Brooklyn Apprentices' Library
The Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library was the first public circulating library in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 1823, it aimed to help youths, tradesmen, and apprentices learn their crafts and other subjects.
The first meeting was August 7, 1823. A group of Brooklyn citizens, including philanthropist Augustus Graham, met at Stevenson's Tavern to start the library. They wanted to aid youths in becoming useful and respectable members of society, so they adopted a charter and began collecting books, funds, and resources.
A building site was found at the intersection of Cranberry and Henry Streets in Brooklyn Heights. The cornerstone was laid by General Lafayette on July 4, 1825. A six-year-old Walt Whitman witnessed the event and later recalled Lafayette placing the cornerstone; Whitman would later work as a librarian at the library.
In 1841 the library moved into the Brooklyn Lyceum. In 1843 the Brooklyn Lyceum and the Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library merged to form the Brooklyn Institute.
In 1890 the Brooklyn Institute became the Brooklyn Institute of Arts. This organization helped found and support many Brooklyn cultural institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, among others.
Today, the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives still has library books from the time of the Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:54 (CET).