Boston Public Library Safeguards Its Historic Collections With Immutable Cloud Backups
One of America's oldest public libraries leverages Wasabi for immutable, budget-friendly cloud storage to preserve and share history with the world.
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Knowing that our data is ‘carved in stone’ through immutability protects the library, our patrons, and our staff, and gives the public confidence they can trust the data we have.
— Server Team Manager – Boston Public Library
Overview
Founded in 1848, the Boston Public Library serves millions of visitors every year, both in person and online. Its digital repository includes original broadsheets of the Declaration of Independence and reference books from John Adams' personal library; assets that can never be replaced if lost or corrupted. When the Boston Public Library’s IT team needed a cloud-based backup solution it could trust, Wasabi delivered on both security and price.
INDUSTRY:
Public Sector
USE CASE:
Backup and recovery
Archiving
Cyber Resilience
Challenges
For years, the library relied on physical tape, which was stored offsite, to back up a digital repository that had grown to tens of millions of objects. As that collection expanded, tape became increasingly difficult to manage, and the stakes of a security failure grew alongside it.
Data integrity had to be guaranteed
IT needed certainty that backup data could not be modified, deleted, or tampered with, whether by an outside threat or an internal mistake.
Tape was slow and labor-intensive
Managing physical tape meant manual effort, off-site logistics, and slow retrieval times.
Cloud costs were hard to predict
Competing cloud solutions came with variable egress fees and overage charges, making it difficult for a public institution with a fixed budget to forecast annual storage spend.
Solution
IT incorporated Wasabi into a layered backup strategy, which maintains multiple copies both on-prem and off, so the library could recover fast from anywhere. This solution checks all the boxes with both affordability and enhanced security.
True immutability – Layered account and security protections ensure immutable Boston Public Library data remains inalterable and tamper-proof for the set time limits.
Reserved Capacity Storage pricing – Purchasing storage upfront eliminated overage charges and gave the library's finance team a predictable, fixed line item.
Fits existing workflows – Wasabi integrates seamlessly with leading backup vendors, so IT didn't have to lock into a new toolchain to get up and running.
Results
The library now runs nightly off-premises backups and monthly test restores, all without surprise fees. With 25% storage growth expected over the next few years, the team is exploring Wasabi Covert Copy and Multi-User Authorization features to stay ahead of emerging threats.
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Full system recovery in about an hour – IT can restore the entire library management system from Wasabi in roughly 60 minutes, on-prem or offsite.
No-cost DR testing – Monthly test restores and nightly off-premises copies run without egress fees, so IT tests as often as it needs to.
Less time on backup management – Automated processes free up the server team to focus on higher-value work instead of manual tape logistics.
Flexibility to stay vendor-neutral – Wasabi's compatibility with leading backup tools means IT can switch procurement sources, state contracts, grants, or otherwise, without touching the storage layer.
Protect your data with immutable cloud storage you can actually budget for
Explore the Wasabi cloud for enhanced security and predictable pricing, no egress fees, no surprises.