in the country, and second only to the New York Public Library among, free, public libraries. The library houses approximately six million books within its main building designed by Charles McKim or one of its 25 branches.

Emerson College Library
120 Boylston Street
Tel: 824-8500
Hours: Mon-Wed 8:30am-10pm; Thu 8:30am-6:30pm; Fri 8:30am-5pm; Sat 11am-5pm; Sun CLOSED

Directions: Walk down Boylston Street for 9 blocks to 120 Boylston or take the Green line T: Boylston, Green line. The library entrance is on the third floor.

Description: Enter an urban library, with large windows overlooking the Boston Common. This library combines traditional library services with state of the art media services and instructional classrooms. The collection emphasizes materials on mass communication and theater arts.

Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity
200 Massachusetts Avenue
Tel: 450-7325
Hours: Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 10am-5pm; Thu, Fri 10am-9pm; Mon CLOSED (except holidays)

Directions: Walk west down Massachusetts Avenue three blocks, having exited from the back of the Hynes Convention Center or T: Symphony, Green line.

Description: The Mary Baker Eddy Collections, one of the largest by and about a single American woman, includes papers, artifacts, photographs and rare books related to Mary Baker Eddy's ideas and life. The library also includes materials relating to the First Church of Christ, Scientist and The Christian Science Monitor. Housed adjacent to the Christian Science Mother Church and a beautiful plaza, the library completed an expansion and renovation in 2002. The library, gift shop and Quotes Café are free; admission is required for entrance to the Mapparium, Quest Gallery and Monitor Gallery.

Massachusetts Historical Society Library
1154 Boylston Street
Tel: 536-1608
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4:45pm; Thu reading room stays open until 8pm

Directions: At the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street, turn right onto Boylston Street and proceed for two blocks, passing Hemenway Street. The MHS is on your left at the end of the next block.

Description: The Historical Society is the repository for the manuscript papers of some of the state's most noteworthy families, including the Winthrop, Adams, Saltonstall, Minot, and Paine papers. Other important collections include maps and rare books relating to Massachusetts and New England.

New England Historic Genealogical Society Library
101 Newbury Street
Tel: 536-5740
Hours: Tue 9am-5pm; Wed 9am-9pm; Thu-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun noon-5pm. Admission is free for NEHGS members; non-members (including seniors and students) will be charged a $15 day fee.

Directions: Newbury Street is parallel to Boylston Street. Walk one block over toward the Charles River and a few blocks down.

Description: The Society has the area's most comprehensive genealogical collection for Massachusetts and New England families. The library actively collects local history publications, vital records volumes, biographies and diaries, as well as the publications of hereditary societies. The Family Treasures Bookstore carries publications, software and a clearance area of used books.

Within a Short Subway Ride from the Hynes

Boston Athenaeum
101/2 Beacon Street
Tel: 227-0270
Hours: Mon 8:30am-8pm; Tue-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Sat 9am-4pm

Directions: T: Park Street, Green line. Walk up the hill towards the State House (building on top of the hill with the golden dome), take a right onto Beacon Street.

Description: The Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States, founded in 1807. The library has a particularly strong collection of Boston history, New England state and local history, biography, literature, and the fine and decorative arts. Lectures, discussion groups, art galleries and afternoon tea are offered for its members. Art and architecture tours of the building are offered by advance reservation (227-0270) on Tuesdays and Thurdays.

Bostonian Society Library
Old State House
206 Washington Street
Tel: 720-1713, x12
Museum Hours: Daily 9am-5pm
Admission to Museum: Adults $5; Older Adults & Students $4; Children $1
Library Hours: Tue-Thu 9:30am-4:30pm
Admission to Library: Non-members $10; College Students $5. Free for Bostonian Society members, representatives of nonprofit institutions, and elementary, middle and high school students. Includes entrance to Old State House.

Directions: Museum is located in the Old State House, T: State, Orange line, at the corner of State and Washington Street; wheelchair ramp is located on the Devonshire Street side of the building. Library is located at 15 State Street, 3rd floor (across the pedestrian mall from the Old State House).

Description: The Society's purpose is to document Boston's history and the Library's collections support this mission. In addition to printed materials such as biographies of noted Bostonians, military histories of local regiments, and city directories, the Library has a superb picture collection encompassing prints and photographs of Boston. The Society's website will debut this summer a new database of photographs and other visual images.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Library
EPA Region 1 Library
One Congress Street, 11th Floor
Tel: 918-1992
Hours: Mon-Thu 10am-3pm; Fri-Sun CLOSED

Directions: T: Government Center, Green line. Walk in the direction of Congress Street and Quincy Market. At the corner of Congress Street and New Chardon Street, you will see the Government Center Garage. The EPA is above the garage.

