circulating library

noun

1. a library whose books can be borrowed by its members or subscribers.
2. lending library.

circulating library

noun

1. another name (esp US) for lending library
2. a small library circulated in turn to a group of schools or other institutions
3. a rare name for subscription library

Word History and Origins

Origin of circulating library¹

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

Among its innovations, the store established a circulating library for travelers wintering in Pasadena’s grand resort hotels, who often preferred to rent a book rather than lug it home.

From Los Angeles Times

Lee’s essay reminds me of my time renting books from a circulating library in Mahim, a Mumbai suburb, in the 1960s.

From New York Times

In the past, books were more often borrowed than bought, even among middle-class Victorians, who would pay to join for-profit circulating libraries so that they could rent books and get rid of them after reading.

From New York Times

The stacks, which were to have been demolished to make way for the Foster-designed circulating library, have been mostly empty since 2013, to the dismay of some scholars and preservationists.

From New York Times

Mid-Manhattan has 1.4 million visitors a year, half of whom come from outside Manhattan, Mr. Marx said, making it “the city’s central circulating library.”

From New York Times