Herbert Putnam was Librarian of the Boston Public Library between February 1895 and April 1899, the first experienced librarian to hold that post since Charles Coffin Jewett (1855-68). This paper reviews the circumstances surrounding his appointment and discusses his accomplishments, including expansion of the library system, services for scholars, services to the schools, the addition of new departments, and a new staff classification and promotion system. The physical problems of the library's new building and the resulting renovation are also addressed. (Contains 32 endnotes.) (Author/MES)