z 733 P62 C27 1907 MAIN NEGIE LIBRARY ITTSBURGH A BIT OF HISTORY WITH SOME PICTURES CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH 1907 v^ THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH A BIT OF HISTORY WITH SOME PICTURES CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH 1907 Hmh] Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is under the control of a Board of Trustees, eighteen in number, one-half of whom are the personal representatives of Mr. Carnegie, the other half being the official representatives of the City of Pittsburgh. To this Board Mr. Carnegie gave, in 1890, one million dollars for the erection of a central building, with branch library buildings. From time to time he has added to that sum. The Board pro- ceeded at once to the erection of the original central building, which was completed and opened to the public November 5, 1895. Since that time, branch library buildings have been erected, and now six of them are in full operation. These, to- gether with other agencies, such as schools, deposit stations, call stations, home libraries, reading clubs and the like, make a total this year of one hundred and seventy centers of activity in libra- ry work established within and maintained by th6 City of Pitts- burgh. The story of this first gift and its acceptance is here told in the words of its official record. AN ORDINANCE Providing for the acceptance, from Andrew Carnegie, of a Free Library. Whereas, Andrew Carnegie has generously offered to the City of Pittsburgh a gift of a Free Library, as set forth in the following com- munication: Pittsburgh, February 6th, 1890. To the Mayor and Councils of Pittsburgh: Gentlemen: — Some years ago I had the pleasure of offering to ex- pend upon a Free Library for the city of Pittsburgh, the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars; the finances of the city were not then in condition to permit of its acceptance. Having expended more than that sum in our sister city of Allegheny, I subsequently intimated that I was prepared to expend not less than half a million for Pittsburgh; such, however, has been the recent growth of the city, such are its pros- pects for the future, that careful consideration has led me to the con- clusion that in order to provide such Libraries as Pittsburgh should have will require even a larger sum. H I think that Pittsburgh requires a Central Building, containing a Reference and Circulating Library, also, suitable accommodations for works of art, which I believe its citizens would soon provide; that there should also be added rooms for the meetings of the various learned societies of the city. The experience of New York, Baltimore, and other large cities has proved that a Central Library should be supple- mented by branch Libraries. The Free Circulating Library of New York has now four of these; the city of Baltimore has five; they are not extensive structures, but each contains a small supply of the books most in demand, and a reading room, and is operated in connection with the Central Library. Such branches, I think, should be established in the various districts of the city, probably one in Birmingham, another in Temperanceville, another in East Liberty, a fourth in Lawrenceville, perhaps a fifth in the older part of the city. All of these should be thorpughly fire-proof, monumental in character and creditable to the city. To provide these buildings with suitable appliances I offer to ex- pend not less than one million dollars. I propose that their location, erection and management shall be entrusted to a Board of Trustees, composed, ex-officio of the Mayor, the Presidents of Select and Com- mon Councils, the President of the Central Board of Education, and a Library Committee of five appointed by the Councils, such as you have done me the honor to appoint to confer with me; to these I should add the names of twelve well-known citizens of Allegheny County, who should have power as a body to provide for the re-election of its mem- bers at stated times, and also, to fill vacancies in their number. The Libraries to be formally handed over to the city upon their completion, free from lien, in trust, for the purposes specified. The city to agree to receive and support same at its own proper cost, under the management of the Trustees as above provided. The city of Baltimore pays $50,000 per annum for the support of its Public Libraries, established by Mr. Enoch Pratt, who gave one million of dollars for the purpose, .but I believe that $40,000 per annum would be sufficient to maintain those of Pittsburgh, and not less than this sum per annum I require the City of Pittsburgh to agree to place at the disposal of the Library Trustees to be expended upon them. I am clearly of opinion that it is only by the city maintaining its Public Libraries as it maintains its Public Schools, that every citizen can be made to feel that he is a joint proprietor of them, and that the Public Library is for the public as a whole and not for