50 Feet of Vaulting Above a Free Boston Reading Room
Enter without a library card during opening hours to read under historic green lamps, subject to room rules and seating.
🕰️ What the Room Expects
Bates Hall runs the length of the McKim building, fifty feet of barrel vault over oak tables and bookcases that went in when the room opened in 1895. Enter without a library card during opening hours to read and study, while the signature green lamps were restored to their 1895 appearance. Seating is first come, and visitors must follow reading room quiet rules. Photos of the architecture from your seat are permitted, but photographing other readers or staff without permission is prohibited. Tripods, selfie sticks, flash, and blocking walkways are not allowed, while commercial shoots require advance permits. Free public tours run separately on weekly schedules and require online booking up to a month ahead. The library closes on Veterans Day, November 11.
