A town in Massachusetts chose to name itself Franklin after Benjamin Franklin, and Franklin donated 116 books to the town in lieu of a requested church bell.[1][2][4] Franklin's town meeting voted to lend the books to all Franklin inhabitants free of charge in 1790, and this small collection can therefore be considered the first public library in the United States.[1][2] In 1904, the Ray family donated the Ray Memorial Building which was dedicated as the first permanent building for the library collection. The Franklin Library Association was in charge of the library until 1981 when town of Franklin began running the Franklin Public Library directly as a department of the town.[1]
^ abcDawson, Robert (2014-05-27). The Public Library: A Photographic Essay. Chronicle Books. ISBN9781616893279. In 1790 the citizens voted to lend the books to all Franklin inhabitants free of charge. The vote established the Franklin collection as one of the first public libraries in the United States.