Here is another postcard image from my collection of the Redwood City Carnegie Library - the postcard was mailed from Redwood City to Portland in 1915.
According to "Images of Redwood City" the library was built with a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation in 1905. Six thousand more money was needed, however, the next year to cover damages and lost books in the 1906 Great Earthquake. The Carnegie Foundation also provided those funds as well to the city. The building stood at the corner of Broadway and Jefferson and served the community until 1939. The Red Cross used the building during World War II and it was demolished in 1948. (Images of America, Redwood City, 2010, Reg & Janet McGovern, Betty & Nicholas Veronico)
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who acquired enormous wealth in the steal industry - 298 billion in current dollars. He was also one of the highest profile philanthropists of his time supporting many public works and programs including building libraries. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems. 1,689 were built in the United States, 660 in Britain and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and others in Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, Mauritius and Fiji.
Carnegie's libraries were built according to "The Carnegie Formula", which required required public support rather than endowments. This was the philosophy because "an endowed institution is liable to become the prey of a clique. The public ceases to take interest in it, or, rather, never acquires interest in it. "
Carnegie required recipients to:
- demonstrate the need for a public library;
- provide the building site;
- annually provide ten percent of the cost of the library's construction to support its operation; and,
- provide free service to all.
