Franklin Public Library is the first and oldest
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
lending library in continuous existence in the United States. It was founded in 1790 in
Franklin, Massachusetts
The Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Franklin is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of" in their o ...
with a donation of books from
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
.
It is currently located at 118 Main Street in Franklin,
at the edge of the downtown Franklin area, right next to
Dean College
Dean College is a private college in Franklin, Massachusetts. It offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and continuing and professional education and certificates.
History
Dean College was founded by Dr. Oliver Dean as a co-educatio ...
.
A town in Massachusetts chose to name itself
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
after Benjamin Franklin, and Franklin donated 116 books to the town in lieu of a requested church bell.
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.
In 1904, the Ray family donated the current Ray Memorial Building which 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.
References
External links
Official Library Website
{{authority control
Libraries in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Public libraries in Massachusetts
Libraries established in 1790