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59-659: The first library in Hillsboro opened on December 9, 1914, when the Carnegie City Library was dedicated. This was one of 2,500 plus libraries built by money donated by Andrew Carnegie around the world, and the only public one in Washington County, Oregon (the Carnegie Library at Pacific University was a private, academic library). The land at Northeast Second and Lincoln Streets where

118-496: A "Schedule of Questions". The schedule included: Name, status and population of town, Does it have a library? Where is it located and is it public or private? How many books? Is a town-owned site available? Estimation of the community's population at this stage was done by local officials, and Bertram later commented that if the population counts he received were accurate, "the nation's population had mysteriously doubled". The effects of Carnegie's library philanthropy coincided with

177-478: A circulation of over 2.85 million. Expenditures for the library total $ 9.5 million. Between the two branches there are 55 staff members including librarians. Hillsboro Public Library has 63,747 library card holders, and is part of Washington County Cooperative Library Services . Total visits were 921,000. The library is the third largest in Oregon by population served. Carnegie library A Carnegie library

236-459: A closed stacks policy, the method of operation common to libraries at that time. Patrons requested a book from a library staffer, who would fetch the book from closed stacks off limits to the public, and bring it to a delivery desk. To reduce operating costs, Carnegie created a revolutionary open-shelf or self-service policy, beginning with the Pittsburgh neighborhood branches that opened after

295-543: A gift that has shaped the minds and lives of millions." In 1897, Carnegie hired James Bertram as his personal assistant. Bertram was responsible for fielding requests from municipalities for funds and overseeing the dispensing of grants for libraries. When Bertram received a letter requesting a library, he sent the applicant a questionnaire inquiring about the town's population, whether it had any other libraries, how large its book collection was, and what its circulation figures were. If initial requirements were met, Bertram asked

354-401: A ladder, as well as sheltered galleries and niches, reminiscent of sixteenth-century Europe, largely because modern librarians could not supervise such spaces efficiently. Bertram 's architectural criteria included a lecture room, reading rooms for adults and children, a staff room, a centrally located librarian's desk, twelve-to-fifteen-foot ceilings, and large windows six to seven feet above

413-528: A library anywhere, a room for children.... The reading rooms were separated by walls that became glass partitions above waist level—the better to see you with, my dear. Walter E. Langsam, an architectural historian and teacher at the University of Cincinnati , wrote "The Carnegie libraries were important because they had open stacks which encouraged people to browse .... People could choose for themselves what books they wanted to read." This open stacks policy

472-478: A library, the group petitioned for and received funds from Carnegie. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his 2008 memoirs that he frequently used that library as a boy, before the public library system was desegregated. The library buildings were constructed in a number of styles, including Beaux-Arts , Italian Renaissance , Baroque , Classical Revival , and Spanish Colonial , to enhance their appearance as public buildings. Scottish Baronial

531-631: A peak in new town development and library expansion in the US. By 1890, many states had begun to take an active role in organizing public libraries, and the new buildings filled a tremendous need. It was also a time of rapid development of institutions of higher learning. Interest in libraries was also heightened at a crucial time in their early development by Carnegie's high profile and his genuine belief in their importance. In Canada in 1901, Carnegie offered more than $ 2.5 million to build 125 libraries. Most cities at first turned him down—then relented and took

590-637: A prominent doorway, nearly always accessed via a staircase from the ground level. The entry staircase symbolized a person's elevation by learning. Similarly, most libraries had a lamp post or lantern installed near the entrance, meant as a symbol of enlightenment . Carnegie's grants were very large for the era, and his library philanthropy was one of the most costly philanthropic activities, by value, in history. Carnegie continued funding new libraries until shortly before his death in 1919. Libraries were given to towns and cities in Great Britain and much of

649-443: A religious viewpoint, arguing that it did not offset his "immoral" accumulation of wealth, and that his contributions did not justify the "evils" Tucker claimed existed in capitalism itself. Carnegie's own steel workers echoed this sentiment, arguing that his wealth would be better spent on improving working conditions for his own employees, rather than on library buildings across the country. Carnegie's response to those criticisms and

