Established in 1848, the BPL was the first publicly supported municipal library in America, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library and the first to have a children's room. Today, the BPL has 27 neighborhood branches, free Internet access, two unique restaurants, an award-winning website www.bpl.org programs and exhibits are free and open to the public. and an on-line store featuring reproductions of the BPL's priceless photographs and artwork. Each year, the BPL hosts nearly 5,000 programs and events, answers more than one million reference questions and serves millions of people in its National Historic Landmark McKim Building in Copley Square.