Description: The EPA Region 1 Library is one of 28 in the U.S. EPA Library Network established to make environmental information and resources more accessible. Subject areas include air, water, solid and hazardous waste pollution and the corresponding control and treatment technologies. The Region 1 Library houses both technical and law collections. The Library is open to the public.

Insurance Library Association Library
156 State Street
Tel: 227-2087
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Directions: T: Government Center, Green line. Walk down State Street (the library is near the Customs House).

Description: A membership library, in the heart of the financial district, serving the insurance community and law firms involved in insurance.

Kirstein Business Branch of the Boston Public Library
20 City Hall Avenue
Tel: 523-0860
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-5pm; Fri-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun CLOSED

Directions: T: Park Street, Green line. Walk down Tremont Street (away from the Common) and take a right onto School Street. Turn left at the alley just beyond Old City Hall.

Description: A bustling information center in the heart of Boston's Financial District. The library is a specialized business reference and research service of the Boston Public Library. Kirstein's telephones are seldom quiet as the librarians answer hundreds of inquiries about business and finance every day.

New England School of Law Library
154 Stuart Street
Tel: 422-7288
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-11pm; Sat 9am-10pm; Sun 10am-11pm

Directions: T: Boylston Street, Green line. Take a right onto Tremont Street (walk away from the Common); walk one block and turn right onto Stuart Street.

Description: Started in 1908 as Portia Law School for Women, New England School of Law Library houses over 345,000 volumes in a renovated facility featuring a new Computer Media Center and upgraded Reference and Circulation Desks.

State Library of Massachusetts
Room 341, Massachusetts State House
Tel: 727-2590
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Directions: T: Park Street, Green line. Walk up the hill to the State House (building on top of the hill with the golden dome). The Library is located in room 341.

Description: Located in the state capitol building, the State Library has served as a public research facility for state government since 1826. The State Library has the most complete collection of Massachusetts state publications in existence. The Library's special collections include William Bradford's of Plimoth Plantation, a manuscript account for the history of Plymouth Colony that contains the original "Mayflower Compact".

State Transportation Library
10 Park Plaza, 2nd Floor
Tel: 973-8000
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Directions: T: Boylston Street, Green line. Walk one block down Tremont Street (away from the Common) and turn right onto Stuart Street. The Transportation Building is the big brick building which takes up the whole block.

Description: The library collections support the state transportation agencies' research needs and focuses on transportation generally, environmental impacts, engineering, construction, and design issues. Library includes a legal collection for Massachusetts and federal law as well as treatise material on labor, contracts, and environmental issues.

Social Law Library
1200 Court House
Tel: 523-0018
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm

Directions: T: Government Center, Green line. Face away from Boston City Hall toward the crescent-shaped Center Plaza Building. Walk through one of the Center Plaza entrances to the courtyard behind. The Social Law Library is on the 12th floor of the New Suffolk County Courthouse facing onto the courtyard.

Description: One of the oldest membership libraries in the country. A membership is required for access, although a one day courtesy visitor's pass will be extended. Note: Social Law Library is in the midst of renovation and relocation to lower level floors in the older courthouse building and may not be open for visitors this summer. Please call ahead.

Suffolk University, Mildred F. Sawyer Library
8 Ashburton Place
Tel: 573-8535
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-9pm; Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 11am-6pm

Directions: T: Park Street, Green line. Go up the hill towards the State House, turn right onto Beacon Street, left onto Bowdoin, right onto Ashburton Place (about a five minute walk from Park Street).

Description: The library occupies six levels of the Frank Sawyer Building and serves the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sawyer School of Management.

Suffolk University Moakley Law Library
120 Tremont Street
Tel: 573-8177
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-11pm; Sat-Sun 9am-11pm

Directions: T: Park Street, Green line. Walk up Tremont Street ½ block, the building is on the right side of the street. The library entrance is on the 6th floor.

Description: The library serves one of the largest law student populations in the country as well as members of the bar. The Law School's new building right on the Freedom Trail is definitely worth seeing.

Within a Longer Subway Ride from the Hynes

Boston College, O'Neill Library
Chestnut Hill, MA
Tel: 552-4472
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-11pm; Fri 8am-7pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 11am-7pm

Directions: T: Boston College, Green line B train. At the end of the line for the Green Line Boston College car. Walk up hill and enter through main campus entrance on Commonwealth Avenue. Follow walkway to O'Neill Library.

Description: A modern facility which houses well over a million volumes and has over 950 study seats. The O'Neill Library, named for the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is the central research library of the University.

Boston University, Mugar Memorial Library
771 Commonwealth Avenue
Tel: 353-3710
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-midnight; Fri-Sat 8am-11pm; Sun 10am-midnight

Directions: T: Boston University Central, Green line B train. The third stop after the train leaves the tunnel. The library is directly across the street from the stop.

Description: The library houses over a million hardcopy volumes and over two million microform volumes. Take a tour of Mugar Memorial Library with a live librarian every Tuesday at 2pm or take a virtual tour on the web.

