Franklin Public Library (Massachusetts)

Franklin Public Library
Country United States of America
Type Public Library
Established 1790
Location Franklin, Massachusetts
Branches 1
Access and use
Population served 33,092 (2010 census)
Other information
Budget $836,477
Director Felicia Oti
Website http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library

Franklin Public Library is claimed to be the oldest public lending library in continuous existence in the United States.[1] It was founded in 1790 in Franklin, Massachusetts with a donation of books from Benjamin Franklin. It is currently located at 118 Main Street in Franklin.[2]

A town in Massachusetts chose to name itself Franklin after Benjamin Franklin, and Franklin donated 116 books to the town in lieu of a requested church bell.[3] Franklin's town meeting voted to lend the books to all Franklin inhabitants free of charge in 1790, and this small collection can therefore be considered the first public library in the United States.[4] In 1904, the Ray family donated the Ray Memorial Building was dedicated as the first permanent building for the library collection. The Franklin Library Association was in charge of the library until 1981 when town of Franklin began running the Franklin Public Library directly as a department of the town.[5]

References

  1. ↑ The Public Library: A Photographic Essay (2014) https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1616893273
  2. ↑ A History of America's First Public Library at Franklin, MA Bicentennial Commemorative Edition (1990) http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/history-americas-first-public-library-franklin-ma
  3. ↑ "Sense Is Preferable to Sound" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  4. ↑ Town of Franklin (2010-06-29). "Town of Franklin - History of the Franklin Public Library". Franklinma.virtualtownhall.net. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  5. ↑ http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/library-history
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