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Opening
Its first reading room opened in 1854 with 16,000 volumes
The library was founded in 1848 and established by city ordinance in 1852. Its Reading Room opened in a former schoolhouse on Mason Street on March 20, 1854. The quarters were soon inadequate for the collection.
16,000volumes in the opening day collection
Branches
In 1870 it opened the first branch library in the United States
The East Boston branch opened in 1870. The library opened 21 more branches in Boston neighborhoods between 1872 and 1900, with the aim of increasing its reach and providing services to residents everywhere.
21more branches opened between 1872 and 1900
Copley Square
The Copley Square building was designed by McKim, Mead, and White
The site was in Back Bay on Copley Square, opposite Trinity Church. In 1887 the New York firm of McKim, Mead, and White was chosen. The McKim Building was completed in 1895 and houses the research collection.
Pink granite
A 1972 addition by Philip Johnson uses the same pink granite
The Boylston Street Building opened in 1972 beside the McKim Building. The two are attached and interconnected with interior passageways. The McKim Building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Rare books
The collection holds a First Folio and the library of John Adams
The library holds more than 1.7 million rare books and manuscripts, including medieval manuscripts and early editions of William Shakespeare. It also has the personal library of John Adams.
3,800volumes in the personal library of John Adams
Day 3, afternoon
It comes after Newbury Street. Then Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Boston Public Library, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.