CBPL release - In late 2025, Carnegie Corporation of New York announced that Carnegie Libraries across America would each receive a $10,000 gift to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As an original Carnegie Library, the Coos Bay Public Library is pleased to be one of the recipients. Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the United States between 1886 and 1917. As part of the Carnegie Libraries 250 special initiative, his philanthropic foundation reached out to each library and established that about 1,280 still operate and acknowledge their link to Carnegie, making them eligible for the celebratory gift. Approximately 750 of them continue to use their original buildings, while others have moved to new locations. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of The Progress Club, Coos Bay’s Carnegie Library opened in 1914. The library has since moved but the original building still stands. The funds will be used to support programming and materials that celebrate the 250th anniversary and other activities that benefit the community. “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.” Coos Bay Library will host a variety of events observing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence starting with Founding Ideologies: Why American Colonists Protested and Declared Independence, a talk by Dr. Paul Otto. Watch the library event calendar coosbaylibrary.org/events/month for more events.