circulating library
/'sə:kjuleitiɳ'laibrəri/
Definition
- Noun:
- A library that lends books for use outside its premises: A "circulating library" is a library, often a subscription-based or commercial establishment historically, whose primary function is to allow members or subscribers to borrow books and take them away to read elsewhere, rather than only consulting them on-site.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- In the 19th century, many people relied on a circulating library for their reading material.
- The new circulating library in town has a vast collection of modern novels available for loan.
Advanced Usage
- The term "circulating library" is often used in a historical context to describe private, for-profit lending libraries that were common before the widespread establishment of free public libraries.
- Jane Austen's characters often borrowed novels from a circulating library.
Variants and Related Words
- Lending library (n): A more modern and general synonym for a library that allows books to be borrowed.
- The public library also functions as a lending library.
Synonyms
- Lending library: A library that permits the borrowing of books.
- Subscription library: A library supported by members' fees, often historically synonymous with a circulating library.
Noun
-
library that provides books for use outside the building
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