CATHERINE WILLIS, who recently wrote a pictorial history of the Boston Public Library, will talk about some of the things she discovered while researching the book, which is part of the Images of America series. Currently the Manager of Technical Services at the BPL, and the 2007 recipient of the New England Library Association’s Award for Excellence in Library Technical Services, Ms. Willis can tell you, among other things, that the idea of the BPL was first proposed by French ventriloquist Alexandre Vattemare in 1841 and that the lions flanking the staircase in the BPL’s McKim building precede those of the New York Public Library by 15 years. 

Tuesday, March 27, 6:30 PM. Sponsored by FOSEL as part of The South End Writes series. The South End Branch's staff has made numerous copies available at the library to patrons who wish to borrow a copy and take a closer look...