"None of those books will ever be read again"

Were they banned or burned? No, this comes from a loyal reader who finds that the NY Times mentions the Franklin Public Library and its book preservation efforts by writing:

In 1785, Benjamin Franklin shipped to the town of Franklin, Mass. — the first town of many named in his honor — 116 books for a public library. His sister Jane, who never went to school and never learned to spell, asked him to send her a list of those books. “My Reason for this Request is I have a grat deal of time on my hands,” she explained. “I Love Reading ...and I dont doubt I can Borrow of won and another of my Acquaintance.” Then she set about trying to read every book on that list, from Locke to Montesquieu, from Blackstone to Newton. 

In Franklin, Mass., those books — the gift from Benjamin Franklin — are still there, in the town library. They are locked in a cabinet. A few years back, the library’s board, citing a lack of funds for the care of rare books, decided that the door to that cabinet must never be opened. None of those books will ever be read again.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/a-most-expensive-book.html?_r=1&