Digitization alert! We just digitized scrapbooks from the New England Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing records documenting both the hospital and the nursing school! Check out probationary nurse Claire Eliott’s scrapbook here: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/29695

We’re wishing our students a restful and restorative fall break! We’re taking our cue from this Newton College of the Sacred Heart student and will be turning some pages under the changing leaves.  Student life, circa 1946-1975, Box: 57, Folder: 46. Newton College of the Sacred Heart records.

In 2014, a BC photographer snapped these joyful images at the Hispanic/Latino Alumni Community Service Awards. They now live in the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center records & we’re sharing them in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. More: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/8

The Regency Period is commonly portrayed in a plethora of appealing ways. How do we reconcile historical reality with a cultural imaginary? Read more in our newest blog “Reconciling the Regency. https://johnjburnslibrary.wordpress.com/2026/09/21/reconciling-the-regency/

#onthisday in 1904, writer, journalist, and intelligence officer Graham Greene was born. Greene travelled extensively during his career and his papers document his travel and his relationships across countries and continents.  For more: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/135

HBD to Congressman Edward Boland! Boland graduated from BC Law and served in Congress from 1953 to 1989. Boland was a close friend of Tip O’Neill and roomed with him when they were in Washington DC.  Boland’s papers live at Burns. Learn more: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/563

Many Batman story arcs seem to have ubiquitous reach in the comic world, but there are lesser known stories that are just as memorable and creative. Check out our blog for more: https://johnjburnslibrary.wordpress.com/2022/10/24/batman-gothic/

"‘From Suffrage to Sisterhood’ Senia Pašeta, BC's new Burns Scholar in Irish Studies, will speak on September 30" See BC News' write-up on this semester's Visiting Burns Scholar www.bc.edu/content/bc-w... @burnslibrary.bsky.social

‘From Suffrage to Sisterhood’

Senia Pašeta, BC's new Burns Scholar in Irish Studies, will speak on September 30

bc.edu

Starting in the late 1850s, the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland formed Model Schools to provide vocational ed to Irish workers. In 1861, they published this primer, “Simple directions in needle-work and cutting out : intended for the use of the national female schools of Ireland."

It's the last days of #LeoSeason and we’re soaking in the light of this 1548 Spanish version of Peter Apian’s Cosmographia. 🧵

Cambridge native, BC alum, Congressman, and Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill believed that public service was a means to right societal wrongs, build thriving communities, and support individual and collective growth. Explore his life in our new exhibit: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/30ea...

Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr.

An Exhibit at Boston College's O'Neill Library

storymaps.arcgis.com

Born on this day in 1645, Eusebio Francisco Kino was an Italian Jesuit, missionary, and cartographer who worked in present-day Mexico and Arizona. Arriving in the early 1680s, Kino drew many maps of the area, several of which are included in this 1965 volume documenting Kino’s cartography.

I'm leaving Boston College today filled with gratitude: what an amazing six weeks this has been! I've gotten more done on my book project than I have for a very long time thanks to the resources and support of @burnslibrary.bsky.social and @bc-irish-studies.bsky.social.

pov: your camera roll if you were dating john boyle o'reilly

On August 6, 1945, the US detonated an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, killing thousands. Eight Jesuit priests in the rectory and church near the center of the blast amazingly suffered only minor injuries. Four years later, in 1949, Japanese Catholics observed mass at the church ruins

Today, BC celebrates the feast day of St. Ignatius and also marks the close of William P. Leahy, S.J.'s transformative thirty year presidency. This photo shows Fr. Leahy celebrating mass in Gasson Hall in the late 1990s.  https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/14038

In the summer of 1914, a visitor to Cape Cod pasted this image in a photo album and captioned it “Among the desolate waste of sand dunes on Cape Cod, Mass.” For more images of Cape Cod sand dunes, check out the entire album: https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC2023-014-168625

Did you know that the Red Sox used to play in a stadium off Huntington Avenue? From 1901-1911, the Red Sox (named the Boston Americans until 1908) played in the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, a stadium located on the present-day Northeastern University campus.

Digitization alert! We recently digitized new portions of our Boston College alumni papers, including scrapbooks, diplomas, essays, & sermons. We like this photo of the class of 1910, from alum John Kirby. See more digitized materials: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/13/digitized

We just finished processing a collection from our neighbor, the Parish of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The records include announcements, histories, photos, & programs. We especially like this 1952 card with instructions for the eucharistic fast. https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/1022

Disability Pride Month marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and marks the ongoing work to make civil rights real in daily life. These guides document work on accessibility at BC after the ADA. For more, see the finding aid: findingaids.bc.edu/repositories...

#otd in 1817, Thoreau was born in Concord, Mass. This 1977 biography originally belonged to writer and BC alum George Ryan. Ryan researched Thoreau and his connection to Ellen Sewall Osgood, an amateur geologist. For more of George Ryan’s research materials, contact us!

The sun is out, the sky is blue, and we’re ready to spend some time on the beach! In 1887, the creator of this album spent time in North Scituate, snapping photos of Minot Beach and other coastal areas. To see more, contact us.  https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/1017

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Irish Institute Director Professor Mary C. Murphy pens an essay about the current and future relationship between the U.S. and Ireland. https://on.bc.edu/AmericaIreland250_MM

July is Cape Verdean Heritage Month! These photos of Cape Verdean laborers working in the Agawam cranberry bogs document some of the earliest Cape Verdean immigrants to Massachusetts. 🧵 @universalhub.com

This spring, students from Professor Jean Franzino’s First Year Writing class explored our collections. We’re excited to share an essay by student, Gibson Hurley about Countess Constance Markievicz. Read here https://johnjburnslibrary.wordpress.com/2026/06/01/glimpses-into-the-life-of-a-great-woman/

In 1871, Fisk University organized a student acapella group to tour the US and fundraise. They took the name the Jubilee Singers, a reference to the Jewish year of Jubilee in which the enslaved were set free. This 1898 book includes the group’s history as well as some of the music they performed.

Today is the 251st anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Samuel Leighton of Kittery Maine enlisted in the 30th Regiment of Foot on May 3, 1775 and fought at Bunker Hill a little over a month later. His papers, including this muster roll, live with us. For more: findingaids.bc.edu/repositories...

#otd in 1912, Bostonian Sally Fairchild photographed a civic celebration in Kyoto, Japan, capturing school children waving Japanese flags. On the second year of a four year journey through Asia, Sally had arrived in Japan after previously spending time in Manila. 🧵

On this day in 1906, Harvard performed Aeschylus’ Agamemnon in the original Greek. The June 14 performance was an open rehearsal and took place in Harvard’s Stadium in Brighton. Its documented in a photo album living in our collections. View the album: library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC...