Support vital conservation work with your generous donation

We rely on the support of generous individuals to fund our ongoing efforts to protect and preserve irreplaceable treasures in the Boston Public Library. We've made significant progress, providing a consistent source of private support to aid conservation, digitization, and more.

Special Collections need urgent attention

Thousands of irreplaceable literary, artistic, historical, and cultural resources in the Boston Public Library's Special Collections need urgent attention before they are beyond repair. Acidic paper, environment pollutants, and improper storage are just some of the elements that threaten to turn our shared history into dust.

The David McCullough Conservation Fund was established in 2001, to provide a consistent source of funding for the restoration and preservation of the BPL’s Special Collections. The fund is dedicated to the conservation, cataloging, digitization, and exhibition of the Library’s historic, literary, and cultural treasures. Named after historian David McCullough, who during his tenure as a Boston Public Library Trustee (1995-2000), became convinced of the growing need to conserve the Library's many irreplaceable treasures. Not so incidentally, McCullough made extensive use of the Library's Special Collections while writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography John Adams published in 2001 and subsequently 1776, published in 2005. To this day, McCullough is a strong advocate for preservation and for our work.

The William O. Taylor Art Preservation Fund was created in 2010 to honor Bill's many years of service and generosity to the BPL. In addition to serving as a BPL Trustee from 1990-2006, Bill also headed the Trustee Collections Committee (now the Special Collections Committee). He, like McCullough, was a passionate advocate for the preservation of the BPL's most important historic and artistic holdings. As the publisher of the Boston Globe, Bill had a particular interest in photographs documenting the city's people, politics, architecture, history, and changing landscape.  He was also an ardent admirer of art in all its forms, and artists, especially those who had been inspired by New England, and whose careers had been nurtured by Boston patrons, galleries and institutions. Accordingly, the Associates Taylor Fund is dedicated to conserving, cataloging, digitizing, and exhibiting the BPL’s collections of prints, drawings, photographs, and works of art.

The Associates’ endowment fund exists to ensure that preservation activities can continue at the Boston Public Library in perpetuity.

Become a member of the Associates

Membership dues help to support conservation, digitization, special programming, the Associates office, and more.
The Associates offers five membership levels and four recognition circles for those who wish to support our work with larger gifts. At each level, you will receive:

The Associates’ e-newsletter detailing some of our most interesting work

Early notice of Associates’ events, in addition to our e-newsletter

An Associates’ bookmark, early notice of events, and our e-newsletter

Recognition in the Associates’ Annual Report, plus Associates’ notecards, early notice of events, and our e-newsletter

An invitation to an Associates’ private talk, tour or event; recognition in our Annual Report; Associates’ notecards; early notice of events; and our e-newsletter

All Benefactor benefits, plus inclusion in a small group author-led lunch and discussion (max. 15).

All Benefactor benefits, plus an invitation to a small group behind-the-scenes tour with a BPL curator or manager, followed by lunch with others at the event (max. 12).

All of the Benefactor benefits, plus a a small group session with an expert examining one of the treasures in the BPL’s Special Collections for the Conservator’s Circle member and one guest, followed by lunch or cocktails with others at the event (max. 10).

All of the Benefactor benefits, plus a private viewing of highlights from the BPL’s Special Collections for the Chairman's Circle member and up to nine friends, followed by lunch, high tea, or cocktails.