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As a librarian who  and , I was delighted to see the American Library Association鈥檚 efforts to celebrate its  this year, while making several mentions of Pennsylvania.

The ALA highlighted its ; how Pittsburgh philanthropist  funded the construction of more than 1,600 library buildings throughout the United States; and Scranton鈥檚 , who attended and maintained records about the ALA鈥檚 early conferences for nearly 50 years.

But these stories just scratch the surface of how Pennsylvanians have contributed to American libraries and librarianship.

I published a book on , and I鈥檓 working on a sequel that extends the story to the early 2000s. Many scholars connect the beginning of public librarianship in the United States to ALA鈥檚 1876 founding, but libraries鈥� roots .

America鈥檚 first 鈥榩ublic鈥� library

The , established in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, was the nation鈥檚 first successful circulating library and was a model for many others.

These early 鈥減ublic鈥� libraries 鈥� so called because they did not require users to affiliate with churches, colleges or other organizations 鈥� were run by stockholders who pooled funds to purchase books. The owners charged annual membership fees to others who wanted to join.

In the 19th century there was widespread desire among U.S. educators, women鈥檚 clubs, local government leaders and public-spirited citizens to provide libraries to everyone, whether or not they could afford to subscribe.

Today, some people incorrectly believe that steel magnate Carnegie was the first philanthropist to donate money for library buildings. However, a number of other Pennsylvanians preceded him.

In 1883, for example, , a lawyer and land developer, constructed a  in Warren, Penn., that contained a theater and storefronts. Those spaces were to support a public library that was also in the building. The business plan didn鈥檛 work, however, and users had to purchase 鈥渢ickets鈥� to borrow books.

Given such situations,  was especially impactful because it shifted some financial responsibility to local governments.

While some of the lavish libraries Carnegie first erected in the Pittsburgh area came with endowments 鈥� the  is one that still exists 鈥� he later developed a formula to ensure that other communities would not rely on his continuous generosity. As a condition of most of his grants, Carnegie insisted that municipalities provide land plus annual operating funds equivalent to at least 10% of the buildings鈥� costs. This effectively committed municipalities to finance libraries with public dollars.

Federal and state support for public libraries

In Pennsylvania, rural residents received a library boost with the passage of  in 1931. The legislation offered partial matching funds to counties that provided library services.

Notably, the law excluded the state鈥檚 two largest counties 鈥� Philadelphia and Allegheny.

The federal Library Services Act of 1956-1962, a forerunner of the current  program, further aided libraries in communities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. The funds supported book purchases and projects such as bookmobile services.

Until the 1960s, though, there were no parallel funding streams for larger communities. This may have compounded other inequities.

Pennsylvania libraries did not practice de jure racial discrimination聽. Nor did they deliberately exclude senior citizens or people with disabilities. But how they allocated resources, designed spaces, developed collections, recruited staff and engaged local residents through specialized programming favored some constituents over others.

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Just a few weeks ago I uncovered a  in the Pennsylvania Library Association bulletin that was written by , once a librarian and later a member of Philadelphia鈥檚 City Council. Clark wrote about how she believed white librarians in the City of Brotherly Love were failing Black children. She described the librarians鈥� lack of respect for Black communities, their 鈥減ained tolerance鈥� of Black people in their midst, and an unwillingness to render extra help 鈥� all of which, she said, prevented Black children from feeling 鈥渁t home鈥� in public libraries.

Using libraries鈥� records, I have also found many requests from both individuals and advocacy groups asking for ramps, elevators and other alterations to century-old libraries, and for additional listening and viewing equipment. In at least one case, a complaint reached the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights; it was investigated and ultimately dismissed.

Libraries strive to be more inclusive

Libraries in urban areas of Pennsylvania began to receive state support after the passage of Act 188 of 1961, which created a  program for municipal as well as county libraries. It also provided additional funding to the  and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which became Statewide Library Resource Centers. As such, they received extra funding to provide services to other libraries and customers in the state.

On the national level, the , which replaced the Library Services Act in 1964, did not exclude urban and populous suburban areas as the Library Services Act had. In administering the new funds, the State Library of Pennsylvania approved many proposals that extended services to underserved residents, such as Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library鈥檚 , Altoona Area Public Library鈥檚  for people with intellectual disabilities, and Cumberland County Library System鈥檚  for homebound senior citizens.

In the following decades, libraries continued to strive to become more accessible. In the 1990s the  and state efforts such as   initiative addressed the digital divide between communities that had computers and internet connections and those that did not. It provided grants for libraries to acquire needed upgrades.

Thirty years later, there are still some places in Pennsylvania, especially in rural and mountainous areas, that don鈥檛 have broadband. However, that number  thanks to  to build infrastructure in communities that corporate entities have neglected.

Role of librarians today

 argue that the internet, online databases and AI have replaced the need for public libraries and professional librarians. But a lot of information and recreational reading material is locked behind paywalls that Google and chatbots cannot circumvent.

Librarians today continue to play a crucial role in ensuring that resources remain available to the 鈥渓argest number, at the least cost,鈥� as American librarian  more than a century ago.

The Pennsylvania Library Association has found that for every $1 in tax investment, . This is largely by acquiring materials at discounts and enabling library customers to share and reuse them.

Working in today鈥檚 libraries can require substantial courage, too, given current , including . Requests to remove titles, or reshelve them in less-accessible areas, is nothing new. For example, I documented an example in  in which Catholic citizens urged the removal of Augusta Jane Evans-Wilson鈥檚 novel 鈥淚nez: A Tale of the Alamo,鈥� due to its negative portrayal of a priest and inaccurate descriptions of Catholic sacraments. However, current activists鈥� tactics are becoming more broad-stroke, aggressive and even violent.

The  and , a library advocacy group, have noted bills in various states that propose jailing library employees for the materials their institutions contain. There do not seem to be any bills presently of concern in Pennsylvania. But news reports about other book challenges and bans in Pennsylvania, , regularly show up in my inbox and social media feeds.

When you view the centuries-long history of American librarianship through a Pennsylvania lens, it鈥檚 more complex, nuanced and fascinating than many people realize. And while today鈥檚 libraries face various challenges, I believe they continue to contribute enormously to residents across the entire state.

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