# 2015 - 1982 20c America's Libraries

U.S. #2015
1982 20¢ America's Libraries

• Pays tribute to the variety of libraries across the country used by Americans of all ages
• Designed by Bradbury Thompson

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  20¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:  July 13, 1982
First Day City:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Quantity Issued:  169,495,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Panes of 50 in sheets of 200
Perforations:  11
Color:  Red and black

Why the stamp was issued:  To bring attention to large variety of libraries used by Americans of all ages.  This stamp commemorates the good works and services these institutions have provided throughout the course of our nation's history.

About the stamp design:  This stamp was designed by veteran designer Bradbury Thompson.  The design focuses on typography, depicting the first three and last three letters of the alphabet.  They’re shown in the grids that type designers use to create letters for printing books and other objects.  The letters shown on the stamp were taken from typography created by Geofroy Tory of Bourges, France, in 1523.  The type was used in the book Champ Fleury, published in 1526.  The typeface was cut by Tory’s student Claude Garamond and became known as Sabon Antigua.

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at the Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the American Library Association’s annual convention.

Unusual fact about this stamp:  Multiple errors exist imperforate both vertically and horizontally.  There is also an error in which all the color is missing, but an albino impression is present.

History the stamp represents:  Dating from as far back as the 4th century B.C., libraries have been invaluable sources of written knowledge and information.

Some of the earliest libraries in America were associated with churches.  As missionaries went to new locations, they established parochial libraries at the churches they built. 

The first public library in America in generally considered to have opened between 1711 and 1725 by the Reverend John Checkley at the Old State House in Boston.  However, it was destroyed by a fire in 1747.  There have been some claims that other libraries may have existed in Charlestown, Annapolis, Philadelphia, and Boston around the same time. 

New York City opened its first public library in 1729, with almost all of it’s books being related to religion.  Two years later, Benjamin Franklin helped found the Library Company of Philadelphia as a place to settle arguments and share information.  Theirs was a subscription library that allowed members to buy shares, which funded book purchases.  This was a common practice for libraries of the time – paid memberships for the privilege of borrowing books.

Dr. Jesse Torrey, Jr. was an early advocate of free public libraries.  As a teen he had opened a library for young people.  And in 1817, he published his treatise, The Intellectual Torch, which proposed a national system of free public libraries, paid for by the taxes raised on alcohol.  Peterborough, New Hampshire opened the country’s first free public library supported by taxation in 1833.  They were followed by Boston in 1852.

Free public libraries soon began to appear throughout the country.  As the idea spread, librarians formed the American Library Association to set guidelines for the standards and quality of America’s libraries.  Additionally, laws such as the Library Services Act and the Library Services and Construction Act helped bring libraries to unserved areas, so everyone could have free access to knowledge.  It’s estimated that there are about 116,800 libraries in the United States today.