Iowa libraries get surprise $10K donations from Carnegie Corporation

On a state-run forum for Iowa librarians, library staff from across the state regularly swap tips, tricks and anecdotes about the trade.

Late last week, a new question popped up: “Did anyone else get an email from the Carnegie Corporation yesterday? I’m wondering if it’s legit.” For dozens of libraries across the state, the answer was yes.

And while unexpected, the email — and the news it carried — was real: The Carnegie Corporation of New York will soon issue $10,000 each to all standing libraries previously funded by titular philanthropist and longtime library supporter Andrew Carnegie.

The money is being offered to more than 1,200 libraries nationwide as part of a larger $20 million initiative to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Checks will be sent in January, and libraries are free to use the funds however they see fit.

“Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, … described libraries as ‘cradles of democracy’ that ‘strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen and the royalty of man,’” Carnegie president Dame Louise Richardson said in a written statement. “We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded.”

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish immigrant and philanthropist who helped fund the construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the U.S. between 1886 and 1917. Of those, more than 1,200 still operate today — approximately 750 of which are still within their original Carnegie buildings.

The $10,000 gift is available to libraries even if they’re not in their original building, however, including those in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library first opened in 1897 in a single room of a downtown office building. When it became clear more space was needed, the library board sent a letter to Carnegie asking for philanthropic support.

  Buy Photo

Already an established philanthropist, Carnegie sent the board $75,000 to support the construction of a new library building that eventually opened in 1905 at the corner of Third Avenue and Fifth Street SE, where today it is part of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

The library has since operated out of multiple locations to accommodate the city’s growing population — and as a result of damage from the 2008 flood — and today operates its downtown location at 450 Fifth Ave. SE, across Greene Square from the old Carnegie building.

“This was unexpected, but we couldn’t be more grateful to the Carnegie Corporation of New York,” Cedar Rapids Public Library community relations manager Amber McNamara said of the recent gift. “What an honor it is to uphold the legacy of the original Carnegie gift by continuing to provide access to books, materials and programs for our community.”

  Buy Photo

The Monticello Public Library also received notice of the funding last week, according to director Faith Brehm. Using a $10,500 Carnegie gift, the Jones County library was first constructed in 1903 at 116 E. Grand St.

It relocated to a nearby building at 205 E. Grand St in 2006 to allow for more material storage and increased accessibility.

Brehm at first thought the move would disqualify the library from future Carnegie gifts, which was refuted by foundation staff earlier this summer when they called to confirm details of the library’s whereabouts.

  Buy Photo

All three of the library’s staff members were working when the email came in about the Carnegie gift, and Brehm said the trio knew it represented a chance to do something special.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of little things that we would love to do, but this was a large donation so we wanted to think more about our big picture items,” she said. “So the three of us walked around the library and looked for” those kinds of projects.

Ultimately, Brehm said staff decided to put the funds toward a refresh of the library’s teen section and plan to purchase new furniture for the area and one or two additional computers with gaming capabilities for teens to use in their free time.

Any additional funds will be used to update library furniture more generally since most of what’s currently found in the facility was purchased secondhand.

“We’re incredibly grateful,” she said of the staff’s reaction overall. “To have a donation like this to put toward improving the building we have now and keeping it up to date … is just fantastic.”

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com