Factories and ships pepper this bird’s-eye view of Boston in 1870. In the foreground on the right, the new Back Bay neighborhood is beginning to emerge; at the very bottom of the second slide, laborers are shown constructing new buildings on Clarendon Street.

Happy Sticker Sunday!! A well-placed sticker in your group chat can be unbelievably satisfying. We gathered some fresh options for you from our collection! Screenshot your favorites from this carousel, then press and hold to save them as stickers on your phone.

Have you seen our new project? 👀 Our “Maps in the Field” signs can now be found throughout the Boston area. By featuring historic maps, the signs interpret the histories of the locations in which they are installed.

How can textiles help us understand geography? Come to our next From the Vault showing to find out! From hand-embroidered globes stitched by schoolchildren to silk escape maps sewn into the jackets of WWII pilots, textile maps prove that cartography doesn't have to live on paper.

Where did Boston's waste go? One of the most extensive and ambitious infrastructure projects that was carried out during the height of Boston’s industrial era was the construction of a vast network of sewer and pumping systems to handle the metropolitan area’s waste.

This map uses a graphic technique to argue that New York City was already a mostly socialist community by the end of the 19th century. It uses just two colors: red, the printing color, and the negative white space of the paper color.

What can a Korean star chart from the MacLean Collection tell us about the heavens it was made to govern? Salvatore Martinelli explores this topic in the essay "Two Epistemologies of the Sky," which thinks about the order and allocated fields of astrological elements in the Korean court.

Have you heard of "By the People"? It's the Library of Congress's (@librarycongress.bsky.social ) crowdsourced transcription project, where volunteers have been transcribing, reviewing, and tagging digitized pages from the collections since 2018.

Excited for the World Cup Final? In this "From The Vault" collections showing, explore these and other historic maps of the World Cup finalists just before the end of the tournament. Registration not required. Drop by our Learning Center on Friday, July 17 any time between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

This map of Fairyland depicts places from nursery rhymes, fairy tales, Arthurian legends and the folktales of many cultures. collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commo...

Watch Matthew Dickey (@streetscapescurator) and Garrett Dash Nelson explore the history of Boston's Back Bay using Atlascope! youtu.be/Aq6hdPAdZ8U

Do you see your bike route? 🚲️ This vibrant 1990 map is a revised and redesigned edition of the Boston Bike Map first published by the Metropolitan Planning Organization in 1978. collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commo... @streets.boston.gov

Have you ever peered into a Directomat? In 1969, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) funded a pilot program for a “public environmental information system” depicted in these photos. Learn more in our digital exhibition, Processing Place. www.leventhalmap.org/digital-exhi...

The celestial model displayed here, referred to as an orrery, was used as an educational tool to demonstrate the movements of the Earth, moon and Venus relative to one another and the sun.

Here comes the sun! In 1990 the Boston Redevelopment Authority—with assistance from @sasakidesign—plotted building shadows at 8:00 am across Downtown Boston and Back Bay on the Summer and Winter solstices, the longest and shortest days of the year.

Happy (almost) Independence Day! To commemorate the occasion, BPL Special Collections (@bpl.boston.gov) will be displaying additional collection items for a one-day open house on Thursday, July 2 at 12:00 pm.

How did a single tree become an important symbol of the Boston Common early in Boston’s history? 🌳 Amanda Martin tackles this question in the essay "Trees Across Time: An Arboreal History of the Boston Common," which narrates the history of the Boston Common with trees as the main characters.

How do public budgets shape civic life? ⚖️ Register here to learn how residents can contribute to their city’s budget processes: www.leventhalmap.org/event/budget...

What does home look like to you? Join us in person on Wednesday, May 27 from 4:00–6:00 pm for a community map creation project! In this workshop, led by Dr. Meghan Kelly, we will collectively create map icons related to home and housing for the city of Boston. Register today: luma.com/d23v2l1y

From wagon trails to railroad networks, from tenement blocks to national portraits, maps offer a uniquely rich window into the many dimensions of migration. This drop-in showing will be hosted Friday, May 22 from 2:00–4:00 pm in the Learning Center. No advance registration is required.

Can AI change the way we explore historic maps? Find out in our upcoming free virtual talk, Katherine McDonough on AI and Map Collections! Monday, May 18 · 2:00 pm EDT  Co-hosted by BPL Digital Services (@bpl.boston.gov) and the Leventhal Map & Education Center.  Register now → luma.com/p782j2e7

I'm speaking about digital map collections & computer vision + AI on Monday evening (US eastern time) online as part of a series of events hosted by @bplmaps.bsky.social & @bpl.boston.gov Join @en-dash.bsky.social @jnchapel.bsky.social & I online! luma.com/p782j2e7

Katherine McDonough on AI and Map Collections · Luma

Join Dr. Katherine McDonough for a conversation about how machine vision technology can change the way we find and understand maps. With examples from…

luma.com

Join us this Saturday for a special Open House program with our colleagues in BPL Special Collections. We'll focus on rare documents that tell the story of the American Revolution in Boston and reflect the unique collections held at the Boston Public Library.  Drop in any time from 12:00–4:00 pm.

250 years ago, in the summer of 1776, the Declaration of Independence wasn't a celebrated historical document—it was breaking news.

The Leventhal Center gallery will be closed Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 10 as we prepare for our new exhibition Declarations: Printing a New Nation. Learn more about the exhibition here: www.leventhalmap.org/digital-exhi...

Explore the Declaration of Independence in a whole new way! This year, the Declarations Trail brings together more than a dozen rare copies of the Declaration—different printings, created for different audiences—on public view across six exhibition sites in Greater Boston.

The Leventhal Center is excited to share that we're hiring a new Curator or Associate Curator of Maps & Geography! If you’re passionate about digging deep into maps and their stories, we’d love to hear from you. Apply by Monday, March 30, for full consideration: buff.ly/1I0bHuI

Learn how to use picture books to teach elementary students about the basics of geography, mapping and spatial awareness🗺️ You'll complete this session with a recommended book list and strategies for your classroom. Register for the workshop here: buff.ly/3OQqJGz

Have you ever considered yourself something of a "map head"? We're currently hiring for two positions! Learn more and apply online: www.leventhalmap.org/about/jobs/

🎆On March 17, 1776, British rule in Boston ended 🎆 In this From The Vault map collection showing, take a look at maps that explore the Evacuation of Boston as we mark its 250th anniversary. Drop in any time between 2:00PM - 4:00PM. No reservation is required.