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 Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

. 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 Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. 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.

Recognition by IMLS

In May 2018, Reading Public Library was selected as a recipient of the

National Medal for Museum and Library Service The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as "t ...

by the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the ...

. This award represents institutions that offer "dynamic programming and services that exceed expected levels of service" and that also "bring about change that touches the lives of individuals and helps communities thrive" through outreach to and engagement with the service population.

Branch Libraries

An increase in the number of users and the changing collection needs over the years have prompted the construction of three Branches.
Southeast Branch Library
(1974)
Northeast Branch Library
(1974), and
Northwest Branch Library
(1939)
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 Librar
website
provides access to the library's catalog and to online collections and subscription databases. It also includes information o
upcoming events
such as free book talks, instruction sessions, and visiting speakers and authors. The online catalo
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
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. Othe
databases available only from within the library
include Ancestry Library, Foundation Directory, Reference USA, and Reading Eagle archives.

Resources and services

Resources

RPL offers a wide variety of print resources (Fiction, Nonfiction, Reference, Large Print, Spanish, Magazines
Government Documents
and non-print resources (CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, Video Cassettes, Microfilm
DatabasesReading Eagle Archives
.

Services

Among RPL's many services are a fully staffe
Reference DepartmentInter-Library Loan
capabilities,
Pennsylvania Room
dedicated to history and genealogy of the local area, award-winnin
Children's

Young Adult
Departments, regularly scheduled Instruction & Programming, and freely available Public Internet Access via desktop computers and wifi).

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

The Reading Public Library
(Homepage)
RPL Reference ServicesRPL Databases
(In-library access & home access)
Location & Hours
{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1913 Public libraries in Pennsylvania

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

Carnegie libraries in Pennsylvania 1763 establishments in Pennsylvania