1731 – Benjamin Franklin founds United States’s first lending library in Philadelphia. Most Americans in the 1730s had limited access to books. Books, in early America, were rare and expensive. There were no public libraries. Only the very wealthy and… Read More
1800-1899
1800 – Library of Congress – The Library of Congress was established as the fledgling legislature of the new Republic prepared to move from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. On April 24, 1800, Pres. John Adams approved legislation… Read More
1900-1999
1901 – Library of Congress – On Oct. 28, the Library announces that its printed catalog cards are now available for sale to libraries around the world. 1903 – Library of Congress – President Theodore Roosevelt issues an executive order on March 9 directing… Read More