any portion there- of; and I am equally clear that unless a community is willing to main- tain Public Libraries at the public cost, that very little good can be ob- tained from them. Not to save me further expenditure therefor, but for the best interests of the city, I make it a condition that they shall be properly maintained by the city. Very respectfully, Andrew Carnegie. Section i. Be it ordained and enacted by the City of Pittsburgh, in Select and Common Councils assembled, and it is hereby ordained and enacted by the authority of the same, That the generous gift of a Free Library offered by Andrew Carnegie, to the City of Pittsburgh, is hereby accepted, in accordance with the letter of said, Andrew Carnegie, dated Pittsburgh, February 6th, 1890, and which letter forms part of the preamble to this Ordinance, and the officers of the city named in said letter are hereby authorized and empowered to act as members of the Board of Trustees, composing the commission therein named, when the same shall have been completed by the appointment of the twelve mem- bers to be appointed by the said Andrew Carnegie, and the Library Committee to be appointed under second section of this Ordinance. Sec. 2. That immediately upon the passage of this Ordinance and at the first meeting in April of this year and at the organization of Councils every second year thereafter, the Presidents of Councils shall appoint a standing committee of five persons, two of whom shall be members of Select Council, and three of whom shall be members of Common Council, who shall be known as the Library Committee, who are authorized and empowered to act as members of the Board of Trus- tees in conjunction with the other officials and with the persons named by the said Andrew Carnegie; and their successors, and any vacancies occurring in the said Board of Trustees other than those caused by changes of the public officials, shall be filled by a majority of the re- maining members of the Board. Sec. 3. That the Libraries as herein provided for, shall be known and designated as .the Carnegie Free Libraries of the City of Pittsburgh. Sec. 4. That any Ordinance or part of Ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance, be and the same is hereby repealed, so far as the same affects this Ordinance. Ordained and enacted into a law in Councils, this 24th day of Febru- ary, A. D.,1890. H. P. Ford, President of Select Council. Attest: Geo. Sheppard, Clerk of Select Council. G. L. HoUiday, President of Common Council. Attest: Geo. Booth, Clerk of Common Council. Mayor's Office, February 25th, 1890. Approved: Wm. McCallin, Mayor. Attest: Rob't Ostermaier, -_ Assistant Mayor's Clerk. Recorded in Ordinance Book, Vol. 7, page 265, March ist, 1890. Letter No. 2 Pittsburgh, May 6th, 1890. John S. Lambie, Esq., Chairman, Pittsburgh, Pa. Dear Sir: — Three citizens, members of the Library Commission, having resigned, nine only remain. As the city has nine official repre- sentatives upon the commission, equality of representation will be se- cured by leaving unfilled the places of the three resigning members, and this will be done. As the successors of the official representatives of the city are created without participation upon the part of the citizen members, equality will be obtained in this matter, also, by providing that the citizen members should themselves elect their successors. Hoping that Councils will approve this view and pass an amended Ordinance in accordance therewith, and thanking yourself and col- leagues for the courtesy shown me during to-day's conference, I am always, Very sincerely yours, Andrew Carnegie. Section i. Be it ordained and enacted by the City of Pittsburgh, in Select and Common Councils assembled, and it is hereby ordained and enacted by the authority of the same, That the generous gift of the Free Libraries offered by Andrew Carnegie to the City of Pittsburgh is here- by accepted, in accordance with the foregoing letters of said Andrew Carnegie, dated Pittsburgh, February 6th, 1890, and Pittsburgh, May 6th, 1890, respectively, which letters form part of the preamble to this Ordinance; and the officers of the city named in said letters are hereby authorized and empowered to act as members of the Board of Trustees composing the Commission therein named, in conjunction with the nine persons heretofore appointed by the said Andrew Carnegie, and the Library Committee appointed under the second section of this Ordi- nance. Section 2. That immediately upon the passage of this Ordinance, and at the organization of each Council hereafter, the Presidents of Councils shall appoint a standing committee of five persons, two of whom shall be members of Select Council and three of whom shall be members of Common Council, who shall be known as a Library Com- mittee, authorized and empowered to act as members of the Board of Trustees in conjunction with the other officials and with the per?r/ns named by the said Andrew Carnegie and their successors; and any vacancies