The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center is a nonprofit established in 2004 as a public-private partnership between philanthropist Norman Leventhal and the Boston Public Library. Based at the Library’s Central Library in Copley Square, it uses maps and geography to help people explore the relationships between places and people, with a focus on Boston, New England and the wider world.51
Its collection includes more than a quarter million cartographic and geographic objects, among them maps, atlases, charts, globes and data sets. The Center makes materials available to researchers by appointment and digitizes parts of the collection for online access.11 Its public work includes exhibitions, talks and events, alongside education programs and resources for K–12 students and teachers. The programs reach thousands of students each year, and teacher resources and training are also offered internationally.9
Digital projects extend that work beyond the gallery. Atlascope, highlighted on the Center’s homepage, lets users explore Boston’s urban history through maps; the Center also provides digital collections and interactive projects.1 Its collections and programming range beyond the local: holdings include maps from the fifteenth century onward, while exhibitions and educational activities address subjects in history, geography, science and contemporary life.511
The Center’s president is Garrett Dash Nelson, identified in a 2025 Boston Public Library presentation; Nicole Claris is listed as Director of Education & Educational Programs.122 The organization’s LinkedIn profile gives 2007 as its founding year, while its own history dates its creation to 2004 and a 2018 announcement says it was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007.357