Library Company of Philadelphia

The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is America's first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, LCP is an independent research library concentrating on American society and culture from the 17th through 19th centuries. Free and open to the public, the LCP houses an extensive non-circulating collection of rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, prints, photographs and works of art. The mission of the LCP is to preserve, interpret, make available, and augment the valuable materials within our care. We serve a diverse constituency throughout Philadelphia and the nation, offering comprehensive reader services, an internationally renowned fellowship program, an online public access catalog, and regular exhibitions and public programs.

http://www.librarycompany.org