For this post, we’d like to revisit a collaboration between Boston Public Library and the Digital Commonwealth Inc. nonprofit. In 2022, BPL and DC Inc. applied for and received grant funding to hire an Education Fellow, with the goal of increasing usage of DigitalCommonwealth.org resources in the classroom. Lara DeRose worked with local educators, agencies, and other stakeholders over the course of her yearlong fellowship. We spoke with Lara about her work and how primary sources in social studies can benefit kids across Massachusetts.

An 1890 photograph titled, "Encyclopedia dedication at the Stony Brook School"
This photo captures an encyclopedia dedication at the Stony Brook School… maybe we should start having classroom smartboard dedications!

Can you give us the elevator pitch for what you’ve designed?  Researching Massachusetts teachers’ needs, we discovered that many of Digital Commonwealth’s resources connected to local history embedded in the elementary history and social science standards. There is also a dearth of curriculum resources for those early grade levels, as districts focus their resources on math and literacy in elementary school. In response, we built a model third grade unit that would teach students to properly research and interpret primary and secondary sources while having fun learning local history.  While this work was successful, curriculum development is arduous, and not a pathway that will be successful without a dedicated team or individual responsible for developing high quality, research-based educational curricula that can be tailored to MA communities. This process must be ongoing.

The current standard for curriculum units used in MA classrooms is very high, and a partnership might be the best option[…]. While hiring an individual with proficiency in instructional design, educational technology and content creation is a possibility, this might limit the ability to perform other important outreach activities. Clear roles and responsibilities should be defined within this team or for the individual connecting them to particular “fresh” content that has been or is being added [to the repository]. Collaboration with stakeholders, such as community librarians, museums, and grade level educators, will increase [the] success and use of these materials. Continuous feedback and updates from educators will ensure that the curricula remain relevant, engaging, and effective, allowing for iterative improvements over time.

Is there anything else in the country like what you’re designing – nevermind for free?!

Since we met with DESE [Mass. Department of Elementary & Secondary Education] last summer, they have acknowledged the lack of high quality instructional materials for elementary social studies. They have recruited several curriculum development groups that are releasing a few “Investigating History” grades 3 & 4 sample lesson plans to pilot this year. I see this as an opportunity for Digital Commonwealth to “crosswalk” their resources with the release to share how teachers can use Digital Commonwealth in conjunction with Investigating History. Digital access to Investigating History is free to all Massachusetts teachers.

Does local history/localized education have much of a role in schools nowadays?

Yes, local history is part of the frameworks educators are required to teach. Learning about local history can give students context when moving on to state, national or international topics and a deeper understanding of civics. Students will not only have a better understanding of social studies themes like “change over time” but local history topics will also increase families’ appreciation of their regional history and their local government.

What have been your favorite aspects of the work to this point? 

My favorite aspect of this work was exploring primary sources in Digital Commonwealth from local museums. As a former history teacher, I love collecting the individual stories that will connect students to history. This year I often fell down rabbit holes exploring photographs, artifacts, and letters. I am excited to stay connected with Digital Commonwealth, sharing and supporting opportunities for outreach.

A map titled, "A map of New-England, being the first that ever was here cut, and done by the best pattern that could be had, which being in some places defective, it made the other less exact; yet does it sufficiently shew the scituation of the country, and conveniently well the distance of places"
Here’s just one of the dozens of New England maps dated to before the 19th century you can find on DigitalCommonwealth.org!

Going forward, and with thanks to the Repository team here at BPL, we’ll be sharing some statistics on new collections being shared for the first time on DigitalCommonwealth.org. Below is our first update, for March 2025.

Hosted collections added:

Boston Public Library:

Heritage Museum and Gardens:

Ipswich Public Library:

Millicent Library:

  • The Fairhaven Star (4,540 items; issues of the weekly newspaper from 1880-1967)
  • The Star (49 items; issues of the weekly newspaper from 1879-1880)

Harvested collections added:

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library – 137 new items

Total hosted items: 692,890

The following message was sent via email to all Statewide partners institutions on March 26, 2025, and also shared via the MBLC All-Regions email list. We’re sharing it here to ensure all our partners and community members have access to this information about Statewide services and the decision to end the formal BPL-Digital Commonwealth, Inc. partnership.

We want to share an important update regarding Boston Public Library’s statewide digital services. BPL and Digital Commonwealth Inc. (the non-profit organization that has provided education and outreach services) have made the decision to end our formal partnership as we each pursue our distinct organizational missions. This change will enable BPL to enhance our statewide digitization and digital repository services while creating clearer pathways for institutions to engage with these resources.

To be absolutely clear: There will be no impact to the statewide digitization service, digital repository, or statewide digital collections site. All services operated by BPL as the Library for the Commonwealth that comprise “Digital Commonwealth” will continue uninterrupted. For a refresher on how Digital Commonwealth works and the services BPL provides, check out our guide to statewide services.

BPL remains fully committed to providing these valuable statewide digital services and to supporting Massachusetts cultural institutions in preserving and sharing their collections. To address any questions you may have and share more about our vision for the future, we invite you to join us for a Statewide Digital Town Hall on Thursday, May 1 at 1:00 PM via Zoom. Register here for the town hall. In the coming months, we will also be reaching out with additional opportunities for you to provide input as we continue to develop and improve these services.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at digital@bpl.org. We value our partnership with your institution and look forward to continuing our work together.

Sincerely,

Michael Colford
Director of Library Services
Boston Public Library