Madison Public Library Receives $20,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York

MADISON, WI - Madison Public Library received a $20,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie. The award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the roughly 1,280 Carnegie Libraries still serving their communities across the United States.

Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries nationwide between 1886 and 1917. Approximately 750 of them continue to use their original buildings, while others have moved to new locations.

Madison is home to two Carnegie Libraries built within seven years of each other with an investment from Carnegie Corporation of New York totaling $90,000.

Central Library

The first Carnegie Library built in Madison was the original location for Central Library, opened in 1906 at Carroll and Dayton streets. The $75,000 investment was the largest grant given to any Carnegie-funded library in Wisconsin. Referred to as "The Carnegie Building", this was the first building owned by the Madison Free Library (as Madison Public Library was known in the early days).

In 1902, $40,000 was obtained from Andrew Carnegie for the purchase of a new library building, however the gift was later increased to $75,000 so that a library school could be established in the same building. The Library School opened on the second floor of the library in September 1906, with twenty-four students enrolled in the program--eighteen from various towns in Wisconsin and six from out of the state.

The Library School and the Madison Free Library enjoyed a mutually beneficially relationship for the next thirty-two years, with students getting both a theoretical and practical knowledge of librarianship thanks to hands-on experience working at the loan desk, doing reference work, shelving books, and interacting with patrons. Madison Free Library enjoyed added capacity with the addition of the Library School students, which allowed the organization to establish deposit stations in many Madison neighborhoods where collections of books were put in grocery stores and frequently changed. Many visiting lecturers from UW-Madison and throughout the United States also came to the library to speak to the Library School students. The Library School stayed on the second floor of the Carnegie Library until 1936 when it moved to UW-Madison (where it remains today). The Carnegie Library at Dayton and Carroll streets stayed open until 1965 when it outgrew its location again and Central Library was established at 201 W Mifflin St.

Hawthorne Library

In 1911, the Carnegie Corporation of New York gifted Madison $15,000 to construct a library in its sixth ward district, and the new library opened in 1913 on 1249 Williamson Street. This blue-collar section of the city housed a large population of workers employed by Fuller and Johnson (farm implement manufacturers), Gisholt (machine tool manufacturers), and other factories. a letter sent from Madison Free Library Board members to Andrew Carnegie's secretary James Bertram in 1911, they explain the need for a second library in Madison. Having already described the unique geography of Madison and the restrictions of the isthmus, the author, board member Charles McCarthy talks about the amazing growth and demand on the east side of the city.

"There are probably two thousand men in factories in this new district and it is building up with great rapidity. There are probably five thousand people now in this little section. We have a small branch library here already but it can do very little, indeed, to meet the great demand. The large iron and electrical works are surrounded by the homes of the working people. It is an ideal situation for a little library," said McCarthy.

Originally called "The Branch", because of its status as the first neighborhood library location in Madison, it later became known as the "Sixth Ward" and then the "Williamson Street Branch." Madison's second Carnegie library opened in 1913 with a large auditorium and quickly became a central meeting place in the neighborhood.

In 1958, the Wiliamson Street Branch moved to a new building on Atwood Ave and was renamed Hawthorne Library thanks to a public naming competition. In 2000, Hawthorne Library moved again to its current location within the Madison East Shopping Center at 2707 E. Washington Ave.

The addition of these two stand-alone library buildings to the City of Madison and its library patrons at a pivotal moment for Madison Free Library speak for themselves.

"Without these gifts from Andrew Carnegie at the turn of the 20th Century, Madison Free Library wouldn't have had the same ability to grow," said Library Director Tana Elias. "In one letter from former Library Board President William Anderson to Carnegie's Secretary Bertram in 1919, he spoke of the results of Carnegie's investment in libraries in Madison. Circulation grew from around 75,00 in 1902 to over 200,000 by 1918-a more than 150% increase in less than 20 years. An investment in libraries is an investment in communities, and it's wonderful to see that investment continue through the Carnegie Corporation of New York today."

Carnegie Corporation of New York gifts totaling $1,097,762 funded 61 Carnegie Libraries in Wisconsin built through this historic program.

Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as 'cradles of democracy' that 'strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,'" said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie and former head of the University of Oxford. "We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded."

Madison Public Library may use the funds however it wishes to celebrate the 250th anniversary, further its mission, and benefit the community.

Patrons are invited to share their Madison Public Library photos, stories, and community celebrations at carnegielibraries.org.

About Madison Public Library

With more than 1.3 million annual visitors across nine library locations each year, Madison Public Library's tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for 150 years. Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org and @madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook and Instagram.