Enoch Pratt Free Library
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Established in 1882 after a grant from philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Enoch Pratt
Enoch Pratt
Enoch Pratt was an American businessman in Baltimore, Maryland, a Unitarian, and a philanthropist.-Biography:...
, the library now includes twenty-two branches in Baltimore, plus the Central Library. Pratt intended his gift to establish a library that "shall be for all, rich and poor without distinction of race or color who, when properly accredited, can take out the books if they will handle them carefully and return them." The Central Library was designated the "State Library Resource Center for the State of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
" by the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
in 1971.
Notable Library Statistics
In 2010, there were two million visits to Pratt, a 58% increase over the previous two years - more people than attended Ravens games.Pratt's award-winning website got 2,600,000 hits.
106,000 children, teens and their families participated in child and teen programs.
Children and teens read 220,000 books in the Summer Reading Program.
There are 600 computers available system-wide for public use.