First Public Libraries of St. Louis

     The predecessor of SLPL, was a subscription library, the Public School Library Society, however this was not the first attempt at establishing a public library in St. Louis.  On May 13, 1818, the Reading Room and Punch House was opened on the corner of Main and Second streets (McDermott 9).  The reading room provided newspapers and other pieces of literature, and a well-stocked bar.  Through the following decades a number of other reading rooms would be established, mainly as spaces for lively discussion and places to indulge one's "mental appetites" (10).  After a series of failed attempts at gaining subscribers and members, many reading rooms were closed after losing financial support and the interest of the members.   This led to the pronouncement in the Missouri Gazette that "the plan for a 'Public Library and Reading Room' had been abandoned" (11).  It was not until January 1824 when a letter addressed to the Citizens of St. Louis by a mysterious author, only known as Franklin, was the fire for a more permanent library ignited.  Franklin calls his fellow citizens to action by offering a variety of reasons to have a library including the old adage that " knowledge is power ", libraries provide more intellectually stimulating and character building spaces, and the need to inform the public.  He even provides a financial plan to fund the library through donations and subscription fees, and ends with a hopeful note that his fellow citizens will be ready to begin meeting and starting committees to begin this great endeavor (11-12).  Franklin's letter stirred up public opinion, and led to a meeting at the mayor's office where the St. Louis Library Association was formed.  By their next meeting on February 9th, the committee was able to collect nearly eight hundred books, and $38 in donations (13).  On March 8th, 1824, the directors had established and published provisions and rules for lending, record keeping, fines, repairs, staffing, donating, and the duties of the librarian in the Missouri Republican(13). Over the next several years, reports from this library remained few but it persevered.  In 1832, the library had lost the interest of it stockholders, and relied on a bold move by the Board of Directors to keep it afloat.  On November 13, 1832, an announcement in the Missouri Republican stated that the library would be opened to the public during its limited hours, and those wishing to become members could do begin their application process (16).  This brought on a flurry of new interest and financial support, that unfortunately waned by the next year.  Despite years flush with donations, new membership, and policy changes that allowed for more liberal lending policies involving minors, on September 25, 1839, the books and furniture of the library were to be sold at auction to pay off any remaining debts (26).  This failure prompted the Missouri Republican to denounce St. Louisans for the humiliating lack of support for the library and provided suggestions for future library endeavors.  The open letter lamented the scattering of volumes, the loss of charming and quiet reading space, the apathy of the city, and suggested that future libraries keep their stockholders better informed, and called existing institutions to take up the banner and create new libraries (26-27).  By October 24th, the luck for the Library Company director and their collection turned around as they transferred their materials to the St. Louis Lyceum.  The St. Louis Lyceum would become the Mercantile Library in 1846.  The Mercantile Library was not a true public library during this era; it kept its membership almost exclusively to clerks and merchants.   However, the Mercantile has endured into the twenty-first century as a piece of living St. Louis history and archive.