circulating library

A circulating library is a rental library where books are available for borrowing. This concept gained popularity in the 18th century and expanded significantly with the rise of public libraries in the 19th century. Early systems for tracking borrowed books involved cards, while modern libraries often use computerized systems.1

Subscription libraries, popular from the late 17th to 19th centuries, were partly public and partly private, often serving scholarly groups but also open to the general public. Famous examples include the Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731. These libraries could significantly influence publishers, with some, like Mudie's Circulating Library, accounting for a large portion of a novel's sales. Today, the services once provided by subscription libraries are largely offered by free public libraries.2