The public libraries in the United States are tax-supported agencies established by the government aiming to provide a place for informal adult education. The beginning of the public libraries dates back to the early nineteenth century when the “new American nation both established itself and demonstrated its fundamental unity” (Lee 1). The public libraries were established in order to fulfill the large and increased number of educated people produced by the public educational systems.

The Boston Athenaeum helped the Boston citizens to gain access to literature prior to the existence of the public library. The Athenaeum was “a microcosm of the interest, aspirations and sensibilities of what Ralph Waldo Emerson called ‘young America’, that moment when all things seemed possible within the Athens of the new world” (Wendorf 85). The Boston Athenaeum could be considered as an original predecessor of the public library, since it was considered the centre of intellectual life in Boston for nearly half a century. However, initially, books could not be taken out of the Athenaeum.

On April 3, 1848, the city of Boston accepted an order authorizing the city to establish a public library. According to records, “Some efforts were made, but in vain, to make the fine collections of the Athenaeum the basis of the proposed public library” (Perkins 863). Nevertheless, the public library received donations from all sorts of people, including Joshua Bates, Mayor John P. Bigelow and Edward Everett.

The library was first opened on Mason Street in 1854. In the same year, the city council appointed the commissioners to construct a new building. Historical records shows that the new building “was completed at a cost, including the land, of $365000” (Report of the Free Public Library 29). The library continued to receive important donations of collections of books. In 1858, the new library building was opened with 74,000 volumes. In about a decade, the collection increased to 320,000 volumes. The first branch library was opened in 1871, called the East Boston Branch. In the following two years, the South Boston Branch and the Roxbury Branch were established. In February 1895, the library was moved to its present location in Copley Square “with an expansion to six hundred and ten thousand books” (Architecture of the Boston Public Library 13).

Early decisions made in order to protect the library books include: important books and documents those cannot be taken out of the library, cannot be easily replaced; a specific reading room should be set up for rare books and old documents (Whitehill 30). These rules were established not only for the readers to treat the books properly, but they also contributed to the protection of the world’s oldest cultural property.

A lot of effort was put into the construction of the library building, including the murals, sculptures and other interior decorations. The library building was designed “in the style of the Italian Renaissance” (Chase 2). The architecture and mural decorations add splendor to the building, more precisely, “they bear witness to the dedication and trust of a citizenry who believed in the raison d’etre of the public library” (Feng 5). Due to the effort of the artists and architects, the interior design of the library suggests an artistic and strong cultural atmosphere. Famous artists who contributed to the art of the library building include the American painter Edwin Austen Abbey agreed to paint a frieze for the library. The first five panels of the frieze “had been set up when the new library building was opened to the public in 1895; the rest of the series, in 1901. (2 Association Publications).

The Boston Public Library had a rich collection of books. Some of the library’s most famous possessions include: the Prince Collections, the Barton collection, the Ticknor Collection of Spanish literature, and the Bowditch collection. (3 Haraszti). The library is also very rich in the works of the Restoration Playwrights.

Although there was a significant increase in the number of libraries after the establishment of the Boston Public library, until now, it has always been the centre of intellectual life and a support of informal adult education in the city for nearly two centuries.