They also have an enduring relationship with their library system. That enduring relationship is why Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh hosts more than 2. After additional consideration, Mr. Founding public libraries became a personal philanthropic mission for Mr. To him, libraries were vital, non-luxury assets to be supported by public dollars. When finished, Mr. Carnegie established more than 2, libraries around the world. The growth and use of the Library during its first decade proved that Pittsburghers would eagerly respond to the offer of books and library services.
Carnegie departed from his usual custom of requiring the City to provide the land for libraries by purchasing it himself. What do the buildings in the picture have in common? Libraries arrived on the North American continent with the first European settlers.
Religious books, primarily for the use of the clergy, formed the center of most 17th-century collections. The richest colonial merchants and planters often developed their own libraries, but the number of people regularly reading books, other than the Bible, was quite small. Books became available to a broader public as the 18th century progressed. Improvements in printing methods lowered their cost, making them affordable to more people. Increased interest in commerce, science, and art spurred a demand for more information--a demand that was often best satisfied through reading.
Colonists began to form social libraries in which individuals contributed money to purchase books. Library societies sprang up in urban centers; outstanding examples include those still existing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charleston, South Carolina, and New York, New York.
However, such societies generally only lent their books to those who had donated money. Libraries continued to develop after the Revolutionary War. Women, for example, created their own collections, with books often circulating great distances among farms and plantations. Between and , library societies increasingly concentrated on specialized subjects.
These libraries were supported by business owners and provided educational and social opportunities for young men. During the second half of the 19th century the "free" library movement--that is, open to the public at no charge--began to spread. Reformers saw libraries as a valuable tool in their attempts to repair what they saw as the flaws in a rapidly industrializing nation. More directly, libraries provided information about an increasingly complicated and technical world.
Reformers believed libraries could teach millions of immigrants how to succeed in America, and provide the poor with the knowledge they needed to rise in society. Also, reformers thought well-educated voters would be better able to resist the lure of dishonest politicians.
Finally, libraries offered an alternative to unwholesome pursuits such as drinking and gambling. Making libraries a tool for reform, however, proved difficult. Lack of money, insufficient book collections, and limited memberships prevented social libraries from expanding as fast as the American population. Buying books and building libraries were, for most citizens, a lower priority.
Even though a relatively small number of places had developed public libraries before the s, enough progress had occurred to give supporters hope. Cities gradually gained the right to tax, which held the potential to supply funds. The growth in public schools indicated an increasing interest in education. It was at this point that the generosity of Andrew Carnegie accelerated the development of American libraries.
His donations provided communities across the country with millions of dollars to build new libraries. Why might the figure "per million" be more valuable than the absolute number of libraries when explaining the impact of Carnegie's contributions? Which region of the country has the highest per million figures? Which region has the lowest? What might be the explanation for this trend? Born in , he spent his first 12 years in the coastal town of Dunfermline, Scotland.
Carnegie began his formal education at age eight, but had to stop after only three years. As a result, the family sold their belongings and immigrated to Allegheny, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although these new circumstances required the young Carnegie to go to work, his learning did not end. After a year in a textile factory, he became a messenger boy for the local telegraph company. Some of his fellow messengers introduced him to Col. James Anderson of Allegheny, who every Saturday opened his personal library to any young worker who wished to borrow a book.
Carnegie later said the colonel opened the windows through which the light of knowledge streamed. More important, he resolved that, should he ever be wealthy, he would make similar opportunities available to other poor workers. Over the next half-century Carnegie accumulated the fortune that would enable him to fulfill that pledge.
During his years as a messenger, Carnegie had taught himself the art of telegraphy. This skill helped him make contacts with the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he went to work at age He simultaneously invested in a number of other businesses, including railroad locomotives, oil, and iron and steel.
In , Carnegie left the railroad to manage the Keystone Bridge Company, which was successfully replacing wooden railroad bridges with iron ones. By the s he was concentrating on steel manufacturing, ultimately creating the Carnegie Steel Company.