Boston University, Pappas Law Library
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Tel: 353-3151
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat & Sun CLOSED

Directions: Same as above. The law library is in the modern tower building closer to the Charles River and next to the main Mugar Library.

Description: Academic law library collection with special concentration in the areas of Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Health Law, Banking Law, and Taxation.

Harvard Business School, Baker Library
Soldiers Field Road
Tel: 495-6040
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5pm, except Wed 9am-8pm; Sat & Sun CLOSED

Directions: T: Harvard Square, Red line. Walk south on JFK Street; cross over the Charles River on the Anderson Bridge; take the first left after the bridge.

Description: Currently undergoing a large renovation project which will expand one of the world's largest business libraries from 130,000 to 160,000 square feet. The new Baker Library/Academic Center is scheduled to open in 2005. A core management collection of 3500 books (paired down from over 600,000 print volumes) is available during construction.

Harvard Law School Library
Langdell Hall
1545 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Tel: 495-4516
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-6pm; Fri 9am-5pm; Sat & Sun CLOSED

Directions: T: Harvard Square, Red line. Walk north on Massachusetts Avenue to Harvard Law School.

Description: The law library houses domestic, foreign, comparative, and international primary and secondary legal materials; depository for selected U.S. government and international documents; special collections of trials, rare books, art, manuscripts, and microforms in legal fields. In 1997 the Harvard Law School completed a $35 million renovation of the Law Library; if you have not seen the results, you should.

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Columbia Point
Tel: 514-1600
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm
Admission: Adults $10; Senior Citizens and Students $8.00; Children 13-17 $7, Children 12 and under Free

Directions: T: JFK/UMASS, Red line; transfer to a free shuttle which runs every 20 minutes.

Description: The Kennedy Library and Museum is dedicated to our nation's thirty-fifth president. Overlooking Boston's harbor and skyline, the combination library and museum was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners. The current exhibit "Campaign!" takes the visitor inside the American political process. The library is closed to the public and is open to scholars only and contains more that 12 pages of John F. Kennedy's papers. The papers of Ernest Hemingway are also housed at the library. An online tour of both the library and the museum is available on the website.

John F. Kennedy School of Government Library
79 JFK Street, 1st Floor
Cambridge, MA
Tel: 496-1776
Hours: Mon-Thu 8:30am-8pm; Fri 8:30am-5pm; Sat & Sun CLOSED

Directions: T: Harvard Square, Red line. The library is about a 10 minute walk down JFK Street towards the river.

Description: The Kennedy School Library is a 45,000 volume collection on public policy, public administration and government at the federal, state and municipal level. It supports the work of students and practicing government officials. Visitors may also want to see the JFK memorial fountain, in a small park behind the Kennedy School. It is on the spot initially proposed for the Kennedy library and is adorned with excerpts from speeches. A video introduction to the library is available on the website.

MIT Libraries
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA

Humanities Library
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Tel: 253-5683
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-10pm; Fri 8am-8pm; Sat 10am-8pm; Sun 1pm-8pm

Dewey Library (Social Sciences)
30 Wadsworth Street
Tel: 253-5677
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-7pm; Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 1pm-6pm; Sun 1pm-6pm

Directions: T: Kendall Square/MIT, Red line. Walk west along Main Street (away from Boston) to Ames Street; turn left and walk one block to Amherst Street. All of the MIT libraries are within easy walking distance.

Description: The MIT Libraries consist of more than 2.6 million volumes. There are 5 divisional libraries: Barker Engineering, Dewey, Humanities, Rotch (architecture), and Science.

Northeastern University, Snell Library
360 Huntington Avenue
Tel: 373-2354
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-midnight; Fri 8am-6pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-midnight

Directions: T: Northeastern, Green line E train. Follow the brick walkway through the Krentzman Quadrangle, past the clock and the Curry Student Center until you reach an open plaza. The Snell Library building is straight ahead.

Description: The Northeastern University library holds almost one million volumes with a large reference and government documents collection. An audio tour of the library is available on the website.

Northeastern University School of Law Library
400 Huntington Avenue
Tel: 373-3332
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-11pm; Fri 8am-9pm; Sat 9am-9pm; Sun 12pm-10pm

Directions: T: Northeastern, Green line E train. The Knowles Center Law School building and entrance to the law library is at the intersection of Huntington Ave. and Forsyth St.

Description: The law library contains a collection of over 285,000 volumes located in a comfortable, technology advanced facility. The law school is located near the Museum of Fine Arts, the Gardner Museum and Simmons College.

