Once hidden behind credentials and closed doors, Boston Public Library’s Special Collections is now more accessible than ever. Its latest March 25 open house featured “Women Who Shaped the BPL,” an exhibit honoring the female donors, curators and collectors who helped build its archives.
The display included books preserved by Mary Bogan, the first woman to work in the Boston Public Library, or BPL, conservation lab in the 1990s, along with hand-painted wildflowers by West Roxbury artist Marianne Dwight Orvis and more works.
The Boston Public Library’s Special Collections, formerly the Rare Books department, preserves and provides access to rare and culturally significant materials, including books, art, music and sculptures. Now in its fifth year, the team fosters discovery and learning through the preservation of diverse and unique collections.
Kimberly Reynolds, a public archivist at the BPL, was eager to share all of the female trailblazers that shaped the Special Collections. She reflected fondly on the Thayer sisters of Dorchester, who strongly advocated for their collections of books to be next to each other when considering donating to the BPL.
“You think just men collect?” Reynolds said. “These women knew what they wanted, they knew what they had and they knew how valuable their items were.”
For Bogan, a former book conservator for the John Adams Library held at the BPL, the open house was a homecoming. Bogan started at the BPL as a member of the Rare Books department almost 35 years ago, working on the collection that now includes more than 3,500 books.
Bogan’s job entailed looking at the condition of each book and coming up with a treatment plan based on its perceived value. While some books are preserved for their content, Bogan is particularly interested in their historical significance — knowing who owned them and leaving what their age reveals about their past untouched.
“[Books] can be important because it’s part of something bigger. What’s the story we’re telling here? What do we need to preserve? What’s left to preserve?” Bogan said.
With the open house focused on highlighting women, Bogan felt a sense of pride, not just for what representation meant as a female conservator, but the diverse breath of the BPL’s Special Collections archive.
“Special Collections has grown tremendously. It’s much more forward-facing. When I worked here, people who wanted to use rare books had to present a letter with credentials. That’s not the case anymore,” Bogan said. “Someone can come in off the street and say, ‘I hear you have interesting things. Can you show me something?’”
She also reflected on the collection’s significance, noting its role in preserving both historical foundations and cultural movements.
“I’m speaking from a different time period, but ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’ was a seminal book. We all had a copy of that as young feminists, and now there’s this growing collection of that here,” Bogan said, referring to a book about women’s health and sexuality published in 1970 by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.
Special Collections Public Services Supervisor Kathleen Monahan hopes more people come to department events surrounding Special Collections’ catalogue. With open houses in April spanning topics from cook books to the American Revolution in Boston, Monahan emphasized that these events aim to make the collections more accessible to the public.
“Whether they want to simply enjoy the open house or use it as a springboard to come back for their own research or curiosity, our goal is for everyone to know the library’s resources are available for the study and enjoyment of all,” Monahan said.
For the “Women Who Shaped the BPL” open house, the spotlight on past female contributions highlighted their lasting impact today. Reflecting on the history of the women who made Special Collections and the BPL at-large the institutions they are today, Reynolds said that she is inspired by the women who came before her.
“These women loved each other, supported each other; they believed in each other,” Reynolds said. “I feel the same with who I work with today; they are the most interesting people on Earth. They are so strong in their fields and expertise. We rock. We’re the sisterhood.”
When speaking about the women of the BPL, like donor Elaine Leeder and curator Ellen Oldham, there’s an infectious spark and passion to Reynolds that she hopes to share with others.
Reynolds was proud of the work that went into hosting the recent open house, with the hopes of more people — more women, in particular — to find an interest in Special Collections.
“I’d ultimately like women to appreciate the generosity of these women of the BPL,” she said. “History is very much alive and you are a part of it.”
Correction: This story was updated March 31 at 3:52 p.m. to correct the status of Mary Bogan’s role as a former book conservator at the John Adams Library.
