Collection Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Collection

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Novissima et accuratissima totius Americae descriptio
The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library cares for more than a quarter million cartographic and geographic objects, ranging from the fifteenth century to the present, with a global scope and a focus on Boston and New England. Created in 2004 as a private-public partnership between the philanthropist Norman B. Leventhal and the Boston Public Library, the LMEC is located in the McKim Building at the BPL’s Central Library in Copley Square. The LMEC features a permanent exhibition gallery and extensive educational, interpretive, and research programs focusing on the critical historical relationship between people and places. The LMEC has a particular focus on K-12 education, with school programs and resources that encourage young people’s curiosity about the world through an understanding of geographic relationships and processes. Additionally, the LMEC is a leader in digital humanities initiatives, and many special interactive features and discovery tools built on digital collections are available at the Center’s website. The LMEC’s collections, exhibitions, lectures, research seminars, and public interpretive programs are all free and open to the public. In-person access to the collections are available by appointment at the LMEC Rare Maps Reading Room.