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708-613: A survey conducted by George Bobinski, dean of the School of Information and Library Studies at the State University at Buffalo , 1,554 of the 1,681 original Carnegie library buildings in the United States still existed, and 911 were still used as libraries. He found that 276 were unchanged, 286 had been expanded, 175 had been remodeled, 243 had been demolished, and others had been converted to other uses. While hundreds of

767-611: Is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie . 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 the United Kingdom and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and 25 others in Australia , South Africa , New Zealand , Serbia, Belgium, France,

826-441: Is liable to become the prey of a clique. The public ceases to take interest in it, or, rather, never acquires interest in it. The rule has been violated which requires the recipients to help themselves. Everything has been done for the community instead of its being only helped to help itself. Carnegie required the elected officials—the local government—to: Carnegie assigned the decisions to his assistant James Bertram . He created

885-504: Is to put up a brown-stone buildin' in ivry town in th' counthry." The idea that a building would be the panacea to cure all of society's ills, they argued, was simply not sustainable. A further issue was the impact on pre-existing religious libraries that had promoted learning through free libraries for many years. A typical example is the United Presbyterian Library of Edinburgh, under Robert James Drummond which

944-435: Is triangular in shape, with the north facing wall all glass. Since being expanded in 2013–2014, Shute Park houses over 57,000 litems, ranging from books and videos to audio materials and periodicals. It contains 140 seats and 31 computer terminals. As of 2016, the library system had a service area population of approximately 140,000 residents. For 2015 to 2016, combined the library has over 329,000 items in its collections and

1003-681: The Hillsboro Airport for $ 6.8 million in September 2005. With the opening of the new location in a more central area of Hillsboro, the Tanasbourne location was closed with its inventory moved to the new library. The new library location opened in May 2007 after the building was renovated, but originally only occupied the first floor. In June 2013, the second floor opened to add 38,000 square feet (3,500 m) of space and an art gallery to

1062-632: The 1930s during the Great Depression, some libraries were meticulously measured, documented and photographed under the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) program of the National Park Service . This was part of an effort to record and preserve significant buildings.. Other documentation has been collected by local historical societies. In 1935, the centennial of Carnegie's birth, a copy of

1121-598: The Anderson Memorial Library, in memory of Colonel John Byers Anderson , at the College of Emporia . Nearly all of Carnegie's libraries were built according to "the Carnegie formula", which required financial commitments for maintenance and operation from the town that received the donation. Carnegie required public support rather than making endowments because, as he wrote: an endowed institution

1180-587: The Caribbean, Mauritius, Malaysia, and Fiji. At first, Carnegie libraries were almost exclusively in places with which he had a personal connection—namely his birthplace in Scotland and the Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania area, his adopted hometown. Yet, beginning in the middle of 1899, Carnegie substantially increased funding to libraries outside these areas. As Carnegie's library funding progressed, very few of

1239-606: The Carnegie Libraries. The number and nature of documents within the correspondence files varies widely. Such documents may include correspondence, completed applications and questionnaires, newspaper clippings, illustrations, and building dedication programs. UK correspondence files relating to individual libraries have been preserved in Edinburgh (see the article List of Carnegie libraries in Europe ). Beginning in

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1298-708: The English-speaking world: Almost $ 56.2 million went for construction of 2,509 libraries worldwide. Of that, $ 40 million was given for construction of 1,670 public library buildings in 1,412 American communities. Small towns received grants of $ 10,000 that enabled them to build large libraries that immediately were among the most significant town amenities in hundreds of communities. Books and libraries were important to Carnegie, from his early childhood in Scotland and his teen years in Allegheny and Pittsburgh. There he listened to readings and discussions of books from

1357-573: The Epiphany library in New York City. Washington County Cooperative Library Services Washington County Cooperative Library Services ( WCCLS ) is the library system serving Washington County, Oregon . WCCLS distributes tax funds to libraries. It was established in 1975. WCCLS is made up of 16 libraries which are operated by 13 cities and non-profit organizations. Libraries that were formerly affiliated with WCCLS included ones in

1416-485: The Library group was started on February 6, 1968. In May 1971, this group began campaigning for a new library building, including paying some of the early costs for designs, with voters later approving a bond measure to pay for the new facility. On January 21, 1975, a new library opened to replace the Carnegie building, located at Shute Park . The new building was designed by Martin, Soderstrom & Matteson. Circulation at

