Did you know, however, that just over a hundred years ago, libraries weren't free? And not all towns had them? If a town was fortunate enough to have a library, it often shared space with the city hall or even a jail. Not exactly the kind of place you'd want to take the kids, was it? Additionally, you'd often have to pay a subscription in order to use it.
Industrialist and Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a poor boy from Scotland who worked in a Pittsburgh textile mill and later expanded the American steel industry, was self-taught and knew the value of libraries. Unable to afford the $2 subscription, he was only able to use the local library at the age of 17 when a newspaper published a letter he wrote to the library administrator asking for library privileges.
When he had acquired his fortune, Carnegie made it his mission to build public libraries across the U.S. Close to 1,700 libraries were built from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. They were free and open to everyone regardless of gender, age, and race. Although some Carnegie libraries have been torn down or are no longer used as libraries, many continue to serve in their original purpose today.
To read more about Andrew Carnegie and the Carnegie libraries, check out the following articles:
Sincerely yours from the perch.
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