
A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a
library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
, access is often restricted to members, but access rights can also be given to non-members, such as students.
Origins

In the 18th century, there were virtually no public libraries in the sense in which we now understand the term i.e. libraries provided from public funds and freely accessible to all.
[Kelly, Thomas (1966); p. 185] Only one important library in Britain,
Chetham's Library in Manchester, was fully and freely accessible to the public.
[ However, during the century, there came into being a whole network of library provision on a private or institutional basis.
The increase in secular literature at this time encouraged the establishment of commercial subscription libraries. Many small, private book clubs evolved into subscription libraries, charging high annual fees or requiring subscribing members to purchase shares. Subscription libraries would in turn use these earnings to expand their collections and later create their own publications.] Unlike a public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
, access was often restricted to members. Some of the earliest such institutions were founded in Britain, such as Chetham's Library in 1653, Innerpeffray Library
Innerpeffray Library was the first lending library in Scotland. It is located in the hamlet of Innerpeffray, by the River Earn in Perth and Kinross, southeast of Crieff. The library building is Category A listed.
St Mary's Chapel
Innerpeffray ...
in 1680 and Thomas Plume's Library in 1704. In the American colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...
, the Library Company of Philadelphia was started in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By paying an initial fee and annual dues, members had access to books, maps, fossils, antique coins, minerals, and scientific instruments.[ This library began with 50 members, swelled to 100 quickly, and then grew prosperous enough to begin to publish its own books. When the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, they did so in the same building as Franklin's Library Company and delegates were given member privileges for the library. Franklin's subscription library became so popular that many subscription libraries were founded in the colonies, making him remark that it was, “the mother of all the North American subscription libraries, now so numerous.][”
The first subscription library in Canada, The Quebec Library/Bibliotheque de Quebec, opened in 1783.
The materials available to subscribers tended to focus on particular subject areas, such as biography, history, ]philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, theology and travel, rather than works of fiction, particularly the novel.
Subscription libraries were democratic in nature; created by and for communities of local subscribers who aimed to establish permanent collections of books and reading materials, rather than selling their collections annually as the circulating libraries tended to do, in order to raise funds to support their other commercial interests. Even though the subscription libraries were often founded by reading societies, committees, elected by the subscribers, chose books for the collection that were general, rather than aimed at a particular religious, political or professional group. The books selected for the collection were chosen because they would be mutually beneficial to the shareholders. The committee also selected the librarians who would manage the circulation of materials.
Subscription libraries were also referred to as 'proprietary' libraries due to the expectation that subscribers not only pay an annual fee, but that they must also invest in shares. These shares could be transferred by sale, gift or bequest. Many could not afford to purchase shares to become a member, even though they may have belonged to reading clubs.[
]
Circulating libraries
The increasing production and demand for fiction promoted by rising literacy rates and the expansion of commercial markets, led to the rise of circulating libraries A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee.
Overview
Circulating li ...
, which met a need that subscription libraries did not fulfill.
William Bathoe opened his commercial venture at two locations in London in 1737, and claimed to have been 'the Original Circulating library'. An early circulating library may even have been established in the mid-17th century; in an edition of "Tom Tyler and his Wife" in 1661 Francis Kirkman included a catalogue of 690 plays which he claimed to be ready to lend "upon reasonable considerations" from his premises in Westminster.
Circulating libraries charged subscription fees to users and offered serious subject matter as well as the popular novels, thus the difficulty in clearly distinguishing circulating from subscription libraries. Occasionally subscription libraries called themselves 'circulating libraries', and vice versa.
"Many ordinary circulating libraries might call themselves 'subscription' libraries because they charged a subscription, while the earliest private subscription libraries, such as Leeds, Warrington, or Liverpool, describe themselves as 'circulating' libraries in their titles. Since many circulating libraries called themselves after the town where they were situated, it is often difficult to distinguish the type of a particular library, especially since many are only known to posterity from a surviving book label, with nothing but the name as identification".[Manley, K.A. "Booksellers, peruke-makers, and rabbit-merchants: the growth of circulating libraries in the eighteenth century." Libraries and the Book Trade: The formation of collections from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Ed. Myers. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2000, p. 39.]