1475-538: The Main Library, the library's collection includes more than 300,000 items. Story readings at the Brookwood Library are given in a variety of languages including Mandarin, Japanese, Bengali, and Spanish. Part of the second floor houses an art gallery featuring local artists. This library includes a privately owned coffee shop with leased space in the building. There are approximately 300 parking spaces at

1534-598: The South. For example, in Houston he funded a separate Colored Carnegie Library. The Carnegie Library in Savannah, Georgia , opened in 1914 to serve Black residents, who had been excluded from the segregated White public library. The privately organized Colored Library Association of Savannah had raised money and collected books to establish a small Library for Colored Citizens . Having demonstrated their willingness to support

1593-638: The Tradesman's Subscription Library, which his father had helped create. Later in Pennsylvania, while working for the local telegraph company in Pittsburgh, Carnegie borrowed books from the personal library of Colonel James Anderson (1785-1861). He opened his collection to his workers every Saturday. Anderson, like Carnegie, resided in Allegheny. In his autobiography, Carnegie credited Anderson with providing an opportunity for "working boys" (that some people said should not be "entitled to books") to acquire

1652-472: The US. Patricia Lowry describes located just beyond the lobby, the circulation desk—no longer a delivery desk—took center stage in Lawrenceville, flanked by turnstiles that admitted readers to the open stacks one at a time, under the librarian's watchful eye. To thwart thievery, the stacks were arranged in a radial pattern. On each side of the lobby were a general reading room and, for the first time in

1711-494: The amount the town was willing to pledge for the library's annual maintenance, whether a site was being provided, and the amount of money already available. Until 1898, only one library was commissioned in the United States outside Southwestern Pennsylvania : a library in Fairfield, Iowa , commissioned in 1892. It was the first project in which Carnegie had funded a library to which he had no personal ties. The Fairfield project

1770-421: The cities stocked and maintained them. As a result, small communities often struggled with maintenance costs associated with Carnegie libraries; towns were often happy to accept funding for new library buildings, but often unwilling to allocate taxes for upkeep. In fact, this was the most frequent complaint about Carnegie libraries in hindsight: gifting libraries to towns too small to support them actually slowed

1829-513: The city had property tax levies on the ballot to build a new $ 25 million library. Plans called for building a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m) building on Cornell Road at 206th (now John Olsen Avenue) in the Tanasbourne area to replace the Tanasbourne branch. The levies to build the new library and remodel the Shute Park location failed. The first measure in 2002 received majority support at the voting booth, but lost due to low voter turnout and

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1888-614: The construction of the Carnegie library in Atlanta in 1902, the proposed library, a segregated one, was fought by numerous activists of the period, including W. E. B. Du Bois . In the years following, as the American Library Association continued to ignore the systematic implementation of Jim Crow in the South, the Carnegie Corporation also continued to acquiesce to the social norms of

1947-402: The correspondence files relating to Andrew Carnegie's gifts and grants to communities for the public libraries and church organs. They discarded the original materials. The microfilms are open for research as part of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Records collection, residing at Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Archivists did not microfilm photographs and blueprints of

2006-552: The day and even required communities seeking grants to base their appropriations "only upon the White population of the towns." Carnegie established charitable trusts which have continued his philanthropic work. But they had reduced their investment in libraries even before his death. There has continued to be support for library projects, for example in South Africa . In 1992, The New York Times reported that, according to

2065-464: The development of cooperative regional libraries that those communities now rely on. Some critics also saw his massive donations as insulting to communities that would be content to fund their own public works. Others saw his push for public libraries as merely an attempt at social control. Mark Twain , a supporter of Carnegie, claimed that Carnegie used philanthropy as a tool to buy fame. William Jewett Tucker criticized Carnegie's philanthropy from

2124-467: The ensuing Homestead Steel Strike was telling of what he thought of his workers' concerns: "If I had raised your wages, you would have spent that money by buying a better cut of meat or more drink for your dinner. But what you needed, though you didn't know it, was my libraries and concert halls." Carnegie's critics can be most efficiently summed up in the words of Finley Peter Dunne 's parody of Carnegie himself: "Th' way to abolish poverty an' bust crime

