What is the State House Library?

The State House Library is the common name for the State Library of Massachusetts, which sits inside the Massachusetts State House. It was established in 1826 and serves lawmakers, state officials, researchers and visitors.

Where is the State House Library?

The library is at 24 Beacon Street, Room 341, on the third floor of the Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA 02133. It is not on State Street. The State House stands at the top of Park Street, facing Boston Common.

What are the State House Library hours?

The main library is open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and closed on Massachusetts legal holidays. Call 617-727-2590 if you are planning around closing time.

Is the State House Library open to the public?

The main library lists regular weekday hours and says no appointment is needed. Everyone entering the State House goes through security, and the library does not publish a separate visitor policy, so call ahead if you have a specific plan.

How do I get into the State House to visit the library?

Use the General Hooker Entrance on Beacon Street, at the top of Park Street, and pass through security. The accessible entrance is the Ashburton Park Entrance on Bowdoin Street. Room 341 is on the third floor.

Can you borrow books from the State Library?

Mostly not as a visitor. State employees can get library cards, and other visitors can get a guest pass for two hours on the public computers. Rare books, maps, photographs and local history items must be used in the library.

What is in the State House Library?

The library holds about half a million printed items, with a focus on Massachusetts state publications, legislative research and law. Special Collections include the Bradford Manuscript, and the reading room displays Audubon prints and historic busts.

When was the State House Library founded?

The General Court established it in 1826. It has been in its present rooms in the Brigham Addition of the State House since 1895.

Is there a bookstore in the State House?

Yes. The Massachusetts State Bookstore is in Room 116 of the State House and lists weekday hours of 8:45 AM to 5 PM. It sells legislative publications, regulations, books and souvenirs.

Is there parking near the State House Library?

There is no free or visitor parking at the State House. The nearest garage is the Boston Common Garage on Charles Street, and Park Street station is a short uphill walk away.

Can I tour the Massachusetts State House?

Yes. Interior tours of the State House are free, last about 40 minutes and are booked by phone at 617-727-3676. The library is a separate visit within the same building.

Does the Boston Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus stop at the State House Library?

The bus does not stop at the library itself, but Stop 8 is the Massachusetts State House, the building that holds the library. See the tour map for the full route.

