---
title: "First Public Library in America"
year: 1833
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1833/peterborough-library-1833"
slug: "peterborough-library-1833"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1833-01-01"
---

# First Public Library in America

> Peterborough, New Hampshire's town library inaugurated the model of free public access to books, establishing a civic institution that democratized American intellectual life.

## Summary

A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servants.

## Sources

- [First public library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_library) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1833/peterborough-library-1833