The Enoch Pratt Free Library, located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is one of the oldest free public libraries in the United States. Established in 1882 (first opened to the public in 1886) after a grant from philanthropist Enoch Pratt, the library now includes 21 branches in Baltimore, plus the Central Library. Pratt intended his gift to establish a library that, "shall be for all, rich and poor without distinction of race or color, who, when properly accredited, can take out the books if they will handle them carefully and return them". The Central Library was designated the "State Library Resource Center for the State of Maryland" by the Maryland General Assembly in 1971. Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, or reputation to a charitable cause. ... Enoch Pratt (1808 - 1896) was a Baltimore businessman, a Unitarian, and a philanthropist Born in Massachusetts and educated at the Bridgewater Academy in North Middleborough, Enoch Pratt clerked in a Boston hardware firm before moving to Baltimore in 1831 to launch his own wholesale hardware business on South Charles Street. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... The Maryland State House in downtown Annapolis. ...

The Central Library was renovated and expanded in 2003. The new wing contains the Maryland and African American Departments as well as Special Collections and the H. L. Mencken Collection, an extensive collection related to the life and work of H. L. Mencken, including personal correspondence and memorabilia, typscripts, presentation volumes, clipping books, and research materials used in writing The American Language. Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... i still feel like being nice H.L. Mencken who: journalist, satirist, social critic, cynic, and freethinker, what: most influential American writers of the early 20th century. ... i still feel like being nice H.L. Mencken who: journalist, satirist, social critic, cynic, and freethinker, what: most influential American writers of the early 20th century. ... The American Language is H. L. Menckens 1919 book about changes Americans had made to the English Language. ...

External links

• Enoch Pratt Free Library website