Monday, September 5, 2022

More on the Carnegies

I still feel that there is a book on the carnegie's in my future, but clearing the decks is hard. but tter is such a wealth of wonderful information. If you go to the Carnegie Archives PA , you can find the following information (all neatly typed and done with carbon copies) on every Carnegie in the nation. Impressive and cooll. To all those towns who claim to have turned down Carnegie--Atchison and Frankfort Kansas being 2 of them, untrue. Atchison did not want to be a free public library, their library at the time charged a yearly subscription fee and Frankfort could not come up with the matching funds--this was the case for many towns. It is all in the arhieves. Carnegie officials required applicants to provide the following information. Free Public Library 1. Name of Town___________________________________ 2. Population______________________________________ 3. Has it a Library at present?__________________________ 4. Number of books (excluding government reports)?________ 5. Circulation for the last year?_________________________ 6. How is Library housed?____________________________ 7. Number of rooms, their measurements and uses?_________ 8. Finances according to the last annual report: Receipts From Taxes_______ Other income_______ Total_______________ Expenditures Rent_______ Other costs_______ 9. a) Rate at which municipality will pledge annual support (with a tax levy) if building is obtained___________________ b) What is the highest rate of tax levy allowed by law?_________________________ c) How much income would this rate have yielded for the last five years?_________________________ 10. Is the requisite site available?_______________ 11. Amount, if any, already collected toward building______________ "To facilitate Mr. Carnegie’s consideration of your appeal, will you oblige by filling in the above, and return with a statement of any particulars likely to assist in making decision? 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." (Adapted from the three versions used by James Bertram, Carnegie’s secretary) The form below was designed by Carnegie officials to show that the community accepted the library grant as well as the specified responsibilities. A Resolution to Accept the Donation of Andrew Carnegie Whereas, Andrew Carnegie has agreed to furnish_______________ Dollars to the _______________ (name of community) to erect a Free Public Library Building, on condition that the said community shall pledge itself by a Resolution of Council, to support a Free Public Library, at a cost of not less than _______________ Dollars a year, and provide a suitable site for the said building. Now therefore be it resolved by Council of _________ (name of community) that said community accept said donation, and it does hereby pledge itself to the requirements of Andrew Carnegie. Resolved that it will furnish a suitable site for said building when erected, at a cost of not less than ____________ Dollars. 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)

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