commercial lending library

…Rental bookstores are the most common and unique of reading facilities, and their cultural role is by no means small even today. [Masaharu Otake]
[England]
In English, rental book stores and rental book libraries are called commercial lending libraries (commonly known as circulating libraries). Like in Japan, they are libraries that earn income by lending books to borrowers, who pay a membership fee or a fee per book.

*Some of the terms mentioned in "commercial lending library" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…貸本屋は最も庶民的で，しかもきわめて個性的な読書施設で，その文化的役割は今でも決して小さくはない。【大竹 正春】
［イギリス］
　貸本屋，貸本文庫を英語ではcommercial lending library(通称circulating library)と呼ぶ。日本のものと同様，本を借り手に貸すことで収入を得る文庫をいい，借り手は定期的に会費を収めるか，1冊ごとに料金を支払う。…

※「commercial lending library」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報