Franklin Public Library

🏢 Minuteman Library Network · Franklin, Massachusetts

Franklin Public Library

Recognized as the first public library in the United States, the Franklin Public Library was born in 1790 when the townspeople voted to lend to all residents, free of charge, the 116 books Benjamin Franklin had sent them in place of the church bell they asked for. It still serves that mission today from its 1904 Ray Memorial building at 118 Main Street, next to Dean College.

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📖 About Franklin Public Library

The Franklin Public Library is the oldest public lending library in continuous existence in the United States. When the newly incorporated Massachusetts town named itself after Benjamin Franklin in 1778, residents wrote to him hoping he would donate a bell for their church steeple; Franklin instead sent 116 books, reportedly advising that "sense" would serve the town better than "sound." In 1790 the town meeting voted to lend those volumes free of charge to every inhabitant, establishing the library's founding principle of free public access. The collection was managed by the Franklin Library Association until 1904, when the Ray family donated the Ray Memorial building — the library's first permanent home — on Main Street at the edge of downtown Franklin, beside Dean College. The Town of Franklin assumed direct operation of the library in 1981. Today it is a member of the 41-library Minuteman Library Network, so a Franklin card borrows across MetroWest and Greater Boston, and the original Franklin books survive as a treasured part of the library's heritage collection.

⭐ What makes this library special

• The first and oldest continuously operating public library in the United States, founded on the town meeting's 1790 vote to lend Benjamin Franklin's gift of 116 books free to all residents
• Benjamin Franklin's original 1790 book donation — sent in lieu of a church bell — survives as a heritage collection preserved by the library
• Housed since 1904 in the Ray Memorial building, donated by the Ray family as the library's first permanent home, on Main Street beside Dean College
• Full Minuteman Library Network membership: one card borrows across 41 libraries (60+ locations) throughout MetroWest and Greater Boston
• Museum pass program plus a Library of Things, letting cardholders reserve day passes to area museums and borrow non-traditional items

📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card

Franklin cardholders can borrow, stream, and research free through the Minuteman Network and Massachusetts's statewide collections:

📍 Nearby Libraries in Norfolk County

Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.

All libraries in Franklin  ·  Browse all Massachusetts libraries →

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🎨 This library lends museum passes. See how library museum passes work and find other libraries that lend passes museum passes by state.

🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.

🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.

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🔗 Explore more — services & guides

Helpful guides: How to get a library card Interlibrary loan, explained Borrow eBooks free with Libby & hoopla

More libraries nearby

✓ Hours confirmed: Monday–Thursday and Friday/Saturday hours above match Google Business as of October 2026. Google also shows a Sunday afternoon shift (about 1:30–5 p.m.) during the school year; Sundays are typically closed in summer, so check the calendar before a Sunday visit.

❓ More questions about Franklin Public Library

✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.