What does Athenæum mean?

From the name of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, athenæum refers to a literary or scientific association or club or more specifically, a building/room in which books, periodicals and newspapers are kept for use. This term was added to the Redwood Library in 1833 at a time when it was fashionable to view a library not only as a resource for books, but for culture in general. Shortly thereafter, the Redwood expanded and added a new Reading Room in 1858, and a painting and sculpture gallery in 1875.

How old is Redwood?

254 years! We recently celebrated our 250th anniversary.

Who founded the Redwood, and when?

The Company of the Redwood Library was established in 1747 by Abraham Redwood and a group of his friends and associates. The Library's name was changed in 1833 to The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenæum to reflect its ever expanding role as an educational and cultural institution.

Is the Redwood the oldest library in America?

The Redwood is the oldest library that still has its collections in circulation. The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, preceded the Redwood by 16 years. None of its materials, however, are still allowed to circulate. Thus, although Redwood is not per se the first, it is the oldest to continue its original library functions. Also, although there were several locations that were at times for library use, the Redwood is the oldest library building in America.

What is a membership library?

Originally, those informal libraries mentioned above were "public" in the sense that they were open to the general public, not that they were "free." Persons using these libraries expected to pay for that privilege. After the Civil War the free public library as we know it today - established by law, supported by taxation, and free to all citizens of the community - developed. Eventually the free public libraries absorbed or replaced almost all of their precursors; fewer than twenty survive in the United States, among which, one is the Redwood.
See also Membership Libraries.

As a not-for-profit organization, how is the Redwood funded?

The Redwood is funded through a variety of private sources. Individuals, families, and foundations provide funds through membership fees, gifts, bequests, and donations. Unlike the tax-supported community libraries of today, the Redwood, in its more than 250 years of operation, has never received tax generated public funding.

Is the Redwood open to the public?

The Redwood remains a membership library supported by Proprietors, who own shares and pay an annual assessment, and Subscribers, who pay fees. The Library is open without charge to qualified scholars and researchers and to those making occasional use of the collections. The changing exhibitions, drawn primarily from the Library's collections, are open free to the public.

What are the fees for membership?

There are a variety of memberships available, please refer to our Membership Page.
For further information about membership or shares, contact our Membership Coordinator at (401) 847-0292.

What are the benefits of membership?

Subscriber members have the full use of the Library and the privilege of borrowing books, recordings, and magazines. They also receive the Library's tri-annual newsletter, including the Booklist, invitations to special events, and are entitled to a 20% discount on Library publications and merchandise.

How many books are in the Redwood's collections?

The Redwood's book collections number more than 160,000 volumes, with major strengths in the arts and humanities, especially literature, history, and the fine and decorative arts.

Do all the Redwood's books circulate?

About 75 percent of the Library's book collection circulates, along with its more than 200 periodicals and 2,500 music recordings and books on tape. It is the reference and special collections which do not circulate.

What collections of art and antiques does Redwood hold?

Our special collections include the Original Collection purchased in England in 1749, of which about 90 percent of its approximate 750 titles survive; the Cynthia Cary Collection; the Calvert, Greenvale, and Perry libraries; a collection of pre-1801 imprints, including the earliest surviving incunabulum (a Venetian Bible of 1487) in an American library; a small but fine collection of prints, drawings, and photographs; and a collection of documents and printed material relating to Newport and Rhode Island. The Library also owns a well-known painting collection consisting primarily of eighteenth and nineteenth-century portraits, among them an important group of works by Gilbert Stuart along with a small sculpture collection. Several outstanding examples of eighteenth-century Newport furniture by members of the Goddard and Townsend families and a rare William Claggett clock are included in the Library's decorative arts collection.