2183-627: The establishment of 75–80 percent of the libraries in communities across the country. Carnegie believed in giving to the "industrious and ambitious; not those who need everything done for them, but those who, being most anxious and able to help themselves, deserve and will be benefited by help from others." Under segregation, Black people were generally denied access to public libraries in the Southern United States . Rather than insisting on his libraries being racially integrated, Carnegie funded separate libraries for African Americans in

2242-566: The floor. No architectural style was recommended for the exterior, nor was it necessary to put Andrew Carnegie's name on the building. In the interests of efficiency, fireplaces were discouraged, since that wall space could be used to house more books. There were no strict requirements about furniture, but most of it came from the Library Bureau , established by Melvil Dewey in 1888. It sold standardized chairs, tables, catalogs, and bookshelves. The first five Carnegie libraries followed

2301-727: The former Tanasbourne Mall (before the Tanasbourne area was incorporated) and, in the 1970s, Aloha Park Library, located in Aloha Park school, which was open to the public one night a week. In 2019, the Oregon College of Art & Craft Library closed along with the rest of the college. Additionally, the Tuality Health Resource Center closed in August. These specialty libraries had been affiliated with WCCLS for many years, and some of their collection

2360-514: The front door. Bigger and more daunting than those used in modern libraries, these desks spanned almost the width of the lobby and acted as a physical and psychological barrier between the front entrance and the book room. The first of these "open stack" branches was in Lawrenceville, the sixth Carnegie library to open in America. The next was in the West End branch, the eighth Carnegie library in

2419-443: The knowledge to improve themselves. Carnegie's personal experience as an immigrant, who with help from others worked his way and became wealthy, reinforced his belief in a society based on merit, where anyone who worked hard could become successful. This conviction was a major element of his philosophy of giving in general. His libraries were the best-known expression of this philanthropic goal. In 1900, Carnegie granted funds to build

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2478-586: The library buildings have been adapted for use as museums, community centers, office buildings, residences, or other uses, more than half of those in the United States still serve their communities as libraries over a century after their construction. Many are located in what are now middle- to low-income neighborhoods. For example, Carnegie libraries still form the nucleus of the New York Public Library system in New York City , with 31 of

2537-620: The library totaled about 130,000 in 1975 with around 40,000 books. The year after the Shute Park location opened a library was opened in the Tanasbourne area on the east side of Hillsboro. In 1990, the city took over those operations, moving it in 1996 from the former Tanasbourne Mall location. In 1998, a Books-by-Rail branch was opened at the Hillsboro Central MAX Light Rail station in a 168-square-foot (15.6 m) space. Two times in 2002 and again in 2004,

2596-416: The library was built was donated to the city. Designed by architect Ernest Kroner, the $ 10,000 building was constructed by the firm Book & Engeldinger. In 1925, the library had a circulation 19,445 and a total of 4,855 volumes. Total fines charged that year were $ 92.28, while expenses totaled about $ 250 for the year to maintain the grounds, pay for heating, and pay for water and electricity. The Friends of

2655-770: The library. The Shute Park location was closed in 2013 for renovations, and re-opened in March 2014 with the entrance moved to the west end of the building. A 3D printer was added to the Shute Park branch in December 2014. The library added an automated kiosk, the Book-O-Mat, at the Hillsboro Civic Center in November 2015. The Hillsboro Brookwood Library is housed in a two-story, city owned building encompassing 76,000 square feet (7,100 m). Formerly called

2714-434: The main branch. This streamlined process allowed patrons to have open access to shelves. Carnegie's architects designed the Pittsburgh neighborhood branches so that one librarian could oversee each entire operation. Theft of books and other items was a major concern. This concern resulted in the placement of the library's circulation desk—which replaced the delivery desk used in traditional closed stacks libraries—just inside

2773-687: The money. In 1902, Carnegie offered funds to build a library in Dunedin in New Zealand . Between 1908 and 1916, 18 Carnegie libraries were opened across New Zealand. The Lawrenceville Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh signaled a break from the Richardsonian style of libraries which was popularized in the mid 1800s. The ALA discouraged Richardsonian characteristics such as alcoved book halls with high shelves requiring