Carnegie then retired and devoted the remainder of his life to philanthropy. Even before selling Carnegie Steel he had begun to consider what to do with his immense fortune. In he wrote a famous essay entitled "The Gospel of Wealth," in which he stated that wealthy men should live without extravagance, provide moderately for their dependents, and distribute the rest of their riches to benefit the welfare and happiness of the common man--with the consideration to help only those who would help themselves.
He later expanded this list to include gifts that promoted scientific research, the general spread of knowledge, and the promotion of world peace. Many of these organizations continue to this day: the Carnegie Corporation in New York, for example, helps support "Sesame Street. At one point he stated a library was the best possible gift for a community, since it gave people the opportunity to improve themselves. His confidence was based on the results of similar gifts from earlier philanthropists.
In Baltimore, for example, a library given by Enoch Pratt had been used by 37, people in one year. Carnegie believed that the relatively small number of public library patrons were of more value to their community than the masses who chose not to benefit from the library. Carnegie divided his donations to libraries into the "retail" and "wholesale" periods.
These buildings were actually community centers, containing recreational facilities such as swimming pools as well as libraries. In the years after , known as the wholesale period, Carnegie no longer supported urban multipurpose buildings. His gifts provided 1, towns with buildings devoted exclusively to libraries. Andrew Carnegie stopped making gifts for library construction following a report made to him by Dr. Alvin Johnson, an economics professor.
In Dr. Johnson visited of the existing Carnegie libraries and studied their social significance, physical aspects, effectiveness, and financial condition.
His final report concluded that to be really effective, the libraries needed trained personnel. Buildings had been provided, but now it was time to staff them with professionals who would stimulate active, efficient libraries in their communities. Libraries already promised continued to be built until , but after all financial support was turned to library education. When Andrew Carnegie died in at age 84, he had given nearly one-fourth of his life to causes in which he believed.
Questions for Reading 1 1. How did progress and industrialization affect Carnegie, both when he was young, and later in life? How much formal education did Carnegie have? What factors contributed to his interest in books and reading? What did Carnegie believe wealthy people should do with their money?
Why did he think that? Do you agree? How did supporting libraries fit with Carnegie's past and his beliefs? Reading 1 was compiled from George S.
Carnegie officials required applicants to provide the following information. Free Public Library 1. Has it a Library at present? Number of books excluding government reports? Circulation for the last year? How is Library housed? Number of rooms, their measurements and uses? Finances according to the last annual report:. Is the requisite site available? It is necessary to give explicit answers to each question, as in the absence of such, there is no basis for action, and the matter will be delayed pending further communication.
The form below was designed by Carnegie officials to show that the community accepted the library grant as well as the specified responsibilities. Resolved that an annual levy shall hereafter be made upon the taxable property of said community sufficient in amount to comply with the above requirements. The signatures of the clerk and mayor and the witnessing statement of the clerk followed Questions for Document 1 1. What type of information does the form ask for?
Why would Carnegie want to know if the community already had a library? Why would he want to know about how much money the community could supply for maintenance? Why would Carnegie make the community sign a contract in which they promise to provide a site and support for the library for which he will donate the money? Document 1 was adapted from George S. Andrew Carnegie began his philanthropy to public libraries at a time when they desperately needed help.
Even with tax levies, many communities could not afford to build their own library. Most libraries were collections of books located in highly unusual places: wooden shacks, millinery shops, offices, stables, and churches.
One town even had their "library" in a rest room, where the matron doubled as a librarian. It was during his "wholesale" period of giving that Carnegie helped communities like these obtain libraries. Carnegie and Bertram were willing to consider any completed application. Some people, however, did not even want to ask for a grant. They objected to receiving money from Carnegie, who after had developed a reputation as a ruthless businessman.
Carnegie had always said that when workers were on strike, plants such as his steel mills should be shut down. Strikebreakers often known as "scabs" should never be used, and disputes should be peaceably negotiated. Frick decided to stop negotiating, and he locked the workers out of the plant. When the Pinkerton men arrived via rafts on the Monongahela River, they were met by an army of angry strikers.
