Gering Library

Tag: library

  • History of US Public Libraries III

    History of US Public Libraries III

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    by

    jfiet
    in

    Here is where the title of “oldest public library in the US” starts getting into semantics. One library claims the title of oldest building, and another claims oldest building constructed to be a library, and so on. Some libraries started out as subscription libraries while others were open to the public from the beginning. Another…

  • History of US Public Libraries II

    History of US Public Libraries II

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    by

    jfiet
    in

    When you search online for “First public library in the United States” you learn that three libraries claim this distinction. Last week I wrote about Benjamin’s Library Company. This week’s column is about Peterborough, New Hampshire, home of the first tax-supported library in the U.S.

  • History of US Public Libraries

    History of US Public Libraries

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    by

    jfiet
    in

    When you search online for “first public library in the United States” you might get conflicting information. Three libraries claim this distinction. All three were established long before 1776. In the 1720s, Philadelphia resident Benjamin Franklin worked in a print shop. He and eleven friends founded the Junto Club in 1727. The purpose of this…