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To develop Boston Stories, memories were mined for the core Stories that would tell the "Boston Story." In the process, thousands of slides, photos, brochures, books, teachers' guides, video clips, grant applications, memos, letters, drawings, "vocabulary lists"–an enormous array of archival materials–were discovered, scanned and preserved.

What was it about the way the museum was reconceived and managed during those years that made it such a different and exciting place? Why did it take on so many challenging problems, come up with such interesting solutions, become a laboratory for the profession, and influence the direction of learning in museums? Why was it such an active collaborator, such a memorable place to work, such a nursery of museum careers, and a precursor to the notion of non-hierarchical, interactive leadership? The answers are not obvious. What happened–especially behind the scenes–is significant but complicated.

And what happened behind the scenes of developing Boston Stories was too good to be left on the cutting room floor. For anyone who wishes to delve deeper into the core stories by following these trails, the archive offers a rich selection of original source materials linked by topic. For students, scholars or anyone interested in research, it is a goldmine.

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