Claim: Philadelphia is home to the first U.S. library, founded in 1731.

The Library Company of Philadelphia -LRB- LCP -RRB- is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia . Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a library , the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of historically valuable manuscripts and printed material in the United States .   The current collection size is about 500,000 books and 70,000 other items , including 2,150 items that once belonged to Franklin , the Mayflower Compact , major collections of 17th century and Revolution-era pamphlets and ephemera , maps , and whole libraries assembled in the 18th and 19th centuries . The collection also includes first editions of Moby-Dick and Leaves of Grass .