Not very far from the campus at UMass Boston, there is a place that celebrates the fruits of the thinking mind. It is called the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, and it is located at 200 Massachusetts Avenue, right here in Boston. After a four-year renovation, this long-time cultural landmark (it was originally constructed in 1935) recently re-opened to the public and welcomed more than 10,000 people in the first week. With 87,000 square feet of exhibits and programs dedicated to celebrating ideas that have made the world a better place to live, the Mary Baker Eddy Library is an ideal place for the curious individual.
Aside from the surreal environment and enchanting architecture, this library has three features that separate it from any other library you can think of. First, there is the Mapparium?. You actually have to see this to believe it, but here is some general information: It is a three-story globe of the world, constructed out of 608 individually crafted panes of glass. A glass bridge runs through the globe, and allows for a 360-degree view of the world as it was almost seventy years ago. It is scaled to 22 miles per inch, and is 30 feet in diameter. It was built in 1935 at a cost of $89,000, and is the only map like it in the country.
Next, there is the Hall of Ideas. This is the first thing to greet visitors to the library, with the exception of the very helpful people at the reception area. The Hall of Ideas is an ornate room, built with materials from around the world. Countries who could not afford to send money donated various tiles and other building materials. In the center of the room is a glass and bronze sculpture that serves as the “fountain” of ideas. From this fountain, projected luminescent letters bubble to form words and offer greetings in 800 languages. More impressive are the 3000 quoted ideas that slowly and individually pour onto the floor and move to the wall. Quotes from Gandhi to Chief Joseph, Malcolm X to Mother Theresa are among the collection, all sharing the same credit of contributing to the betterment of the world. One could sit in this room (for free) for hours on end, and still not read all the ideas.
Finally, this library houses multiple interactive galleries that combine elements of the past with technology of the present, all geared towards teaching folks about humanity. Virtual tours of history, including the lifetime work of Mary Baker Eddy, are rich with stimuli for the senses and the mind. Of note, the building holds one of the country’s largest collections of works by and about American women, as well as a research library that is filled with books and periodicals always open to the public.
It seems a little necessary here to say something about Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science Church and the library. Born in New Hampshire in 1821, Eddy is known for commitment to helping humanity. At a time when women could not vote, and when most women could not read, she was a pioneer. By her death in 1910, Eddy had founded a religion, wrote and published numerous books, made advancements in medicine and the sciences, and started a college. When she was 87 years old, Mary Baker Eddy started the Pulitzer Prize-winning publication The Christian Science Monitor, which is still widely distributed. Though religion played a major part in the founder’s life, the library keeps the exhibits neutral and free of religious sentiment.
Whether you are interested in art, architecture, science or humankind in general, you would probably get something nice out of this library. With the exception of the exhibits, which cost a total of $3.00 for students, the library is free. People are welcome to sit and read, study, talk, or just think in this comfortable, appealing environment. For those on a tight schedule, even a half-hour in this place will refresh you. A schedule of hours and information is available on line at www.marybakereddylibrary.org.