Reading Public Library

Infobox_Library
library_name = Reading Public Library
library_
location = Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
established = 1763
num_branches = 1 Main Branch, 3 Sub Branches, 1 Bookmobile
annual circulation = 500,000
annual circulation =
pop_served = 81,207 (City of Reading); 373,638 (Berks County)
budget = unknown
director = Frank Kasprowicz
num_employees = 60
website = http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/

The Reading Public Library (RPL) is the main public library of the City of Reading, Pennsylvania and the district library center (DLC) of Berks County. RPL’s services and collections serve the City of Reading, its suburbs, greater Berks County, and beyond.

History

Founded as an English subscription library in 1763, Reading Public Library is one of the oldest, though not continuously operating, libraries in the United States. It wasn’t until 1913 that the Main Library as it currently stands was built through the generosity of Andrew Carnegie. After a major fundraising campaign in 1989, the Main Library was renovated and modernized through a variety of projects during 1990-1993. It is the sixth oldest public library in the United States.

Branch Libraries

An increase in the number of users and the changing collection needs over the years have prompted the construction of three Branches. [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/locations_southeast.asp Southeast Branch Library] (1974), [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/locations_northeast.asp Northeast Branch Library] (1974), and [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/locations_northwest.asp Northwest Branch Library] (1939). [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/locations_bookmobile.asp City Bookmobile] services were added in 1951. The Main Library, all three Branches, and the Bookmobile readily share books and other materials to further facilitate complete coverage of the community's needs.

Website

The Reading Public Library [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/ website] provides access to the library's catalog and to online collections and subscription databases. It also includes information on [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/upcomingevents.asp upcoming events] such as free book talks, instruction sessions, and visiting speakers and authors. The online catalog [http://ipac.reading.lib.pa.us/ ALIN] allows users to search RPL’s holdings of books and other materials as well as those of all participating libraries in Berks County.

In conjunction with Access Pennsylvania, RPL gives library cardholders free access via [http://www.powerlibrary.net/Remote/Remote.asp?ID=Reading POWER Library] to hundreds of current and historical magazines, newspapers, journals, and reference books in subscription databases, including EBSCOhost, Grove Art Online, Grove Music Online, and ERIC.

Other [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/webdatabases.asp databases available only from within the library] include Ancestry Library, Foundation Directory, Reference USA, and Reading Eagle archives.

Resources & Services

Resources

RPL offers a wide variety of print resources (Fiction, Nonfiction, Reference, Large Print, Spanish, Magazines, [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference_government.asp Government Documents] ) and non-print resources (CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, Video Cassettes, Microfilm, [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/webdatabases.asp Databases] , [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference_readingeaglearchives.asp Reading Eagle Archives] ).

ervices

Among RPL’s many services are a fully staffed [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference.asp Reference Department] , [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference_interlibraryloan.asp Inter-Library Loan] capabilities, a [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference_pennsylvaniaroom.asp Pennsylvania Room] dedicated to history and genealogy of the local area, award-winning [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/childrens.asp Children's] & [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/youngadult.asp Young Adult] Departments, regularly scheduled Instruction & Programming, and freely available Public Internet Access (w/wifi).

ee also

* [http://www.pde.state.pa.us/ Pennsylvania Department of Education]
** [http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/ Office of Commonwealth Libraries]
* [http://www.accesspa.state.pa.us/ Access Pennsylvania] (Union catalog of Pennsylvania’s school, public, academic and special libraries)
* [http://www.powerlibrary.org/ POWER Library] (Databases available to Pennsylvania library members)
* [http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/cwp/view.asp?a=2&Q=40190&g=163&librariesNav=|1221|1228|&librariesNav=|2510|2512| State Library of Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/berkslibraries.asp List of Berks County Libraries]

References

*Durham, A. R. (n.d.). "History of the reading library 1808-1890". Unpublished manuscript, Reading Public Library, Reading, PA.

*Griesemer, V. L. (1964). "Two hundred years of service: a history of the reading public library." (Undergraduate dissertation, Albright College, 1964).

*Heizmann, L. J. (1971). "The library that would not die: the turbulent history of the Reading Public Library". Reading, PA: Reading Eagle Press.

*Heizmann, L. J., & Hagan, C. (1988). "The library that would not die: the turbulent history of the Reading Public Library". Reading, PA : Reading Eagle Press.

External links

* [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/ The Reading Public Library] (Homepage)
* [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/reference.asp RPL Reference Services]
* [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/webdatabases.asp RPL Databases] (In-library access & home access)
* [http://www.reading.lib.pa.us/locations_main.asp Location & Hours]