Page 1 - Books & People, Spring 2015
P. 1
Volume 22, Number 1, Spring 2015
Books&People
in this issue A Share of History:
E-Books Are Coming Piecing Together the
PAGE 2 Story of Share #2458
Meet the Special Collections by Morgan Aronson and Kathleen Fox
PAGE 5
Piecing together the Library’s extensive shareholder history is an exciting, if frustrating,
endeavor. It begins with the New York Society Library’s Articles of Subscription, the
precursor to our Royal Charter, which outlines the objectives of the Library, the duties
of its trustees, the terms of subscription, and the rights and privileges of its members as
shareholders. To become a member of the Library in 1754, one had to purchase a share,
a certificate of ownership, at a cost of 5 pounds and then pay dues to maintain one’s
borrowing privileges at a cost of 10 shillings annually. The profits from such payments
were used to hire a librarian, purchase books, and secure the Library’s first home at
Federal Hall. Shareholders since have reserved the right to “bequeath, inherit, or
alienate†their share as well as vote in the annual election of trustees.
Receptions
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A share certificate once thought to be lost