Hours

Research Hours

Available by advance appointment Tuesday-Friday 10:00 am-4:15 pm. In-person access to the Rare Maps Reading Room is available by advance appointment only. Bookings should be made at least 2 days in advance to provide time for paging items for use. Please see our Research Appointments page for more information and to make an appointment online.

BPL Hours

For the general opening hours of the Central Library in Copley Square, see the BPL website.

Directions

We are located at the Central Library in Copley Square, at 700 Boylston Street in Boston. Inside the library, we are located on the ground floor of the McKim Building, on the west side of the Courtyard and near the Glass Elevator of the Boylston Street Building. Look for arrows to the Leventhal Center in the library’s wayfinding signs. Note that the McKim Building also features the Map Room Café, which is a restaurant and bar that is not associated with the Leventhal Center.

By public transit

The library is conveniently located near many public transit stations, including the Copley station of the Green Line, the Back Bay station of the Orange Line and Commuter Rail, and bus lines 9, 10, 55, 39, 504, 57, 553, and 501. Use the MBTA Trip Planner for more information on traveling by transit.

By bicycle

Bicycle racks are available near the library at the corner of Blagden Street and Dartmouth Street near the McKim Building, and along the west side of the Boylston Street Building on Exeter Street. A Bluebikes station is located on the corner of Dartmouth Street and Boylston Street.

By automobile

Limited street parking is available in the Back Bay neighborhood. Nearby hotels and shopping centers in Copley Square also offer paid garage parking.

By foot

The library is located just two blocks from the southwestern corner of the Public Garden. It is 0.9 mi (1.4 km) from the starting point of the Freedom Trail in Boston Common.