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In 2025, the Carnegie Corporation of New York launched an interactive visualization (map) of nearly 1,800 U.S. Carnegie-funded libraries through the Carnegie Libraries Mapping project. The project visually documents Andrew Carnegie’s library-building legacy across the U.S. The map allows users to discover libraries—both public and academic—funded by Carnegie between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The mapping project draws from a foundational study (Library Program 1911–1961) authored by Florence Anderson and published by the Carnegie Corporation in 1963. This study served as the primary archival source for compiling data on Carnegie’s library grants.
The current map includes 1,681 public Carnegie libraries built across the U.S. plus 108 academic libraries on U.S. college campuses. Although Carnegie funded libraries worldwide (including in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and others), the mapping project focuses on the U.S.
The Carnegie Corporation continues to update the map to address historical inconsistencies, reflect libraries that no longer exist, or note buildings repurposed for other uses.
Carnegie has funded approximately 108 academic library buildings on U.S. college and university campuses. Grants, awarded mainly between 1904 and 1917, totaled about $11.8 million and reached nearly 10% of American higher education institutions of the time. Unlike many of the public library grants, Carnegie typically required academic institutions to provide matching endowment funds to ensure the sustainability of the new libraries.
Carnegie’s academic support extended to a wide range of institutions, including smaller colleges and at least 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Notable examples include libraries at Mills College (CA), Pomona College (CA), DePauw University (IN), Beloit College (WI), Miami University (OH), and Brown University (RI). Some of these buildings continue to serve as libraries, while others have been repurposed.
Andrew Carnegie, an immigrant from Scotland who went on to become an American steel magnate and founded the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York, focused his first major philanthropy on libraries. As part of Carnegie's grants, Carnegie required that libraries be maintained by the communities they served. He believed that a free library occupies the first place, provided the community will accept and maintain it as a public institution, as much a part of the city property as its public schools.
His foundation supported the endowment of the American Library Association, the nation’s first graduate library school, digitizing collections around the world, and supporting English language and civic programs, among other services.
Carnegie Corporation of New York. (2025). Carnegie libraries in America mapping project. Carnegie Corporation of New York. https://carnegie-libraries.carnegie.org/
New England Historical Society. (n.d.). Flashback photos: The Carnegie libraries of New England. https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/flashback-photos-the-carnegie-libraries-of-new-england/
Shiflett, C. D. (2024). Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) and his philanthropy to public and academic libraries in North Carolina. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381014597_Andrew_Carnegie_1835-1919_and_His_Philanthropy_to_Public_and_Academic_Libraries_in_North_Carolina
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). List of Carnegie libraries in Ohio. In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Carnegie_libraries_in_Ohio
Wisconsin Library Heritage Center. (n.d.). Carnegie was also academic. Wisconsin Library Association. https://heritage.wisconsinlibraries.org/entry/carnegie-was-also-academic/
The AI Library Mapping Assistant is a work in progress. Users are advised to verify the information from additional sources.
We strive for accuracy but acknowledge that errors may occur, and we encourage users to provide constructive feedback.
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