The Free Library in Proctor, Vt. In colonial days, libraries were generally private. The public access, free library movement took root after the Civil War.
September 19, 2023
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September 19, 2023 1 a.m.
When libraries weren’t free
In this American culture war over books, Ground Zero is the public library. It’s interesting, to say the least, watching from the sidelines as free access to information shrinks. Especially considering that for more than 300 years, it kept expanding.