Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/First public library

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First public library was proposed for deletion. This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was MERGE AND REDIRECT

There may be an article about this, but this isn't it. RickK 05:38, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

Strange reasoning. The whole point of wikipedia is that articles can be edited. As the creator of this article I very actively welcome all edits to the text I originally wrote for the article. Rick, in your cryptic statement above you appear to grant the validity of such an article topic, so why mark it for deletion? I have gone into greater detail on my rationale for the article in the talk page attached to the article. -- Oska 06:34, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

I've taken on board comments that this information doesn't perhaps warrant an article in itself. However I think the History of Libraries is a significant topic and does deserve a separate article in which the information in the marked article could appear. I have begun a discussion on the need for such an article in the Talk:Library page.

-- Oska 12:43, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

  • Redirect to Public library and create a section there about the many claimants to the title of "first public library in the United States," including: that founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, one founded in 1833 in Peterborough, New Hampshire [1], the Boston Public Library [2], the Franklin, Massachusetts public library [3], etc. etc. Dpbsmith 12:48, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC) P. S. I'm a little bit uneasy about basing this on the claim by an acknowledged "unconventional historian," do other historians or commentators on this one address the claim about the first public library? Dpbsmith 12:53, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)
  • I agree in decision and reasoning with Dpbsmith. There are a lot of troubles with deciding upon the first public library. One could argue that Alexandria counts. One can argue that the circulating libraries of the 18th c. in England are prior. It all depends on how "public" you want it to be and how much of a "library" you want it to be. Even "first state commissioned, maintained, and erected library" is gnarled. It would be wonderful if Oska's work were incorporated into the main Public library article and opened to the discussion of claims. Geogre 00:26, 16 Jul 2004 (UTC)
  • I'm resigned to it being merged. I just want to say that the reason I chose to start a new page and add a link from public library was because none of the information that I had seemed very authoratitive. I thought it better to 'quarantine' it off in it's own page. I have since gone and looked in paper encyclopedias and they are not good on this subject either. It seems extraordinary to me that the origins of such an important and valuable institution don't seem to have been well explored. -- Oska 09:47, Jul 18, 2004 (UTC)
    • For what it's worth, you might make it a sect. called "Purported First Public Library." I'm sure that's occurred to you. Good thinking on your part about the segregation of the topic, but, if you indicate that this is one narrative of many, I don't think you'll mess up the NPOV of public library. Geogre 17:44, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC) (I went to two "first state university in the US" schools.)
  • Rename to history of the public library. Please don't just erase Oska's work, even if it is incomplete. I agree that "first public library" is not a good article title, as it implies that we have identified, or are trying to identify, a single institution. Don't forget that the public lending library has its own history, which could be a subsection of the article. -- Heron 09:42, 23 Jul 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like other '/delete' pages is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion or on the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.

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