As a librarian who researches and writes about library history in Pennsylvania, I was delighted to see the American Library Association’s efforts to celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, while making several mentions of Pennsylvania.

The ALA highlighted its 1876 founding in Philadelphia; how Pittsburgh philanthropist Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of more than 1,600 library buildings throughout the United States; and Scranton’s Henry and Edith Carr, who attended and maintained records about the ALA’s early conferences for nearly 50 years.

But these stories just scratch the surface of how Pennsylvanians have contributed to American libraries and librarianship.

I published a book on Pennsylvania libraries from the 1700s through the 1940s, and I’m working on a sequel that extends the story to the early 2000s. Many scholars connect the beginning of public librarianship in the United States to ALA’s 1876 founding, but libraries’ roots go back much further.

America’s first ‘public’ library

The Library Company of Philadelphia, established in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, was the nation’s first successful circulating library and was a model for many others.

These early “public” libraries – so called because they did not require users to affiliate with churches, colleges or other organizations – were run by stockholders who pooled funds to purchase books. The owners charged annual membership fees to others who wanted to join.

In the 19th century there was widespread desire among U.S. educators, women’s clubs, local government leaders and public-spirited citizens to provide libraries to everyone, whether or not they could afford to subscribe.

Today, some people incorrectly believe that steel magnate Carnegie was the first philanthropist to donate money for library buildings. However, a number of other Pennsylvanians preceded him.

In 1883, for example, Thomas Struthers, a lawyer and land developer, constructed a multipurpose building in Warren, Penn., that contained a theater and storefronts. Those spaces were to support a public library that was also in the building. The business plan didn’t work, however, and users had to purchase “tickets” to........

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