occurring in said Board of Trustees other than those caused by changes of public officials shall be filled by the majority of such remaining members of the Board who are not public officials. Section 3. That the Libraries as herein provided for shall be known and designated as the Carnegie Free Libraries of the City of Pittsburgh. Section 4. That any Ordinance or part of Ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance be and the same are hereby re- pealed, sofar as the same affects this Ordinance. Ordained and enacted into a law in Councils, this 26th day of May, A. D., 1890. H. P. Ford, President of Select Council. Attest: Geo. Booth, Clerk of Select Council. G. L. Holliday, President of Common Council. Attest: E. J. Martin, Clerk of Common Council. Mayor's Office, May 31st, 1890. Approved: H. I. Gourley, Mayor. Attest: Rob't Ostermaier, Mayor's Clerk. Recorded in Ordinance Book, Vol. 7, page 422, June 3d, 1890. Inasmuch as the relations existing between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Institute are so com- monly misunderstood, it is desirable that a brief statement of these relations should be made. The affairs of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh swiftly assumed greater proportions after the completion and opening of the original Central Li- brary building. In 1896 Mr. Carnegie added to his benefac- tions an art gallery and a museum. For the administration of these new activities, outside the strict field of the Library but housed within its building, he named a board consisting of eighteen citizens of Pittsburgh, and added to this number all the members of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, ex officio, making a board of thirty-six mem- bers, organized under the name of The Carnegie Fine Arts and Museum Collection Fund, with an annual allowance of fifty thousands of dollars, which sum was greatly increased later. This Board was given possession of and control over the collec- tions in the fields of art and science which might be formed with its funds. In 1898, the name of The Carnegie Fine Arts and Museum Collection Fund was changed by action of its Board to Carnegie Institute. Later, Mr. Carnegie provided 6 additional funds, and placed them in the care of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, for the erection and main- tenance of the Technical Schools. Therefore the Carnegie Institute now consists of three departments, — the Department of Fine Arts, the Museum, and the Technical Schools, the first two of these departments being housed in the central building of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and the third having buildings of its own. In a few years after the opening of the Central Library build- ing the fact became clear that it was outgrown, whereupon Mr. Carnegie gave the Library Board the sum of five millions of dollars to enlarge this central building. This sum has now been expended by the building committee of the Library Board, and the enlarged building is to be formally opened to the public April II, 12 and 13. The Library as opened in 1895 had a collection of about sixteen thousand volumes, of which nine thousand were cata- logued and ready for use. The work grew swiftly, and now at the opening of the enlarged Central Library building, the Li- brary contains more than two hundred and fifty thousand volumes. Its circulation has reached 762,190 volumes per annum, and the total number of books and magazines circulated and used in reading rooms is 1,463,207. It has more than one hundred thousand borrowers, and has added within the last year forty-four thousand, six hundred and five volumes. ,,^-^ S = 111 . pq J3 ■^ E^ HH O, a ^ s r- J ^ 2 O o i 9 Pi "> Si U^ ■^ u < Pi W J > U 'A 1^ 3 >^ ^ O O < o 2; u <: CQ Q O O w N < o ^ PQ bo en 3 H < o o >^ Pi < Pi o w < Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Original Board of Trustees First Meeting, March I2, 1890 JAMES B. SCOTT, President W. N. FREW, Secretary H. C. FRICK, Treasurer K. Q. BINGHAM ,R. B. CARNAHAN E. M. FERGUSON H. P. FORD W.J.HOLLAND G. L. HOLLIDAY J. F. HUDSON J.B.JACKSON A. F. KEATING J. S. LAMBIE REUBEN MILLER GEORGE A. MACBETH WILLIAM McCALLIN DAVID McCARGO W. H. McKELVY ROBERT PITCAIRN H. K. PORTER S. H. SHANNON Board of Trustees January i, 1907 W. N. FREW, President ROBERT PITCAIRN, Vice-president J. F. HUDSON, Secretary JAMES H. REED, Treasurer WILLIAM BRAND JOSEPH BUFFINGTON D. L. GILLESPIE GEORGE W. GUTHRIE GEORGE A. MACBETH P. A. MANION A.W.MELLON WILLIAM METCALF, Jr. M. E. O'BRIEN H. K. PORTER CHARLES L. TAYLOR E. R. WALTERS J. C.WASSON JOHN WERNER Note — This pamphlet- wS*"fconceived and executed in the Library's own Department of Printing and Binding within forty-eight hours preceding the opening of the enlarged building of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, April nth, 12th and 13th, 1907. Carnc^iS' Library pf Pittshi-Jr'gh B3Senncn+ AJZ^j±^j^ Qrchcsf ir»a' .Rehearsal . .Hall . 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