In the American colonies, Benjamin Franklin worked as a printer; from his work, he clearly understood how difficult and costly it was to make books. However, he and his friends really enjoyed reading and wanted to get hold of as many books as they could.

One of Franklin’s good ideas, and he had many good ideas, was to set up a club where people could share their books. The 50 members who joined the club when it was started in 1732 donated books and also pooled their money to buy additional books. Anyone who wanted to could stop in and read the books; club members were also allowed to take the books home with them, provided they returned them on time. This “club” became Americas first circulating library.