lending library

American  

noun

1. Also called circulating library, rental library.  a small library that is maintained by a commercial establishment, as a drugstore, and is composed largely of current books that are lent to customers for a fee.

2. Chiefly British. a public library that lends materials or the division or section of it that carries out this function.

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lending library British  

noun

1. Also called (esp US): circulating library.  the department of a public library providing books for use outside the building

2. a small commercial library

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Etymology

Origin of lending library

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lending library

But some of its other projects—a pandemic-era lending library and the ongoing digitalization of 78 rpm records—have led to lawsuits now threatening the future of this repository of the past.

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2024

“We are social animals; we want to go out into the world and engage with each other,” said Mr. Morrison, who keeps a lending library outside his home.

From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024

Here in town I also ransacked, among others, UCLA’s Charles E. Young and William Andrews Clark libraries, LAPL’s central and branch libraries and my own nonprofit bilingual lending library, Libros Schmibros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

It is believed to be Europe's largest public lending library and houses one of the UK's most important Shakespeare collections.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2023

It was several weeks before Lyddie caught on that the novel was from the lending library and thus cost Betsy five cents a week to borrow.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson