This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (June 2008)

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library is the steward of the Boston Public Library’s map collection, of over 200,000 historic and contemporary maps and 5,000 atlases. The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center launched in 2004 as a public-private venture between the Boston Public Library (BPL) and map collector-philanthropist Norman B. Leventhal. This partnership has enabled the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center to create free public access to the Boston Public Library’s extraordinary cartographic collection.^[1]

Norman B. Leventhal envisioned that the Boston Public Library's cartographic collections would be the foundation of educational outreach programs for students of all ages.^[2] In support of this goal the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center maintains an interactive website, creates educational curricular materials, and exhibits that are free to the public and archived on line, for students of all ages.^[3]. The library has sponsored successful exhibits relating to maps, including one in 1999 that coincided with release of the book Leventhal published, "Mapping Boston," and in 2004, "Faces and Places," which connected residents of Boston to the places their ancestors had lived.^[4]. The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center also curated an exhibit in 2006 titled "Journeys of the Imagination" which explored world maps, and most recently "Boston and Beyond: A Bird's Eye View of New England," and exhibit which looked at aerial views of New England towns.

About the Collection[link]

The Boston Public Library’s map collection is housed in the Philip Johnson Building of the central library in Copley Square.

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center supports researchers and invites teachers to bring their classes to the Boston Public Library for specially planned tours of the collection.

^[5] Thousands of maps have been digitized in the Boston Public Library’s Digital Imaging Lab and added to the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center’s website, where they can be viewed using a state of the art zoom feature enabling patrons to see details on the map that would otherwise be difficult to read.^[5]

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center's cartographic collections focus on the exploration and topographic development of New England, Massachusetts, and Boston. Its resources include an important and rare collection of world maps and atlases dating back to 1482, a large collection of bird’s eye views, and a unique compilation of 18th and 19th century cartographic materials.

Portions of the Norman B. Leventhal Map Collection, are on permanent exhibit and available for viewing at the Boston Harbor Hotel and the Langham Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.

References[link]

1. ^ The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library :: Our Mission
2. ^ Thomas C. Palmer Jr., "Maps lead to a public jewel," Boston Globe, 6 September 2007 (2 July 2008)
3. ^ The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library :: History of the NBLMC
4. ^ Thomas C. Palmer Jr., "Maps lead to a public jewel," Boston Globe, 6 September 2007. (2 July 2008)
5. ^ ^{a b} Andrew Ryan, "By Web, a Detailed look at our past," The Boston Globe, 24 March 2007, p B10.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2007)

Norman B. Leventhal was the chairman of The Beacon Companies, a developer and manager of office buildings, housing, and hotels. Leventhal is best known for his work in civic improvements to the city of Boston, and consequently has a park named after him of which he oversaw the creation.

Born and raised in Boston, Leventhal is a 1933 graduate of Boston Latin School and a 1938 graduate of MIT.^[1]

At Beacon, Leventhal helped direct several major civic improvement projects in Boston, including Rowes Wharf, Center Plaza, One Post Office Square, and 5,100 units of affordable housing. Leventhal co-founded The Beacon Companies as a construction company with his brother, Robert, in 1946. The firm's conversion of Post Office Square from a 2 ¹⁄₂-story parking garage to a lush park, with parking underground, in 1992 is considered emblematic of Leventhal's vision: to enliven and make hospitable Boston's public spaces. "We must constantly work to find ways to make the riches of Boston available to all her citizens, not just the most fortunate among us," he was quoted in a 1997 Boston Globe article. Post Office Square Park was dedicated and named Norman B. Leventhal Park the same year. As chairman of the Trust for City Hall Plaza, Leventhal currently is spearheading the effort to revitalize that center.^[2]

Leventhal published Mapping Boston (MIT Press, 1999), a book about the social and topographical development of Boston, from its founding to the present day. He was inducted to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Academy of Distinguished Citizens in 1999 and has been honored by several other business and philanthropic organizations. He holds honorary degrees from Hebrew College and Brandeis University.

In 2004 Leventhal, a collector of historic maps, partnered with the Boston Public Library creating The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library (BPL). The partnership enables public access to the 250,000 maps and atlases in the Boston Public Library’s collection. Leventhal envisioned that the BPLs cartographic resources would lead to the foundation of educational programs for students.^[3]

References[link]

1. ^ B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper
2. ^ http://www.normanbleventhalpark.org/nb_leventhal.html. Norman B. Leventhal Park: Norman B. Leventhal. Norman B. Leventhal Park. Accessed 21 March 2008
3. ^ http://maps.bpl.org/history/. Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Inc.: History of the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Inc. Accessed 21 March 2008

External links[link]

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