Boston Public Library in Boston, USA-Opened in 1848, the Boston Public Library is the second largest library in the United States, with over 24 million volumes. It was also the first public, free-to-all library, and the first to lend books out to patrons. So, if you've ever had to pay a 13-year-old library fine for those Goosebumps books you borrowed when you were 11, you know who to thank. Photo: R..D