New Hampshire State Library (2024)

FAQs

How many public libraries are in New Hampshire? ›

There are 234 public libraries in New Hampshire, one in every single community.

1833. The first free modern public library was opened in 1833. The Peterborough (N.H.) Town Libraries was the first institution funded by a municipality with the explicit purpose of establishing a free library open to all classes of the community.

GMILCS is a non-profit consortium of thirteen public and academic libraries in New Hampshire sharing an integrated catalog system, resources, and experience.

Above, the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building. The largest public library in the United States and the second largest library in the world is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which is the de facto national library of the United States.

Number of public libraries by state

It's also interesting to look at the different ratios of library types among states. With 1,226 public libraries operating as of 2020, California is the state with the most libraries in the US.

The Franklin Public Library in Franklin, Massachusetts is America's first lending library. In 1778, when the town was incorporated, the designated name Exeter was changed to Franklin in honor of Dr. Benjamin Franklin.

The Sturgis Library in Cape Cod, Massachusetts occupies a building constructed in 1644. It is both the oldest library building in the US and the oldest extant building where worship services were held regularly.

Franklin Public Library is the first and oldest public lending library in continuous existence in the United States. It was founded in 1790 in Franklin, Massachusetts with a donation of books from Benjamin Franklin.

It employs 525 staff (325 full time equivalent posts) and provides a range of services across its network of 53 libraries (including 5 volunteer-led community libraries). In 2015/16, the budget for the service was £12.4 million and a further £1.5 million was generated in income.

The UNH Library is actually four: Dimond Library — an architecturally acclaimed facility complete with an academic commons as well as UNH's archives and museum — and the university's engineering, math and computer science library, physics library and chemistry library.

What is the best state for public libraries? ›

The top four states, ranked by their numbers of Star Libraries, are New York, 31; Ohio, 25; Illinois, 22; and California, 13. There is a tie for fifth place between Kansas and Massachusetts, 12 each. The top ten Star Library states are rounded out by Nebraska and Texas, 11 each; Alabama, ten; and Colorado, eight.

Total Libraries = 197.