Your Library

Although we take them for granted, free public libraries are a fairly new idea.  The first libraries in our country were called subscription libraries.  Members of these libraries paid dues which were used to buy books.  This means that only the people who could pay were able to use the libraries.  Later, some companies built libraries for their employees to use.

The first free public library was founded in New Hampshire only a little over 150 years ago.  Many more libraries were built when a wealthy businessman named Andrew Carnegie gave sixty million dollars for the construction of libraries in many of the nation's towns and cities.  Today, almost every town has a free public library that everyone can use.

Find out more about the library in your town by answering the questions below.

1. What is the name of your nearest library? ________________________________
   
   
2. When was it built? ______________________
   
   
3. When was the first library in your community established? __________________
   
   
4. Where was it located? _______________________________________________
   
   
5. Is there still a library in that location today? ______________________
   
   
6. When was the library that is there today built? _______________________
   
   
7. What materials does your library provide other than books? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   
8. Why do you think it is important for libraries to be free? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Courtesy of the Warren County Historical Society