Membership libraries offer a glimpse into the past

The New York Society Library fulfills every expectation one might have for an Upper East Side library. Hushed, exclusive, and rich in history and artifacts, it sits proudly in the center of the block (on 79th Street, between Madison and Park avenues).

The reference room—the only room offering access to non-members—is small, and most of the available space is occupied by a large oval table. Despite its modest size, the room offers an impressive range of reference books, from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Comparative Guide to American Colleges, and its large windows let in plenty of light.

The building in which the library is currently housed is a New York City landmark, built by renowned architects Trowbridge and Livingston in 1917. The library—the first in New York City­—houses a remarkable collection of art and artifacts. But the library’s treasures, ranging from drawings by famed naturalist John James Audubon to the original library charter signed by King George III, are not open to all. Only members are allowed to venture above the first floor or borrow books.

As an institution, the membership library dates all the way back to the colonial period, when the newly established colonies suffered from a dearth of books. Seeking to fill this void, Benjamin Franklin established the first membership library in Philadelphia in 1731. Each member of the Junto, his “society of mutual improvement,” contributed to the purchase of a collection of books that they could not have afforded individually—the members were effectively shareholders, paying fees to the society in order to increase their book capital.

Membership libraries appeared in America throughout the 18th and 19th centuries because individuals, particularly merchants, became increasingly concerned with educating society and themselves.

The membership library is a literary tradition that has been around longer than our constitution. And there are other membership libraries still in operation across the country, including two in New York City—the General Society Library (West 44th Street) and the Mercantile Library (East 47th Street), both founded in 1820.

Whether or not one cares to pay the $150 year-long membership fee (this price includes the $25 student discount), the New York Society Library and others of its kind are worth a visit—if only because they stand as monuments to the intellectual curiosity and drive for self-improvement that helped found this country.