New York Society Library

I had never heard of the New York Society Library before today...of course I know about a lot of other libraries and the New York Historical Society on the other side of Central Park, but doing this blog is a journey of discovery for me...

Let's see what the internet says...Aha, more history here than I might have imagined, and here is just some of it:

he New York Society Library (NYSL) is the oldest cultural institution in New York City.^[2] It was founded in 1754 by the New York Society as a subscription library. During the time when New York was the capital of the United States, it was the de facto Library of Congress. Until the establishment of the New York Public Library in 1895, it functioned as the city's library as well. It has been patronized by a wide variety of literary and political figures, from George Washington to Wendy Wasserstein. Its special collections include books from the libraries of John Winthrop and Lorenzo Da Ponte.
Since 1937 the library has been housed in the former John S. Rogers Mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the fourth location in its history. The stone Renaissance Revival building was one of the earliest recognized as a New York City landmark in 1967, and was further listed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the John S. Rogers House) in 1983 in recognition of both its architecture and the library's historic role in the city.
The library's collection of 300,000 volumes includes audio recordings and periodicals as well as books on a broad range of subjects. It is open for browsing and research by the general public; only members may borrow or use the upper floors. The library is a non-profit organization supported primarily by its membership fees and endowment.

History

Six residents of the city, then located primarily on what is now Lower Manhattan, formed the New York Society in 1754 on the belief that a library, which the city did not have at the time, would be useful to it. They convinced Colonial Governor James DeLancey to let them use a room in the original City Hall, at Wall and Broad streets, for that purpose. In 1772 the society received a charter from George III.^[3][4]
During the Revolutionary War, New York was occupied by the British Army. Its small collection suffered from extensive looting. Soldiers tore book paper up to make wadding for their muskets, or sold the books for rum. After independence, in 1789, the New York State Legislature recognized the charter. During that time, Congress was meeting in New York City pending the establishment of Washington, D.C. as the permanent national capital.
The NYSL effectively served as the first Library of Congress for two years, and its records show borrowings by George Washington, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, among other early American notables, from that time.^[3][4] Washington is believed to have failed to return two books due in 1789; the library has announced that it plans to waive the $300,000 fine but is still seeking the return of the books.^[5]