In Britain there were more than 200 commercial circulating libraries open in 1800, more than twice the number of subscription and private proprietary libraries that were operating at the same time. Many proprietors pandered to the most fashionable clientele, making much ado about the sort of shop they offered, the lush interiors, plenty of room and long hours of service.[ "These 'libraries' would be called rental collections today."
With the advent of free public libraries in the 19th century, most subscription libraries were replaced or taken over by the governing authorities.
]
Learned societies
In London, numerous scientific dabblers, amateurs, professionals concentrated in the comparatively small geographic area began to form a unique development - the learned society:
"These societies are voluntary associations of men and women who have come together because they are interested in the aims and objects which the societies serve and they feel that they can pursue those interests better as members of a society, rather than as individuals. The libraries therefore have been collected together for the purpose of serving the objects to which the various societies are dedicated and they do this, for the most part, by serving their members".
Learned society libraries were private but were owned by larger groups of people. Materials were often lent or borrowed by qualified individuals or institutions outside the society. Societies were concerned mainly with the sciences, physical and biological, and often cooperated with other groups like the Royal Society.
Exclusive subscription libraries, the world's oldest being the Chemical Society in London, was founded in 1841 for the general advancement of chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
. Its primary objective was to guide and direct original research in chemistry and to disseminate that knowledge through debates, lectures and its own '' journal''.[
]
Current membership libraries
Australia
* 1833: Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts
The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (SMSA) is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a " Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia.
Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony's educat ...
* 1839: Melbourne Athenaeum
* 1854: Prahran Mechanics' Institute
Canada
* 1824: Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
* 1828: Atwater Library of the Mechanics' Institute of Montreal
Ireland
* 1922: Central Catholic Library
The Central Catholic Library ( ga, Leabharlann an Chreidimh) is a library located in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by Fr. Stephen Brown (Jesuit), Stephen Brown, Society of Jesus, SJ on 25 June 1922 with the goal of helping the laity to educat ...
France
* 1920: American Library in Paris
United Kingdom
* 1653: Chetham's Library
* 1680: Innerpeffray Library
Innerpeffray Library was the first lending library in Scotland. It is located in the hamlet of Innerpeffray, by the River Earn in Perth and Kinross, southeast of Crieff. The library building is Category A listed.
St Mary's Chapel
Innerpeffray ...
* 1704: Thomas Plume's Library
* 1741: The Leadhills Miners' Library
* 1768: Leeds Library
* 1788: Linen Hall Library
* 1793: The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne
* 1793: Westerkirk Parish Library
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands.
Location and geography
Langholm sits nor ...
* 1797: The Athenaeum (Liverpool)
* 1799: Tavistock Subscription Library
* 1800: Langholm Library
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands.
Location and geography
Langholm sits nort ...
* 1806: Portico Library
* 1810: Plymouth Proprietary Library
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plym ...
* 1812: Plymouth Athenaeum Library
* 1813: Devon and Exeter Institution
* 1816: Nottingham Subscription Library
* 1818: Morrab Library
The Morrab Library is an independent library based in Penzance, Cornwall in the UK.
The library, situated in Morrab House within Morrab Gardens, was founded in 1818 and is financed through membership subscriptions, legacies, grants, and a re ...
* 1824: Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (also known as BRLSI) is an educational charity based in Bath, England. It was founded in 1824 and provides a museum, an independent library, exhibition space, meeting rooms and a programme of ...
* 1824: Ipswich Institute Reading Room and Library
* 1832: Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
The Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library was established in Bradford, England, in 1832 as part of a national initiative to provide adult education especially in technical subjects for working men. The institute in Bradford was supported by nu ...
* 1832: Saffron Walden Town Library Society
* 1834: Guildford Institute of the University of Surrey
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
* 1839: Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution
* 1841: London Library
* 1854: Birmingham and Midland Institute
* 1889: Saint Deiniol's Residential Library
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern O ...
