Brooks & Crowley - April 2020

The Oldest Libraries in America

A Story of Many Firsts

BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE

Anglican Church. Not surprisingly, most of the libraries’ holdings were theological.

What’s the oldest library in America? It’s an easy question to ask, but it has an unexpectedly complicated answer. Before the Industrial Revolution generated greater interest in public services, a library’s function and purpose varied widely. Several libraries in the United States claim to be the country’s “first,” but for different reasons.

In 1833, just as the Industrial Revolution was picking up steam, the Peterborough Town Library was founded in Peterborough, New Hampshire, at a town meeting. It was the first tax-supported free public library in the United States and in the world. Not long after that, the Boston Public Library, known as the “palace for the people,” became the first municipal public library in the country. The Boston Public Library was also the first library to have a space specifically for children. Out of all the “first” libraries in the country, these are the most probable progenitors of most libraries today — even if they weren’t exactly “first.”

A FEW MORE FIRSTS

During the 1700s, a few more “first” libraries were established. In 1731, Ben Franklin and a few others started the first subscription library in the United States. Members of subscription libraries could pay to buy books or borrow them for free. In 1757, 60 men founded the Library Company of Burlington in New Jersey, and Thomas Rodman received a charter from King George II to operate the business in 1758. The library still operates under that charter today. The Library of Burlington was the first library to operate out of its own building after a prominent resident donated the land in 1789.

COLLEGES AND THE CLERGY

Some believe Harvard University hosted the first library in the United States. Harvard was the first university in the United States, founded in 1636, and clergyman John Harvard seeded the library with a 400-book collection. Soon after, however, Thomas Bray, another clergyman, began establishing the first free lending libraries throughout the colonies to encourage the spread of the

Workers’ Compensation and the Coronavirus What You Need to Know

A NOTE ON ILLNESS

lost wages, medical expenses, loss of function benefits, and more. Should your employer’s insurance deny your claim, you have the right to appeal this decision through the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA). Generally, the burden will be on you (and your lawyer) to prove that your injuries or illnesses were caused by your work.

Due to recent events, protecting your rights as a worker has become critically important. A debilitating injury or illness suffered through the course of your employment can be financially destructive in the best of times; undergoing such an event now could be catastrophic. That’s why it’s important to recognize when you might have a workers’ compensation claim and hold your employer accountable to your injuries.

We’ve mentioned illness several times in this article, but with the recent pandemic, it deserves a closer look. If you believe you contracted the coronavirus through the course of your employment (being made to work in a crowded space, for example) you may be eligible for compensation. However, because of the widespread nature of the virus, there is a high burden of proof you’ll need to provide in order to convince the insurance company you contracted the illness due to your job rather than during your day-to-day life. Unsure if you can make a workers’ compensation claim? Give us a call at 781-277-7321. Our firm would be happy to listen to your story and answer any questions you might have.

REMOTE WORK

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BASICS Under Massachusetts law, almost all employees are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, including

Due to recent events, a great many Americans have been working from home. What these employees may not know is that they are still afforded all the same protections from workers’ compensation insurance as they would have on a job site. So long as you can prove the injury or illness arose out of and in the course of your employment, you may be eligible for benefits.

undocumented laborers. If you are injured or made ill because of the nature of your job, you may be eligible for benefits, including

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