2832-492: The original 39 buildings still in operation; Carnegie Libraries operate in all 5 Boroughs of New York City across its three library systems. Also, the main library and eighteen branches of the Pittsburgh public library system are Carnegie libraries. The public library system there is named the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh . In the late 1940s, the Carnegie Corporation of New York arranged for microfilming of

2891-602: The portrait of him originally painted by F. Luis Mora was given to libraries which he had helped fund. Many of the Carnegie libraries in the United States, whatever their current uses, have been recognized by listing on the National Register of Historic Places . The first, the Carnegie Library in Braddock, Pennsylvania , was designated as a National Historic Landmark in March 2012. Some Carnegie Libraries, have been replaced in name with that of city libraries such as

2950-549: The site. The Brookwood Library also houses the collection of the Hillsboro Independent and The Hillsboro Argus newspapers, dating back to 1887. Opened in 1975, the Shute Park Library is the oldest of the two libraries in the system. The building was designed by Will Martin and cost $ 760,000 to build. With 15,000 square feet (1,400 m), it is also the smaller of the two locations. The building

3009-753: The size of the building and included the third Carnegie Music Hall in the United States. Initially Carnegie limited his support to a few towns in which he had a personal interest. These were in Scotland and the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. In the United States, nine of the first 13 libraries which he commissioned are all located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Braddock, Homestead , and Duquesne libraries were owned not by municipalities, but by Carnegie Steel, which constructed them, maintained them, and delivered coal for their heating systems. "To this day, Carnegie's free-to-the-people libraries remain Pittsburgh's most significant cultural export,

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3068-530: The state's double-majority law. The library closed the Books by Rail branch in 2003 due to a reduced budget. Hillsboro cut their library funding by $ 350,000 that year. In 2005, the city decided on an alternate plan of buying an existing building and renovating it at a total cost of $ 13 million, with $ 1 million of the funds coming from private donations. The city purchased a two-story, 77,000-square-foot (7,200 m) office building on Northeast Brookwood Parkway near

3127-443: The towns that requested a grant, committing to his terms for operation and maintenance, were refused. By the time the last grant was made, there were 3,500 libraries in the United States, nearly half of them Carnegie libraries. Carnegie started erecting libraries in places with which he had personal associations. The first of Carnegie's public libraries, Dunfermline Carnegie Library , was in his birthplace, Dunfermline , Scotland. It

3186-552: The world. The first Carnegie library to open in the United States was in Braddock , Pennsylvania, about 9 miles up the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh. In 1889, it was also the site of one of the Carnegie Steel Company 's mills. It was the second Carnegie Library in the United States to be commissioned, in 1887, and was the first of the four libraries which he fully endowed. An 1893 addition doubled

3245-463: Was affected following the opening of the Carnegie Library in the city centre. In addition to the criticisms of his philanthropic interests and motivations, the construction of libraries in the American South was a highly contentious topic. State and local racial segregations laws across the South sought to bar African Americans access to public facilities, including libraries and when funding

3304-466: Was first commissioned or granted by Carnegie in 1880 to James Campbell Walker and would open in 1883. The first library in the United States to be commissioned by Carnegie was in 1886 in his adopted hometown of Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now the North Side of Pittsburgh ). In 1890, it became the second of his libraries to open in the US. The building also contained the first Carnegie Music Hall in

3363-476: Was later adopted by the libraries that previously had operated with closed stacks. The first secretary of the Iowa Library Commission, Alice S. Taylor, criticized the use of Carnegie funding for extravagant buildings rather than providing quality library services. Carnegie's funds covered only the library buildings themselves, and Carnegie gave library buildings to cities on the condition that

3422-420: Was one of the styles used for libraries in Carnegie's native Scotland. Each style was chosen by the community. As the years went by James Bertram , Carnegie's secretary, became less tolerant of approving designs that were not to his taste. Edward Lippincott Tilton , a friend often recommended by Bertram, designed many of the buildings. The architecture was typically simple and formal, welcoming patrons through

3481-489: Was part of a new funding model to be used by Carnegie (through Bertram) for thousands of additional libraries. Beginning in 1899, Carnegie's foundation funded a dramatic increase in the number of libraries. This coincided with the rise of women's clubs in the post-Civil War period. They primarily took the lead in organizing local efforts to establish libraries, including long-term fundraising and lobbying within their communities to support operations and collections. They led

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