Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.
Choose · notice · investigate
Libraries & community places
Investigate a historical map of public libraries. Compare the original edition with a later facsimile, or copy.
Showing 2 of 2 resources
The public libraries of Massachusetts — [ca. 1904]Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Bartlett, George Hartnell, 1838-1923 Image source ↗
historical
Public libraries of Massachusetts, about 1904
statewide · 1900s
Find libraries on a map made around the beginning of the twentieth century.
A question to investigate
How might library access differ between places?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
The public libraries of Massachusetts — ca. 2000 facsimile of the ca. 1904 map.Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Bartlett, George Hartnell, 1838-1923, Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts Image source ↗
historical
Public libraries of Massachusetts — later facsimile
statewide · 1900s
Study a later reproduction of Bartlett’s early-twentieth-century library map. The catalog dates the facsimile to about 2000; its mapped information is historical.
A question to investigate
How can a reproduction preserve an older map’s information?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Sources checked September 23, 2026. Open the source for current programs, hours, access, and map updates. Historical maps may contain outdated language or incomplete representations of Native homelands.
