National Library Week – Regency Era Circulating Libraries

Hi everyone,

For those of you who don’t know, I am a librarian, so I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate this weekly chance to focus on libraries with you lovely blog readers. 

I’m going to ask if you haven’t paid a visit to your local library recently to stop in this week. Sign up for a library card, check out a book, attend a program, really do anything to show them that you support them and the work that they do in their communities.

Libraries have played an important role in communities and in making a difference. In the 18th and 19th Centuries, circulating libraries were seen as a place one visited while on vacation and could be found in the popular resort towns. Unlike today’s public libraries, members paid a yearly fee in order to use the services of the library (checking out books).  The fee to access the collections were cheaper than purchasing a book, and for an avid reader, it was the perfect solution to their desire to read more. 

If you would like to read more on these libraries please go to:
Regency Circulating Libraries – Why, How and Who? — The Regency Redingote
The Circulating Library in Regency Resorts — Jane Austen’s World
Libraries in Georgian and Regency England — English Historical Fiction
Circulating Libraries in Regency England — Historical Hussies