Gift to be transferred January 2026

Ashland.news staff report

The Ashland Library Branch will receive a $10,000 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. Dedicated in 1912, our library is one of 31 Carnegie Libraries in Oregon built through this historic program, though only 11 are still being used for their original intent.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous gift, and staff are talking amongst themselves about creative ways to use these funds to best serve our community!” said Ashland branch manager Kristin Anderson.

“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.”

The Ashland library will receive the gift in January 2026 and it will be used to further their mission of connecting communities to information, ideas, and each other.

Patrons are invited to share their Ashland library photos, stories, and community celebrations at carnegielibraries.org.

Source: Jackson County Library Services news release. Email Ashland.news at [email protected].