public library

noun

1. a nonprofit library established for the use of the general public and maintained chiefly by public funds.

Word History and Origins

Origin of public library¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Benjamin Franklin opened the first lending library in 1731, the predecessor to the free public library.

From Time

The pandemic forced public libraries to close their doors, but they remained resilient in supporting local communities by moving important programs, tools, and resources online as much as possible.

From Fortune

For business readers, here’s a rundown of the most downloaded ebooks and audiobooks at public libraries with access to OverDrive in 2020.

From Fortune

Next, it requires every government entity, from courthouses to public libraries, to offer free pads and tampons onsite.

From Popular-Science

In some cases, the places they would normally go to do so, like public libraries, have been closed.

From ProPublica

You can Google yourself at your local public library or ask the research desk where the secret books about you are shelved.

From The Daily Beast

Sued a public library that blocked access to pro-gun websites.

From The Daily Beast

A pop over to the New York Public Library provided access to the journal.

From The Daily Beast

This was made for an exhibit at the New York Public Library in 1992.

From The Daily Beast

His name is also on the main building of the New York Public Library, to which he contributed $100 million.

From The Daily Beast

He used to think then, what a wonderful thing a public library was, a place where anybody, anybody at all could go in and read.

From Project Gutenberg

The year before the peace the first public library in the Colony, the Redwood Library, was founded.

From Project Gutenberg

He would wait until morning and go to the public library where he could look up the references with no questions asked.

From Project Gutenberg

If the girl has no books of her own she should ask for advice and help at the public library.

From Project Gutenberg

They are better than a public library where the books must be hurried back at a given date.

From Project Gutenberg