In 1848, the Boston City Council enacted a statute creating the Boston Public Library. The library is notable for being the first public library in the United States to allow patrons to borrow books and take them home, a revolutionary idea at the time. Today, anyone with a Boston Public Library card may borrow up to 75 books at a time.

The Boston Public Library is one of the great treasures of Boston. In addition to the collection of rare books and documents, the library is filled with sculpture and paintings. An open-air courtyard in the center of the 1895 building has a lovely garden.