[Noisebridge-discuss] the Athenaeum, or membership library

[Andy Isaacson]

This recent article in the NYT made me think of Noisebridge:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/travel/escapes/07athenaeum.html?ref=travel

  The New England athenaeums ... maintain not only active memberships,
  but also some peculiar terminology. Members are commonly called
  proprietors; some athenaeums distinguish share-holding proprietors
  from a second tier of members, called subscribers.

I was suprised to learn that Boston and several other New England cities
have membership-supported libraries dating back to the 19th century and
still active.

Since I'm thinking a lot currently about what we need to do to allow
Noisebridge to be a success, the various ways in which durable nonprofit
institutions have constituted themselves is very interesting to me.

-andy