Simmons College, Beatley Library & Graduate School of Library and Information Science Library
300 The Fenway
Tel: 521-2780
Hours: Mon-Thu 8:30am-10pm; Fri 8:30am-4:30pm; Sat 9am-7pm; Sun noon-10pm

Directions: T: Museum of Fine Arts, Green line E train. As you exit the train, walk in the direction the train was heading and take a right at Louis Prang Street. Walk on Louis Prang past the first light, when it becomes the Fenway, and continue walking past the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Simmons College is the next building, next to Palace Road.

Description: A modern library supporting a liberal arts curriculum as well as programs in women's studies, management and social work. A separate library is maintained to support the Library and Information Science Program.

Tufts University, Tisch Arts & Sciences Library
Medford, MA
Tel: 627-3460
Hours: Mon-Thu 8:45am-10pm; Fri 8:45am-5pm; Sat 9am-4pm; Sun 2pm-10pm

Directions: T: Davis, Red line. From the T, walk 10 minutes to the campus or take bus #96 (Medford Square) or bus #94 (West Medford), which will take you to Tufts.

Description: The Tisch Library provides resources for the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering programs. The library has over 750,000 volumes.

Tufts University, Edwin Ginn Library, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Medford, MA
Tel: 627-5021
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-midnight; Fri 8am-8pm; Sat 9am-8pm; Sun 11am-midnight

Directions: T: Davis, Red line. From the T, walk 10 minutes to the campus or take bus #96 (Medford Square) or bus #94 (West Medford), which will take you to Tufts.

Description: The Ginn Library collects legal, foreign and international materials. The library receives a complete set of United Nations publications and electronic and printed indexes to accompany this collection.

Tufts University, Health Sciences Library
145 Harrison Avenue
Tel. 636-6705
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-11pm; Fri 8am-7pm; Sat 10am-7pm; Sun noon-10pm

Directions: T: New England Medical Center, Orange line. Go left on Washington St. Make a right onto Kneeland St.; turn right onto Harrison Ave.

Description: Tufts Health Sciences Library has just completed renovations on their fourth and sixth floors; redesigned their website and added many more connections for nomadic computing. Their library café serves much more than coffee and tea-they even have sushi!

University of Massachusetts/Boston, Healey Library
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Tel: 287-5900
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-11pm; Fri 8am-7pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 11am-7pm

Directions: T: JFK/UMASS, Red line. A free shuttle bus will transport you from the "T" to the campus. Healey Library is the tallest building on campus.

Description: Modern library set on Boston Harbor and next door to the Kennedy Library and Museum. Contains over 400,000 volumes supporting an urban student population.

Libraries Accessible Mainly by Car

Babson College Horn Library
Babson Park
Tel: 781-239-4596
Hours: Mon-Thu 7:30am-10pm; Fri 7:30am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-5:30pm; Sun 9am-10pm

Directions: By car, take the Massachusetts Turnpike (Route 90); turn south on I-95 (Route 128), then west on Route 16 to Wellesley Hills. At Forest Street, turn left and travel one mile to the Babson campus. The Horn Library and Computer Center will be the fifth building on your left.

Description: Supporting an independent college of management, Horn Library concentrates in the subjects of business, management, economics, and entrepreneurship with a special collection of Sir Isaac Newton manuscripts and memorabilia.

Boston College Law School Library
884 Centre Street, Newton Centre
Tel: 552-4405
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Directions: Drive up Commonwealth Avenue 5-6 miles, go three ights beyond the Boston College main campus and take a right onto Centre Street, go three blocks, law campus is on your left.

Description: Beautiful and secluded law school campus with fully-equipped law library and high-tech classrooms. The library contains approximately 400,000 volumes.

Brandeis University Libraries
South Street, Waltham
Tel: 781-736-4624
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Sat CLOSED; Sun 10am-5pm

Directions: By car from the Massachusetts Turnpike westbound (Route 90), take Route 30-Weston exit at the 128 interchange; after traffic lights; left at the next set of lights onto River Road which becomes South Street. All visitors to the campus should stop at the main entrance for a temporary parking permit.

Description: Brandeis University Libraries offer combined collections of over one million volumes. The main library houses collections supporting the humanities and the social sciences, Judaica and creative arts. The Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections house the Justice Brandeis collection.

Wellesley College Library
106 Central Street, Wellesley
Tel: 283-3596
Hours: Mon-Thu 8:15am-midnight; Fri 8:15am-7pm; Sat noon-7pm; Sun noon-midnight

Directions: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike westbound (Route 90) to Route 16 (west); follow Rt. 16 about 3 miles; at the 5-way intersection in the town of Wellesley go straight on Rte 135 (West); at the third traffic light take a left into the main entrance of the college. The library is in the corner of the campus behind Green Hall.

Description: Wellesley has a library collection of over one million items housed in the main library (Margaret Clapp Library) and in several departmental libraries. Clapp library contains an excellent government documents collection including international documents, League of Nations and U.N. documents, having been a depository library since 1943. The campus and lake are beautiful this time of year!