This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Public Libraries and Early American Library History
A collage of notes on the origins of public libraries in America, tracing Benjamin Franklin’s 1721 Philadelphia library to the spread of subscription and public libraries in New York and Boston by 1890, plus notes on state laws and library holdings. The piece also includes varied items from a humorous piece on a boy with a dictionary to brief news notes on literature and science.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Amelia
Benjamin Franklin
Bolingen
Philadelphia Library Company
Hillary Bog
Merontile
New York
Boston
University of the State of
Vonjtress
Massachusetts
Garrard Unversity
Paris Ibrary
Druin Museu
Capitol Bill
Washington Post