Mari McCullough is a beloved community figure because of her hard work and human touch. She has been working for the Boston Public Library since she was a 17-year-old recent high school graduate. In total, she now has 29 years of service, but for the past 12 years, she’s been at the North End branch of the library.
Mari makes the library feel like a real center of community, and library patrons—whose names she always knows—always let her know their appreciation for her service.
Mari has also worked hard to foster a relationship with the Eliot K-8 Innovation School. She has coordinated class visits, helped set up a “Social Justice Book Club” by getting class sets of books for teachers, and she even attends her young patrons’ school plays.
Two summers ago, Mari proposed a joint project with the school: a “take a book, leave a book” program. It encourages students to bring in books they’ve already read so other kids can build their own collections at home. Mari also wanted an empathy-building component in the project. Her vision was to have students leave encouraging messages inside the books so that readers could find a positive surprise. She collaborated with a teacher from the Eliot School and worked with administrators to approve the project. It was a success and is still running today.
One of Mari’s greatest strengths is her ability to connect personally with each visitor. Her knowledge of literature is vast, and she shares it generously. Everyone of all ages knows that they can trust Mari’s guidance. One moment she may be giving a child their first book, and the next moment she may be helping an elderly patron learn to borrow books on their Kindle.
In a world that often feels hurried and impersonal, Mari reminds people that kindness, attentiveness and generosity of spirit still exist and thrive in their local library.
Thank you, Mari McCullough, for your decades of exemplary service. Congratulations on your 2025 Shattuck Public Service Award.
