Library Offer Declined by Grants Pass City Council

In view of the economic problems that the Josephine Community Libraries is currently experiencing in regards to keeping the local libraries open, I found this a very interesting article.  It was published November 14, 1903 in an out of state newspaper.

"DECLINED WITH THANKS

Grant's Pass, Ore., Nov. 13. --- After five months of debate and consideration the council of Grant's Pass has decided to decline the offer of $10,000, made by Andrew Carnegie for a library for the city.  The city council did not approve of certain stipulations attached to the offer of the steel king."

 I haven't been able to discover exactly why the city council turned this offer down, but some of the requirements to receive a Carnegie grant were:

• 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.

1,687 Carnegie libraries were built in the United States between 1888 and 1923.  When the final Carnegie grant was made, nearly half of the 3,500 libraries in the United States were built with Carnegie construction grants.

Image courtesy of Lee Paxton.

 This is a photo of the Carnegie Free Library in Braddock, PA.  It was built in 1888, and was the first Carnegie Library in the United States.

Before there were Carnegie libraries, you could not browse among the stacks of books; you had to ask a librarian to retrieve a book for you!

The Josephine Community Library system is a nonprofit organization.  They do not have any no local or federal tax funding!  Like the Josephine County Historical Society, they rely completely on contributions and volunteers.


As a kid, I spent countless hours at my public library, and I hope that the children (and adults) of Josephine County will always have access to a library!  For more information, please visit the Josephine Community Libraries website.