* 1894: Bishopsgate Institute
* 1912: Armitt Library
The Armitt Museum, also known as the Armitt Museum and Library, is an independent museum and library, founded in Ambleside in Cumbria by Mary Louisa Armitt in 1909. It is a registered charity under English law.
History
The library was founded b ...
* 1928: Sybil Campbell Library
United States
* 1731: Library Company of Philadelphia
* 1747: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a subscription library, museum, rare book repository and research center founded in 1747, and located at 50 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The building, designed by Peter Harrison and completed ...
* 1748: Charleston Library Society image:Charleston County Courthouse 2013.jpg, The Library Society's first permanent address, which it occupied from 1792 to 1835, was within what is now the Charleston County Courthouse at 82 Broad St.
image:50 Broad St - 2013.jpg, The Library Socie ...
* 1753: Providence Athenaeum
* 1754: New York Society Library
The New York Society Library (NYSL) is the oldest cultural institution in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the New York Society as a subscription library. During the time when New York was the capital of the United States, it was the de ...
* 1795: Lexington (Kentucky) Library Society
Lexington may refer to:
Places England
* Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington
Canada
* Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario
United States
* Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name
* Lexington, Massachusetts, the old ...
* 1804: Social Law Library
* 1807: Boston Athenæum
* 1810: Salem Athenaeum
The Salem Athenaeum, founded in 1810, is one of the oldest membership libraries in the United States. The Athenaeum is located at 337 Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts in the McIntire Historic District.
History
The Salem Athenaeum was founde ...
* 1814: Athenaeum of Philadelphia
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814 to collect materials ...
* 1816: New Orleans Library Society
* 1817: Portsmouth Athenaeum
* 1820: General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York
* 1820: Maine Charitable Mechanic Association
The Maine Charitable Mechanic Association is a private non-profit organization located in Portland, Maine, United States. Founded in 1815, it has since 1859 been headquartered at Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress Street, in the center of Portland. The ...
Library of Portland
* 1820: New York Mercantile Library
* 1826: The Institute Library (New Haven)
* 1835: Mercantile Library of Cincinnati
The Mercantile Library of Cincinnati is a membership library located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The name of the library refers not to the type of items in its collection but to the forty-five merchants and clerks who founded it on April 18, 183 ...
* 1846: St. Louis Mercantile Library Association
* 1853: Congregational Library & Archives
The Congregational Library & Archives is an independent special collections library and archives. It is located on the second floor of the Congregational House at 14 Beacon Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The ...
* 1854: San Francisco Mechanics' Institute
* 1890: Lanier Library Association
The Lanier Library Association is a subscription library in Tryon, North Carolina. Established on 9 January 1889, it is named for Sidney Lanier
Sidney Clopton Lanier (February 3, 1842 – September 7, 1881) was an American musician, poet and aut ...
(Lanier Library of North Carolina)
* 1897: Timrod Library
Henry Timrod (December 8, 1828 – October 7, 1867) was an American poet, often called the "Poet of the Confederacy".
Biography Early life
Timrod was born on December 8, 1828, in Charleston, South Carolina, to a family of German descent. His gr ...
* 1899: Athenaeum Music & Arts Library of La Jolla
* 1900: Milford Mystery Library of Milford, Ohio
* 1947: Mendocino Community Library Mendocino may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Geology
* Mendocino Fracture Zone, a seismic feature off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California
* Mendocino Triple Junction, a point where three tectonic plates meet
Music
* ''Mendocino'' (album), by the Sir Dou ...
* 1999: John Trigg Ester Library
* 2015: Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum
References
Further reading
*
External links
"Where Greek Ideals Meet New England Charm"
- article about subscription libraries in New England, from '' The New York Times'', March 7, 2008
* The Library of Congress preserves a part of the lending stock of an early 20th-century commercial lending library in it
Tabard Inn Collection
"The fall and rise of subscription libraries"
{{Authority control
Types of library