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