Living Well The town of Franklin, Massachusetts asked for a bell. Instead, it got 116 books.
When the town was incorporated in 1778, the state legislature decided to name it after a leading national hero – Benjamin Franklin. And a few years later, someone decided to try and milk this connection, asking Franklin himself for a donation.
The original plan was that they'd build a steeple on a new meeting house, and Ben Franklin would buy it a bell. Franklin, then serving as the American ambassador to France, declined... But, tickled by the town's name, he suggested an alternative.
As Franklin wrote to a friend: "I have advis'd the sparing themselves the Expense of a Steeple at present, and that they would accept of Books instead of a Bell, Sense being preferable to Sound."
Franklin asked his friend, an English reverend, to choose and forward about 25 pounds' worth of titles to the Massachusetts town to create a library.
At first, some of the leading townsfolk wanted to restrict Franklin's books to folks who subscribed to the library. But in 1790, the local government decided that everyone in town deserved access.
The result was America's first public library.
Ben Franklin saw libraries as the democratization of knowledge – to the common good of the whole country. As he wrote in his autobiography...
These libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries, and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the colonies in defense of their privileges.
Today, America has an estimated 17,000 public libraries that collectively own more than 669 million books. In 2020, the average American visited a library more than two times and checked out more than five books.
I love reading. And libraries are a great way to read lots of books without blowing through your bank account or filling up your house.
But modern libraries have a lot more than just books...
Turns out, the lending-library model also works great for many things that a lot of people need for only a little bit of time. And librarians have caught on.
Consider the "DIY Collection" from the Howard County Library System in Maryland.
Among the hundreds of items available for borrowing include a fence-post driver, an electric upholstery stapler, a camping lantern, novelty cake pans, a trenching shovel, and a table saw.
These are things that you could buy for yourself and leave on a shelf for years on end... or that could get used by different people all year long for a few weeks at a time.
Your library might not have such an incredible collection. But likelier than not, its available resources will also extend beyond books.
We checked out a few more library systems near our Baltimore, Maryland headquarters. Here are some more of the unusual items we found available to borrow free of charge...
- Fishing poles
- Wi-Fi hotspots
- Lawn darts
- Telescopes
- Ukeleles
- Board games
- Binoculars
- Free passes to local museums
We found these items on the libraries' online catalogs, often under the term "Library of Things."
Your library may also provide you with free online subscriptions to newspapers or magazines... and educational tools like Rosetta Stone language instruction. And its collection of digital e-books and audiobooks might let you populate your Kindle or replace your Audible subscription for free, too.
If you want to make the most of your library without even having to visit your local branch, we recommend the Libby App. Libby works with libraries all over the world to allow people to borrow e-books and audiobooks completely free.
Many folks never think to check the library before making a purchase like this. Don't forget, your local tax dollars are paying for library resources. Before you pay for them a second time and let them fill up your closet, attic, garage, or shed... see if your library already has them available for you to borrow.
If you don't find the information you need online, check in with a librarian at your local branch. He or she will love to help you enjoy Ben Franklin's democratization of resources.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: The Irish origins of Halloween.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
October 31, 2024