Section II.A.1.a: Free Public Library Buildings
- Scope and content:
-
As a self-educated man and firm believer in popular education (his formal education ended at the age of twelve), Carnegie thought that access to books should be a part of the birthright of every youngster and that public libraries, still an innovation in American life, should be an indispensable civic institution. Carnegie and Carnegie Corporation spent $56 million to establish 2,509 public libraries, of which 1,681 were in the United States.
The public library files are arranged by the name of the community to which the grants were made; the academic libraries by the name of the university, college or school which received the grant. The number of documents in each file varies widely. These documents include correspondence, completed applications and questionnaires, newspaper clippings, illustrations and building dedication programs.
United States and elsewhere, Reels 1-35
Great Britain, Reel 36
Contents
Access and use
- Parent restrictions:
-
The Collection is open for research with the following standard embargoes: Series I.A. Board Meeting materials are embargoed fifteen (15) years from date of creation. Series I.E. Staff and Trustee Files are embargoed fifteen (15) years from date of creation. Series III.A Grants, Series III.B. Reports on Grants are embargoed twenty-five (25) years from the date the grant closed.
Please be advised that parts of the collection are housed offsite and we request five (5) days advance notice. For Series III.A. Grants, boxes 1701-2085; Series IV.A CCPDC, Series IV.B CCSTG, IV.C CCAD, Series IV.E TFLPG, Series IV.F TFMNYC, Series IV.G MGSSPI, Series V.A Russell, Series V.B Pifer, Series IV.A Home Trust, Series VIII.C. Grant Books, Series XI.A, Series XI.B and Series XI.C are all offsite.
Unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized.
Description for Series III, grants, temporarily moved to separate finding aid: https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_16647888/
- Parent terms of access:
- Permission to publish and quote materials must be obtained in writing from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu