A Week to Celebrate Libraries—and the Legacy of Benjamin Franklin

A Week to Celebrate Libraries—and the Legacy of Benjamin Franklin

I had an American history professor in college who argued that, of all the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin may have contributed more than anyone else to everyday American life and culture. He made a compelling case, and over the years I have come to think he may well have been right. Franklin’s contributions are almost too numerous to count. But one of the most lasting was his role in establishing what became America’s first successful lendi…