Holiday Calendar
992 saved#11 of 6,224

National Library Lovers Month

A cultural observance held throughout February that encourages people to use, support, and celebrate their local libraries.

Monday
1–28
February 2027
Last updated February 26, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team
Have an update or spot an error?
YEARLY DATEAll of February
OBSERVED INUnited States
CATEGORYPop Culture
SUBCATEGORYBooks
ORIGIN

Institutional Initiative

FOUNDING ENTITY
Friends and Foundations of California Libraries
FIRST OBSERVED
~2003
“The campaign won the 2003 FOLUSA and Baker & Taylor @ your library Award; no record pins its first observance.
HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

A library group's campaign, dressed up as a love affair.

The observance grew out of a 'Library Lover's Month' promotion run by Friends and Foundations of California Libraries, which handed member groups free fundraising and marketing tools built on the American Library Association's @ your library brand. The program won a national FOLUSA and Baker & Taylor award in 2003, though the exact year it was first observed is not documented.

INTRO

How a trademark turned libraries into a love story

National Library Lovers Month did not begin with a poet or a president. It began with a marketing brand. The phrase that anchored its first big campaign, @ your library, was a registered trademark, the centerpiece of a national push to sell the public on libraries the way a company sells a product.

That is the odd thing about a month built on affection. The "love" came wrapped in a logo, a style guide, and free promotional kits.

Strip away the branding and the pitch is simple. Spend February using the building down the street that lends you almost everything for free, and tell someone why it matters.

Advertisement
ORIGINS

Library Lovers Month history

INTRODUCTION

The story behind the month starts two and a half centuries before anyone thought to give it a name. It starts with a young printer who was tired of buying his own books.

In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and the members of his Philadelphia debating club, the Junto, pooled their money to share a collection none of them could afford alone. They called it the Library Company of Philadelphia, and it became America's first successful lending library.

CHAPTER 01

From a private club to a public idea

Fifty subscribers each put in 40 shillings to start. After that they paid a smaller sum every year to buy more books. The model spread up and down the Atlantic coast, and the notion that ordinary people could share a serious library, rather than only the wealthy owning private ones, took root in America early.

By the 1800s, free public libraries were appearing across the country. The librarians who ran them needed standards, training, and a common voice.

CHAPTER 02

Librarians organize

They got one in 1876, when the American Library Association was founded in Philadelphia. It is now the oldest and largest library association in the world, and for more than a century it has shaped how American libraries operate and how they ask the public for support.

CHAPTER 03

Marketing the library

That second job, winning public support, is where this holiday actually comes from. In 2000, the ALA launched a trademarked brand, @ your library, to market libraries nationally with one consistent look.

Friends and Foundations of California Libraries built a February promotion on top of it. The group gave its member chapters ready-made "Library Lover's Month" tools so any California library could run the same campaign. The effort won a national award in 2003, and the February frame outlived the campaign that started it.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why We Love National Library Lovers Month

TRUST

Two in three Americans say losing the local library would hit their community hard.

In a 2016 Pew survey, 77% of Americans said public libraries provide them with the resources they need. The same survey found 66% believed closing their local library would have a major impact on their community.

ACCESS

A rare service with no price tag

A library card turns books, internet access, classes, and meeting space into things a person can use without paying at the door. The month exists to remind people that this access is not automatic and depends on public support.

FUNDING

Friends groups keep the lights brighter

The month began as a fundraising tool for the volunteer Friends groups that raise money for individual libraries. February gives those groups a built-in reason to ask their communities for help.

BY THE NUMBERS

National Library Lovers Month by the Numbers

800M+
US library visits in 2023
155M+
US registered library users, 2023
17,000+
US public library outlets and branches
4.37
Physical items borrowed per person, 2023

TIMELINE

Timeline

Franklin's lending library

Benjamin Franklin and the Junto found the Library Company of Philadelphia, America's first successful lending library.

Librarians organize

The American Library Association is founded in Philadelphia, the world's oldest and largest library association.

The @ your library brand

The ALA launches the trademarked @ your library brand to market libraries across the country.

