Bell Atlantic Celebrates Boston Public Library's Sesquicentennial; New Boston Directories Feature Library on Cover

Bell Atlantic Celebrates Boston Public Library's Sesquicentennial;
New Boston Directories Feature Library On Cover

James Earl Jones to Conduct Children's Reading

January 27, 1998

BOSTON -- The new -- Bell Atlantic's first White and Yellow Pages for Boston -- and the old -- Boston
Public Library's Sesquicentennial --
were celebrated today at a news conference held at the library.

Bell Atlantic announced that it is celebrating the Boston Public
Library's 150-year anniversary on the covers of its new White and
Yellow Pages for Boston. More than 2.6 million copies of the
directories, the first in Boston under the Bell Atlantic name, will be
delivered to area residences and businesses during the next six weeks.

In addition, the company announced that Tony Award-winning actor James
Earl Jones will conduct a children's reading at the library on April
3. Jones was the voice of Mufasa in the popular Walt Disney movie,
"The Lion King". The reading is part of a month of festivities
planned by the Boston Public Library culminating in a gala evening.

At the news conference, Barry Wynkoop, vice president of Bell Atlantic
Directory Services, unveiled the Bell Atlantic directory cover
depicting the library. The cover illustration is the work of
award-winning artist Mary Lynn Blasutta.

"Bell Atlantic and the Boston Public Library share the goal of
bringing pertinent information and resources to everyone," said
Wynkoop. "We are honored to be part of the sesquicentennial, and we
are particularly proud to have James Earl Jones, a strong supporter of
literacy, join the celebration in April."

The Bell Atlantic directories include new Internet-related features,
such as the Guide of Internet Services, which is listed under the
Internet heading. The Guide is a quick resource to area businesses
that provide various Internet services, ranging from access providers
to Web Site designers. Also for the first time in the Boston area,
businesses can list their e-mail or Web Site address in their ads.

Bernard Margolis, president of the Boston Public Library, highlighted
several events scheduled to begin April 3 in commemoration of the
library's anniversary. The Boston Public Library was the first
publicly-supported municipal library in America.

"This is an exciting and significant period for the library movement
and Boston Public Library's many supporters and members," said
Margolis. "We are pleased that Bell Atlantic is not only a corporate
supporter but also a good neighbor in helping us celebrate the
importance of bringing a world of knowledge to all our citizens."

Bell Atlantic serves communities in 13 states and Washington, D.C.,
and is the world's largest publisher of Yellow Pages shopping
directories. It is also the creator of BigYellowSM, the nation's
leading online shopping directory.

Founded by an act of the Massachusetts Great and General Court in
1848, the Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first free and
publicly-supported municipal library in the world. Among its many
distinctions, the BPL was the first library to institute a formal
system of neighborhood branches linked to a central library and a
pioneer in the development of special services to children, young
adults and senior citizens

Bell Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications and information industry. With 40.5 million telephone
access lines and six million wireless customers worldwide, Bell
Atlantic companies are the premier providers of advanced wireline
voice and data services in the eastern United States and market
leaders in wireless services. Bell Atlantic companies are also among
the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications
markets, with operations and investments in 21 countries.