Library Hours:

Monday - 9:3am - 5pm

Tuesday - 9:30am - 5pm

Wednesday - 12noon - 7:30pm

Thursday  - 9:30am - 5pm

Friday - Closed

Saturday - 10am - 3pm

Mission:

The Reading Public Library will generate a library for the future by meeting the informational, educational, and recreational needs of library consumers today.

History:

The year was 1763, and the original Thirteen Colonies were a hotbed of unrest between the colonists and the indigenous peoples of North America. On February 10 of that year, the Treaty of Paris ended the seven-year-long French and Indian War. Pennsylvania became involved in Native American conflicts in August as Pontiac’s War broke out between a union of tribes against settlers in Fort Pitts and Fort Presque Isle, both located in the far western provinces of the Commonwealth.

In the same year, Thomas Penn served as Pennsylvania’s colonial proprietor (a role similar to governor), and Benjamin Franklin was on the verge of being elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (an office he would hold officially the following year). As these historical events took place, a group of men met in a tavern to plan the establishment of the first English-language library in Reading, Pennsylvania.