Boston Public Library
| Boston Public Library | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1848 |
| Branches | 24 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 24,079,520 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 3.69 million (FY 2013) |
| Population served | 6,547,629 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $31.2 million, plus $8.2 million from trust fund (2013) |
| Director | David Leonard, President Robert E. Gallery, Chairman of the Board |
| Affiliation | Boston Library Consortium |
| Website | bpl.org |
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The Boston Public Library 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 Central Library's McKim building in Copley Square was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2000.