Lorain, OHVisit the Library and Archives The Public Library in Lorain, Ohio, was built by Andrew Carnegie in 1903. It housed the city’s library until 1957, when a new building was built on 6th Street. Between 1957 and 2013, the building had many uses, including a civil defense building and then a home for the…
Pella, IAVisit the Library and Archives Pella’s Carnegie-Viersen Library opened in 1907 in a purpose-built structure funded by an $11,000 Carnegie grant and a gift from local businesswoman Sybrigje Viersen. Viersen donated the building lot on the west side of the city square, along with $6,000 for books, in memory of her father, Heerke Viersen.…
San Rafael, CAVisit the Library and Archives Growing up in San Rafael, some of my fondest memories are of the Carnegie Library — the staff making me feel at home, encouraging my curiosity, and supporting me as I grew and learned. When I was selected to be the library and recreation director, what the library…
Alexandria, INVisit the Library and Archives I’m the Local Historian for the Alexandria Monroe Public Library — here is my favorite memory. On December 3, 2023, we celebrated the 120th anniversary of our Carnegie Library by holding an open house. We followed the original open house itinerary as described in the archival newspapers of December…
Calexico, CAVisit the Library and Archives The Carnegie Technology Center is a branch of the Camarena Memorial Library in Calexico, California. It offers computer access, conversation groups, STEAM activities, technology workshops, and more. I’m a librarian at a different library just down the street. Having studied Carnegie Libraries and visited a few in my travels,…
Davidson, NCVisit the Library and Archives My mother’s hometown of Lavonia, Georgia, has its own Carnegie Library, so I grew up hearing stories about these remarkable buildings. Later, my sister attended Davidson College and told me about the unique opportunity to spend the night in the Carnegie Library on campus. This past summer, my children…
Lawton, OKVisit the Library and Archives I’ve always loved books and libraries and got my master’s degree in library science. I’ve been a public librarian, an academic librarian, and a school librarian. I’ve always loved the history of libraries and even got the privilege of being accepted to the Summer Teacher Institute at the Library…
Bellingham, WAVisit the Library and Archives The Fairhaven Library in Bellingham, Washington, celebrated its 120th birthday on December 20, 2024. It is now part of the Bellingham Public Library system and still proudly services patrons in the historic Fairhaven neighborhood. To celebrate, we compiled a webpage of photos and stories about the library through the…
San Anselmo, CAVisit the Library and Archives About a dozen years ago, a non-profit group called The Friends of the San Anselmo Library was formed to help support the financial needs of the library. With their love of books, they started a used bookstore — Town Books — which gives 100 percent of its net…
Harrogate, TNVisit the Library and Archives The Carnegie-Vincent Library has provided support for the community of both Lincoln Memorial University and the regional area since its founding in 1897. As the library’s archivist, I have met so many individuals who continue to come back for their memories, created between the stacks. There’s also such a…