Carnegie Mellon University - Andrew Carnegie Online Archives

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  • Subject = Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
  • Original Format = Correspondence
  • Subject = Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919Correspondence

About This Collection

This collection contains primary resources about Carnegie's bequests along with supporting explanatory text, that teachers will be able to use as part of their curriculum.
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(Andrew Carnegie to William Nimick Frew, April 11, 1906 (manuscript))
(Andrew Carnegie to William Nimick Frew, April 11, 1906 (manuscript))
Frew, William Nimick--Correspondence, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Public librariesPennsylvaniaPittsburghFinance, Public librariesPolitical aspects--PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Public librariesPennsylvaniaPittsburgh--Endowments, Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919Correspondence
Handwritten letter in which Andrew Carnegie tells William Frew that all cities appoint library commissions, and he doesn't believe that the people of Pittsburgh would accept political control rather than a commission. It should be an easy matter to fix a sum for the Carnegie Librarys maintenance and let the City pay that to the commission. He dismisses the idea of a contract to manage the city's libraries for $150,000 annually, thus relieving the city of responsibility for maintaining them, and he will not pay for such purpose, especially as Pittsburgh will need over twice that much money in the future. He proposes a private conference with Mayor Guthrie and some of the board members to discuss his plans.
(William Nimick Frew to Andrew Carnegie, April 13, 1906)
(William Nimick Frew to Andrew Carnegie, April 13, 1906)
Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919Correspondence, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Public librariesPennsylvaniaPittsburghFinance, Public librariesPolitical aspects--PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Public librariesPennsylvaniaPittsburgh--Endowments, Carnegie Institute, Frew, William Nimick--Correspondence
Typescript letter in response to Andrew Carnegies letter of April 11, in which William Frew clarifies that while the Carnegie Institute as endowed by Carnegie is presumably safe, the Library is in a different situation, and the Board of Trustees is trying to prevent any political interference in the operations of the Library. He notes that the Carnegie Library of Allegheny and the public library in Philadelphia are not supervised by a library commission and are staffed by political appointees, whereas Boston and New York are properly maintained by commissions. He reassures Carnegie that any final decision on the situation is his.