Boston Public Library E-card
The BPL eCard is available to any Massachusetts resident 13-years and older and provides additional resources for research, personal enrichment, and leisure.
Register for a Boston Public Library (BPL) eCard in two easy steps!
- Create a BPL eCard account HERE. (see their help page if needed) TIP: When you are asked to insert a pin number, make up a 4-digit number that is easy to remember
- Check your email. You will instantly receive an email with a 14-digit number. This is your library eCard number! TIP: Save this number along with your pin number in a Word or Google Doc named "BPL" so you can easily find your number and copy & paste it whenever you use BPL online resources. You are now ready to search for resources!
Get to your favorite resources quickly:
For research: BPL has additional resources to enhance your research including:
- Extensive encyclopedia collections in Gale Virtual Reference Library and CREDO Reference.
- Newspapers including current editions of the New York Times and the Boston Globe, as well as historical newspapers for primary sources.
- A rich collection of databases for the arts such as Grove Art Online, Grove Music Online, streaming video (opera, theater, dance), music collections (American, jazz, classical, contemporary world music), and more.
- The database, JSTOR, to access scholarly journal articles in ALL disciplines.
- Many other databases: Browse the A-Z collection for the complete list and descriptions.
For personal enrichment and leisure: BPL has your favorite t.v. shows, movies, ebooks, audiobooks, and more.
- Kanopy: Includes movies and documentaries on-demand from award-winning filmmakers. Browse the collection of over 30,000 documentaries, classic films, world cinema, popular movies and films for children ages preschool - 12.
- Hoopla: Movies, TV shows, music, eBooks, and comics for online streaming or download to mobile devices, with no waiting lists. Borrow up to 10 items per calendar month.
- Overdrive: Thousands of digital titles available for download directly to your computer or mobile device.
- Lynda.com: Video courses in business, software, technology, and creative skills, taught by recognized industry experts.
- LearningExpress Library: Test preparation materials and practice exams for K-12 subjects, high school equivalency, college and graduate admissions, military, U.S. citizenship, and professional licensing and certification exams.
- Little Pim: Language learning for ages 3 through 6, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.
- Mango Languages: An interactive language-learning resource supporting dozens of languages, including Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), English, Hindi, and Spanish