State House Library: Hours, Address & Visitor Guide

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State House Library
The State House Library, officially the State Library of Massachusetts, is on the third floor of the Massachusetts State House at 24 Beacon Street, Room 341, Boston, MA 02133. Its reading room has stained glass ceiling windows, restored columns and Audubon prints, and the library holds about half a million printed items. It is open Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and every visitor goes through State House security first. This guide covers the address, hours, how to get in, what to see and how Stop 8 of the Boston Sightseeing hop-on hop-off route lets you step off beside the State House.
Location and History
The State Library of Massachusetts, often called the State House Library, is at 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133. The main reading room is Room 341, on the third floor at the rear of the building, and Special Collections are in Room 55 on the lower level of the west wing. Despite what some searches suggest, this is not a library on State Street. It is inside the State House, at the top of Park Street, facing Boston Common across Beacon Street.
The General Court established the library in 1826, and its roots go back to 1811, when Massachusetts began swapping statutes with other states. It moved into its present rooms in the State House's Brigham Addition in 1895, which explains the late Victorian look of the reading room. The library supports lawmakers, state officials, researchers and the public, and it is the official depository for Massachusetts state publications. In 1960 the legislature renamed it for former attorney general George Fingold, a name that still turns up in older references.
Hours And Visiting
The main library is open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and closed on Massachusetts legal holidays. Hours last checked October 27, 2026. Special Collections work mostly by appointment, and the library lists different days in different places, so call 617-727-2595 before you go.
Visitors enter the State House through the General Hooker Entrance on Beacon Street, at the top of Park Street, and everyone goes through security. The accessible entrance is the Ashburton Park Entrance on Bowdoin Street. Room 341 is on the third floor, and the main library does not require an appointment.
Walk-in visitors can pick up a self-guided tour sheet, and guests can use the public computers and databases for up to two hours with a guest pass. The stacks are closed, so staff bring books to you, and rare books, maps and photographs stay in the library. Groups of 5 to 16 can arrange a guided tour by emailing the Reference Department at Reference.Department@mass.gov.
The State House has no free or visitor parking. The nearest garage is the Boston Common Garage on Charles Street, and Park Street station sits at the bottom of Park Street, a short uphill walk from the entrance. The library is a weekday stop, so build it into a Monday to Friday plan.
Explore the Library
Three things reward a visit, and the first one is the room itself.
The Main Reading Room
Architect Charles Brigham designed the windows in the reading room, which has been in the Brigham Addition since 1895. Three stained glass ceiling windows, each about 15 feet by 9 feet, mark the years 1620, 1775 and 1861. A raised fleur-de-lis ceiling was painted over in 1964, though a small patch of the original paint still shows above the mezzanine. A renovation in 2014 and 2015 restored the columns and the metal bookcases to their 1895 colors.
Rare Items And Art
Special Collections hold the Bradford Manuscript, William Bradford's handwritten account of the Pilgrims, and the library owns a complete original double elephant folio set of Audubon's Birds of America, printed from 1827 to 1838. Reproductions of those prints decorate the reading room. The library also keeps busts, including Theodore Roosevelt by Gutzon Borglum, and a 1976 needlework panel of eleven Freedom Trail sites that has been on loan in the fourth-floor conference room.
Exhibits
The library mounts changing exhibits three times a year outside the Room 341 entrance. Past shows include The State of Our Library: 200 Years of Serving the Commonwealth. Call 617-727-2590 to ask what is on now.
Nearby Attractions
The library is part of the Massachusetts State House, whose free interior tours last about 40 minutes and are booked by phone at 617-727-3676. Everything else on this page is within a few minutes on foot. Boston Common is across Beacon Street, and the Park Street Church and the Granary Burying Ground sit at the bottom of Park Street on the Freedom Trail. Behind the State House, Beacon Hill has its gas lamps and brick sidewalks, and Acorn Street is a favorite photo stop.
Book lovers have more to see. The Boston Athenaeum, a private membership library, is also on Beacon Street, and the Boston Public Library in Copley Square is Stop 6 on our Blue route. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a walk of about half a mile downhill if you want lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the State House Library?
The State House Library is the common name for the State Library of Massachusetts, which sits inside the Massachusetts State House. It was established in 1826 and serves lawmakers, state officials, researchers and visitors.
Where is the State House Library?
The library is at 24 Beacon Street, Room 341, on the third floor of the Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA 02133. It is not on State Street. The State House stands at the top of Park Street, facing Boston Common.
What are the State House Library hours?
The main library is open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and closed on Massachusetts legal holidays. Call 617-727-2590 if you are planning around closing time.
Is the State House Library open to the public?
The main library lists regular weekday hours and says no appointment is needed. Everyone entering the State House goes through security, and the library does not publish a separate visitor policy, so call ahead if you have a specific plan.
How do I get into the State House to visit the library?
Use the General Hooker Entrance on Beacon Street, at the top of Park Street, and pass through security. The accessible entrance is the Ashburton Park Entrance on Bowdoin Street. Room 341 is on the third floor.
Can you borrow books from the State Library?
Mostly not as a visitor. State employees can get library cards, and other visitors can get a guest pass for two hours on the public computers. Rare books, maps, photographs and local history items must be used in the library.
What is in the State House Library?
The library holds about half a million printed items, with a focus on Massachusetts state publications, legislative research and law. Special Collections include the Bradford Manuscript, and the reading room displays Audubon prints and historic busts.
When was the State House Library founded?
The General Court established it in 1826. It has been in its present rooms in the Brigham Addition of the State House since 1895.
Is there a bookstore in the State House?
Yes. The Massachusetts State Bookstore is in Room 116 of the State House and lists weekday hours of 8:45 AM to 5 PM. It sells legislative publications, regulations, books and souvenirs.
Is there parking near the State House Library?
There is no free or visitor parking at the State House. The nearest garage is the Boston Common Garage on Charles Street, and Park Street station is a short uphill walk away.
Can I tour the Massachusetts State House?
Yes. Interior tours of the State House are free, last about 40 minutes and are booked by phone at 617-727-3676. The library is a separate visit within the same building.
Does the Boston Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus stop at the State House Library?
The bus does not stop at the library itself, but Stop 8 is the Massachusetts State House, the building that holds the library. See the tour map for the full route.

Planning a Tour with Boston Sightseeing
Stop 8 of the Boston Sightseeing double-decker route is at the Massachusetts State House, so you can step off at the building and walk to the Beacon Street entrance. Buses run roughly every 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, from about 9:30 AM to about 5:00 PM, and the ride is narrated. The library closes at 5 PM on weekdays, so hop off before mid afternoon. Stop 4 is Boston Common and Stop 5 is Cheers and Beacon Hill, and our tour map shows every stop. Check the route and stop notice before you ride, since schedules shift in winter.
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