# Canonical recap data for First Public Library in America (1833)
# Source: https://recap.at/1833/peterborough-library-1833
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: peterborough-library-1833
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1833/peterborough-library-1833"
title: First Public Library in America
subtitle: Peterborough, New Hampshire's town library inaugurated the model of free public access to books, establishing a civic institution that democratized American intellectual life.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1833-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1833
decade: 1830
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: 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.
summaryLong: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Milwaukee_Central_Library_Mar10.jpg/1280px-Milwaukee_Central_Library_Mar10.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Public library"
importance: 72
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_library"
  title: First public library
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- launch
metaDescription: "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. "
wikidataQid: Q28564
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260703202748/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_library"
  capturedAt: 2026-07-03
  label: First public library
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_library"
