Carnegie Library in Edmonds, WA, 2014

“Public Library, 1911.” Photo Curtesy of My Edmonds News.

“Edmonds Public Library, 1910.” Photo Curtesy of My Edmonds News.

“It is only the feeling that the library belongs to every citizen, richest and poorest alike, that gives it a soul,” wrote Andrew Carnegie in 1904. Between 1890 and 1919, the philanthropist worked to give libraries across the English speaking world souls. Over 2,000 libraries were built during Carnegie’s tenure as the Patron Saint of Libraries. Carnegie’s involvement reflected a widespread, growing interest in public education, libraries and investing into the nation’s people.

Viewed from historical and local perspectives, the Edmonds Carnegie Library demonstrates the community’s growing interest in public access to information. The Edmonds library, along with many others built at the turn of the twentieth century, represents the changing face of libraries and access to knowledge, propelled by the contributions of Andrew Carnegie.