Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate, and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. It is governed by nine commissioners appointed by the governor. The board has had an active preservation program since 1988, when the position of Preservation Specialist was created. The focus of this program is preservation advice/service to libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies throughout Massachusetts.  Included in these activities are preservation training through workshops, articles in MBLC Notes, disaster preparedness training, advice and on-site visits in the event of an institutional disaster, warnings about possible natural events that could possibly affect the well-being and/or survival of cultural heritage collections, a program of environmental monitoring in institutions throughout the Commonwealth through the use of digital temperature and relative humidity dataloggers, the creation of a library of preservation resources in the MBLC’s reference collection, and a collection of preservation supply catalogs to serve as a resource for those seeking preservation supplies. –The MBLC Preservation Advisory Committee (before 1999 known successively as the Collection Management Consultants Advisory Committee (1989); Collection Management Advisory Committee (1990); Collection Management/Preservation Specialists Advisory Committee (1992); Collection Management/Preservation Advisory Committee (1992)) was formed to advise the Preservation Specialist on the development and implementation of the coordinated statewide preservation program for library and archives collection in Massachusetts as described above. Sixteen members each serving three-years terms were appointed by the Director of the MBLC, based on the recommendation of the Preservation Specialist. Three each came from academic libraries, public libraries, archives/manuscript repositories, and historical societies/research libraries, one each from the Northeast Document Conservation Center and the Massachusetts Archives, and two from the six state library interlibrary borrowing regions.
Arrangement: Chronologically
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Scope and Content: The attorney general of Massachusetts is the Commonwealth’s chief legal officer.  The Executive Bureau, which includes the attorney general and personal staff, is responsible for the overall supervision of the legal services provided by the office, for budgetary and personnel matters, and for the development of a uniform and consistent legal policy for the state.  Series is created by the bureau’s press unit to release information from the attorney general to the press regarding action by various office bureaus on issues of public policy or concern.  News coverage and editorials relating to policies and activities of the attorney general may also be included.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly designated as series N320.Box 1: L. Scott Harshbarger, 1997; Thomas Reilly, news releases, 1999-2004. Box 2: Thomas Reilly, news releases, 2005-2006, news coverage, 1999-2004. Box 3: Thomas Reilly, news coverage, 2004-2005
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Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities (1966) and the Massachusetts Arts Lottery Council (1980) were abolished and succeeded in their functions by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, effective 1990.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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Scope and Content: The State House Building Commission was established in 1913 to oversee construction of east and west wing additions to the State House.  Printed contract and specification volumes were issued to enable the commission to obtain bids for the required work.
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Scope and Content: The Cambridge Bridge Commission was established in 1898 to administer construction of a bridge spanning the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, to be known as the Cambridge (later Longfellow) Bridge.  Series was created as reference in carrying out this responsibility.
Notes: Some items in multiple copies
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Scope and Content: The Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England received a royal charter in England, Mar. 1629.  They sat as a General Court, from 1630 serving in the Massachusetts Bay colony as the governing body (along with an executive Council), until the revocation of the charter and imposition of a crown-appointed governor and council in 1686.  Series constitutes their proceedings.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) General Court, including Court of Assistants (volumes 1-2, 4-5)  (2) House of Deputies (volume 3); Arranged within each subseries chronologically by date of meeting.
Notes: By Thaddeus M. Harris, 1839, pursuant to agreement signed by Joseph B. Felt at request of state secretary John P. Bigelow. Bound and shelved as: Court records, volumes 1-5 (for volume list see: Massachusetts. Council. Legislative records ((M-Ar)1701X))
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Scope and Content: The Victim and Witness Assistance Board, established by Massachusetts’s Victim Bill of Rights (St 1983, c 694, effective 1984–see currently MGLA c258B), is chaired by the state attorney general. The board governs the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance (MOVA), created in 1984 as the executive office of the board (Minutes, Aug. 28 and Oct. 24, 1984; Apr. 29, 1985).  The office and board review and approve federal and state grant funds given to programs to help victims (and witnesses) of crime, provide direct support to such victims through information, referrals, and counseling, and work in the areas of advocacy, legislation, public policy, training, education, and outreach.
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Scope and Content: Per GL 1921, c 121, s 23, the Massachusetts commissioner of public welfare investigated defective housing, studied operation of building and tenement house laws, encouraged creation of local planning boards, and promoted formation of organizations to increase the number of available homes. These functions then passed successively to the State Board of Housing (Dept. of Public Welfare–St 1933, c 364), State Housing Board (Governor and Council–St 1948, c 260, ss 3-6), Division of Housing (Dept. of Commerce and Development–St 1964, c 636), Dept. of Community Affairs (St 1968, c 761), Division of Housing and Community Development (Dept. of Economic Development–St  1996, c 151, s 125), and Dept. of Housing and Community Development (St 1997, c 43, s 40), which currently offers programs, housing, and funding to communities to serve those with low to moderate incomes. Its functions are described in MGLA c 23B.
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Scope and Content: Savings Bank Life Insurance (SBLI) was a state-regulated program for Massachusetts savings bank insurance departments conceived of and promoted by then Boston attorney and later Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.  St 1907, c 561, drafted by Brandeis, authorized savings banks incorporated in Massachusetts, under the auspices of the bank commissioner and the insurance commissioner, to establish insurance departments for the purpose of issuing life insurance policies.  The statute also established the General Insurance Guaranty Fund (GIGF) to provide protection for policy-holders. From 1919-1991 the program was run as the Division of Savings Bank Life Insurance, Dept. of Banking and Insurance.  It was supported successively by the Massachusetts Savings Insurance League (1906) and the Savings Bank Life Insurance Council (1938, incorporated 1947)
Notes: Transferred to Archives from Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts, September 18, 2001
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Scope and Content: The Division of Administrative Law Appeals was established within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance as the Division of Hearings (or Hearing) Officers by St 1973, c 1229 and acquired its present name under St 1983, c 683.
Arrangement: Arranged by final numeric element of docket number
Notes: Case file contents may predate series dates, i.e., of appeal decision-related materials
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