Gadsden, AL – The Gadsden Public Library will receive a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the Carnegie Libraries 250 initiative.
The foundation, established by Andrew Carnegie, is 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.
“The public library has been a vital part of life in Gadsden and Etowah County for well over 100 years,” said Mayor Craig Ford. “Craig Scott and his staff do a wonderful job of serving the tens of thousands of people who use the library each year, and we look forward to the GPL continuing to enrich the community for many more decades to come!”
Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries nationwide between 1886 and 1917.
Opened in 1906, the Gadsden Public Library is one of 17 Carnegie Libraries in Alabama built through this historic program.
The Gadsden Public Library will receive the gift in January 2026 and is making plans to use the funds to celebrate the 250th anniversary, further the library’s mission, and benefit the community, said Library Director Craig Scott.
“This gift will honor the history of Carnegie Libraries and the role they have played in communities nationwide for more than a century, including our very own Gadsden Public Library,” said Scott.
Patrons are invited to share their Gadsden Public Library photos, stories, and community celebrations at carnegielibraries.org.
“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.”