The next several hours of gunfire and other attacks resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. The Pennsylvania national guard finally restored order and protected the plant until the union broke that fall. Although Carnegie did not call in the detectives, he also made no effort to tell Frick not to do so, nor did he settle the strike after the violence erupted. Some people accused him of building his fortune on the backs of underpaid labor; others found it ironic that he would build libraries for working men who, because of long hours on the job, could not use them.
The St. Though Carnegie readily granted money, he also placed several conditions on his gifts. Municipalities had to own the site on which the library would be built, which often meant spending taxpayer money.
The property also had to be large enough that the library could be expanded if demand rose. The maintenance pledges that were another part of the contract could prove a major stumbling block. Carnegie required that the grant recipients agree to pay each year an amount equal to 10 percent of his gift to maintain the building his donation provided. The designs towns wanted for their libraries also caused problems. Until , communities that satisfied the site and maintenance pledges were free to build whatever they saw fit.
However, Carnegie and Bertram thought that many of the plans were not practical, because they had expensive exteriors and inefficient interiors. For instance, Bertram discouraged fireplaces, believing that they wasted space and benefited only those closest to the heat. In Bertram began exerting more control over designs. For three years he required grant recipients to submit plans before building began, and then he wrote a book entitled Notes on Library Bildings [sic].
Sent to every community that won a grant, Notes reflected the thinking of leading architects of libraries. It contained minimum standards and six model floor plans that provided the greatest amount of usable space consistent with good taste. It suggested a basement 9 to 10 feet high and 4 feet below natural grade and a second level 12 to 15 feet high. The front door was located in the middle, opposite the librarian.
The exterior was left to the discretion of the community, but they were warned to keep the structure plain and dignified. Bertram wanted usable, practical libraries, not elaborate "Greek Temples. Using some of the simplified spellings Carnegie advocated, Bertram sent the following letter to one town in Washington state: " A school-boy could do that better than the plans show.
If the architect cannot make a better attempt at interpreting the Notes on Library Bilding, I shall be pleased to put you in communication with architects who have shown their ability to do so.
The high ceilings and the second-level public areas suggested by Bertram resulted in spacious interior rooms with splendid natural lighting and ventilation. Due to these qualities, the need for a flight of stairs from the street arose. The stairs, in fact, are commonly regarded as the identifying characteristic of a Carnegie library.
Some feel that Carnegie felt anybody who wanted to read ought to be willing to climb a few steps. It is true he thought that ambitious young people would be the primary users of these libraries, and that they would presumably not be troubled by a few stairs.
Some say the stairs carry a symbolic message, as in "thirteen steps to wisdom. Although Bertram insisted on the implementation of his ideas about basic design, he did not try to influence style, except to hope that it would be dignified. Perhaps this explains to some extent the frequent use of classical architectural elements in these buildings, but it is not true that stylistic similarities are the result of dictates by Bertram and Carnegie. Although some big-city libraries made extensive use of sandstone, a large majority of the existing Carnegie libraries are brick.
This may be explained by the fact that they were intended to be permanent public buildings. However, it may not have escaped the notice of city officials that brick, while more expensive in terms of construction costs, is less expensive than other materials to maintain. The city only had to take care of the building, while Carnegie agreed to pay for materials. None of the libraries are wood, even in communities where the lumber industry was the mainstay of the economy.
Questions for Reading 2 1. Considering the events surrounding the Homestead Strike, would you have accepted Carnegie's donation?
Why or why not? What were some of the obstacles that slowed communities' attempts to obtain a Carnegie library? Why did Carnegie place certain requirements on communities wanting to obtain a library?
Do you think his requirements were reasonable? Why did James Bertram write his book? Reading 2 was compiled from James H. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, A farmer named A. Harder turned out to be the first permanent settler of what became the town of Medford, Wisconsin.
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