Certainly people lend books, but they lend them to a small circle. What
I am interested in is where the concept for public rather than private
lending libraries originated. Literacy and books were very limited
until the invention of the printing press. But even the Gutenberg Bible
cost the equivalent of 2-3 years salary. Books were more available, but
remained something that generally only the well off could afford. With
the public lending library it is no longer necesary to buy a book to
read it. Collective ownership allows a community to amass a much larger
library than would be possible with private ownership. It affords the
same access to books and manuscripts that only the wealthy could afford
for themselves.

On Jan 24, 2005, at 11:20 AM, Ron May wrote:

> I suppose it depends on what you mean by a lending library. Within
> social
> circles, I would propose that church libraries, evan a chapel bookcase
> of
> references might be loaned out. Certainly the earliest book
> accumulators must have
> shared within their social circles. When it comes to the 16th century
> colonies,
> that might also have been true. Then again, if you begin to set limits
> on your
> definitions to expand the social circles you might come up with
> diffierent
> definitions. I suspect Benjamin Franklin loaned books as a way of
> getting people
> to read a specific set of ideas. He was someone who calculated much of
> what
> he did in public to achieve a perceived effect. For example, he
> deliberately
> hauled a small wagon of wood through his local town so everyone would
> see him
> diligently working (supposedly, it was the same wood). I suspect his
> library was
> more a way of educating those who would borrow, rather than a public
> library
> concept. So, it all comes down to deifnitions.
>
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>