A California campaign wins

Friends and Foundations of California Libraries wins a national award for its Library Lover's Month campaign.

Visits climb back

Federal survey data shows in-person library use rising again, with both physical and digital borrowing on the way up.

GOOD TO KNOW

Surprising facts about National Library Lovers Month

America's first library doubled as the Library of Congress

The Library Company of Philadelphia served as the de facto Library of Congress from the Revolutionary War until 1800, when the capital moved to Washington.

The winning campaign drew over 100,000 page views

The California group's award-winning Library Lover's Month website logged more than 100,000 page views and over 20,000 unique visitors, a notable haul for an early-2000s library promotion.

A library campaign landed in Ladies' Home Journal

The 2003 award noted that the statewide promotion earned national coverage in Ladies' Home Journal and Scouting Magazine.

There is also a Library Lovers' DAY, and it is Australian

February 14 is Library Lovers' Day, a separate observance started in Australia in 2006 by the State Library of New South Wales, not part of the US February month.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

How to Celebrate National Library Lovers Month

Tell your library why it matters

Leave a note, post about a recent visit, or thank a librarian in person. Public funding follows public enthusiasm, which is the entire point of the campaign.

Get a library card if you lack one

Signing up is usually free and takes a few minutes with proof of address. It is the single action that unlocks everything else the month is about.

Borrow something you would normally buy

Check out the book, audiobook, or movie you were about to pay for instead. Most systems also lend e-books and digital titles through an app.

Join a Friends of the Library group

These volunteer groups raise money and run book sales for individual libraries. The month was built around their fundraising, so February is a natural time to sign up.

Attend a program at your branch

Story times, author talks, and classes are typically free and open to anyone. Check your library's calendar for what is running this month.

Test your knowledge

How well do you know National Library Lovers Month?

1 / 6

Which group's campaign is credited with launching Library Lovers Month?

Answer

It runs the entire month of February every year in the United States.

COLOPHON

Sources

How we know what’s on this page. References, not endorsements.

7sources
5primary records
3independently dated
Primary records
American Library Association2003
Friends and Foundations of California Libraries wins @ your library Award
The 2003 award for the California group's Library Lover's Month marketing campaign.
View source
American Library Association
History of the Campaign for America's Libraries
How the trademarked @ your library brand marketed libraries from 2000 to 2015.
View source
Institute of Museum and Library Services2025
Increased Public Library Usage Shown by IMLS Survey Data
FY2023 figures on US library visits, registered users, outlets, and circulation.
View source
The Library Company of Philadelphia
About LCP
The 1731 founding by Franklin, the subscriber model, and its early national role.
View source
American Library Association
ALA history: 1876
The 1876 founding of the American Library Association in Philadelphia.
View source
Additional coverage
Pew Research Center2016
Americans' attitudes toward public libraries
2016 survey on how Americans value and rely on their public libraries.
View source
Smithsonian Magazine
How Ben Franklin Invented the Library as We Know It
Franklin's Junto and the subscription library model that spread across the colonies.
View source
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Related holidays

FRI
16
Apr 2026
National Librarian Day
Careers

National Librarian Day

An appreciation observance on April 16 recognizing librarians and the credentialed work they do to organize, preserve, and provide access to information.

308Read
APR
19-25
Apr 2026
National Library Week
SchoolWeek-long

National Library Week

Uncover new worlds, embark on epic adventures, and indulge your curiosity during National Library Week. Embrace the joy of reading!

57Read
NOV
01-30
Nov 2026
Library and Information Services Month
SchoolMonth-long

Library and Information Services Month

It's Library and Information Services Month - time to explore new worlds, expand your knowledge, and discover the endless resources available at your local library!

11Read
SUN
14
Feb 2026
Library Lovers’ Day
Pop Culture

Library Lovers’ Day

Celebrate Library Lovers' Day by visiting your local library and experiencing the joy of discovering a new book!

285Read
FOR MARKETERS & CREATORS

Turn every day into a moment your audience actually shows up for.

8.4M
Monthly readers
5K+
Holidays tracked
Holiday Calendar for Brands Developer API