FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2008

CONTACT: Communications Office
617-859-2212


The Boston Public Library’s Connolly branch will close for roof repairs beginning May 5. The branch will re-open at noon on Monday, May 19.

The roof of the branch developed a leak in December. The cause has been determined and a contractor has been engaged to make the necessary repairs and perform interior work on the ceiling where the leak occurred.

Closing the branch will expedite the work of the contractor and ensure the safety and comfort of the public and the staff. Environmental consultants will inspect the work and clear the building before it re-opens. The Boston Public Health Department is advising the library throughout the process.

The Connolly branch is located at 433 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain.

Customers of the BPL’s Connolly branch have their choice of 26 other neighborhood branches to use for the duration of the closure. Services such as reserve book pick-up will be transferred to the Jamaica Plain branch, which is located at 12 Sedgwick Street.

For more than 150 years, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America with revolutionary ideas and famous firsts. 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 boasts 27 neighborhood branches, free Internet access, and an award-winning website www.bpl.org. All of its programs and exhibits are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning!