First children's library

It is impossible to definitely identify the first children's library, as ideas of what constitutes children's literature have shifted considerably over the years. Certainly many long-established schools such as the King's School in Canterbury, UK, have provided their pupils with access to some form of library for hundreds of years, but its contents probably wouldn't have been recognizable as children's books by today's standards. The earliest public library with a collection explicitly dedicated to children is the Bingham Library for Youth, in Salisbury, Connecticut, USA, which was established by a bequest from local bookseller, Caleb Bingham, in 1803. This collection, which was originally housed in the town hall, contained books for boys and girls aged 9 to 16.

The library was established with the 150 books donated by Bingham, and was apparently popular from the outset. In his will, he stated that it was a gift so that children would not have to grow up without access to books, like he had done. Importantly, in 1810, the local council voted to assign $100 (equivalent to between $2,600 and $30,000 today, depending on how things are calculated) to support the collection's upkeep and to purchase additional suitable titles.

The modern "children's section" familiar to library users today has its origins in the last few decades of the 19th century. In 1877, librarian Minerva Sanders created an area for children in the Pawtucket Public Library in Rhode Island, USA, that would serve as the model for public libraries across the US. It had dedicated bookshelves and child-size chairs and tables in the reading area.

The earliest documented story time events were held by librarians Anne Carroll Moore at the Pratt Institute Free Library and Caroline Hewins at the Hartford Public Library in Connecticut in the 1890s.