Wilbur J Carr Memorial Library, Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan

[LIB7754] One of the most modern small libraries in the mid-west. Carr makes available about 40,000 volumes, the Carr international collection, a large circulating record library. Carr houses two lounges, conference rooms, and kitchen. Carr Library was built in 1951 and served as the college library until Mossey Library was built in 1971. [from the back of the card]

Old Public Library, Somerset, Bermuda

[LIB7753]

Carnegie Public Library, Pacific Grove, California

[LIB7752] In 1886 the first library in Pacific Grove opened in the “reading corner” of the Old Parlor. The Old Parlor was located at 165 Fountain Avenue at the corner of Fountain and High, now Ricketts Lane. It was used as a community hall from the early 1880s until 1910.

The Pacific Grove Library Association also dates from 1886. In 1904 the collection was given to the city which obtained a Carnegie grant of $10,000 in 1906. The Pacific Improvement Company donated the lot, itself valued at $10,000. Total costs far exceeded the grant; therefore, plans were modified and the difference made up through taxation. McDougall Bros. designed the building and Henry Chivers and the Granite Rock Company were the builders. At the dedication, Paris Kilburn praised the building in which size but not quality was sacrificed. He named all the craftsmen, and berated complainers: “What you want here is your taxes not lowered but increased, and abandon the idea of getting something for nothing. “The library was enlarged in 1926, 1938, 1950 and most recently in 1978-1981 with the new steep gable roof incorporating all.”

In 1908 the Pacific Grove Public Library opened at its current location.

Although the exterior of the original Carnegie building has changed somewhat, it is still in the Mission style, and many of the original features in the interior, including the lovely arches and windows of the Reading Area, have been maintained. These features, along with a library staff long noted for friendly assistance and high quality service, combine to provide a welcoming atmosphere to everyone who visits the library. [Website]

Daniel Webster Library, Plymouth, New Hampshire

[LIB7750]

New Public Library, Wichita, Kansas

[LIB7749] This contemporary structure is located in the cultural center in the central business district of Wichita. [From the back of the card] [Website]

1967 Library, Oradell, New Jersey

[LIB7748] Founded in March 1913. Original building presented to the town in 1924, and wings added in 1940 and 1960. [from the back of the card] [Website]

Tucker Free Library, Henniker, New Hampshire

[LIB7717] Building still in use as a public library. [Website]

Smith Library, Chautauqua, New York

[LIB7716] Smith Memorial Public Library anchors the southern end of Bestor Plaza inside the grounds of Chautauqua Institution.

Public Library, Brooklyn, New York

[LIB7715] The Circulation Hall or Ingersoll Building offers easy access to card catalogs, book charging and information desks, and subject divisions.

Library, Chicago, Illinois

[LIB7714] Published by H. C. Leighton Co., Portland, Me. Manufacturers of Postal Cards. Made in Germany. No. 692

Ray Memorial Library, Franklin, Massachusetts

[LIB7713] The Franklin Public Library is considered America's first public library. In 1778, when the town was incorporated, the designated name Exeter was changed to Franklin in honor of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. In return Franklin was asked to donate a bell for the town's church steeple. Acknowledging that "sense" was preferable to "sound", Dr. Franklin responded with an offer of books for the use of the town's residents. When the volumes arrived, a great controversy arose over who should be allowed to use them. On November 20th, 1790, those attending Franklin's town meeting voted to lend the books to all Franklin inhabitants free of charge. This vote established the Franklin collection as the first public library in the United States. The original Franklin collection is still housed in a book case in the library's Reading Gallery.

In 1904, the Ray Memorial Building was dedicated and the Franklin Library got a permanent building - a gift from the Ray family. That same year, the Ray family also established the Ray Memorial fund to provide for and maintain the building.

The Franklin Library Association ran the library until 1981 when the Franklin Public Library became a department of the town of Franklin. From 1987 to 1989, the Library underwent extensive restoration to maintain the original beauty and splendor of this beautiful classical Greek structure and to add a children's wing.

In 1990,  commemorate the library's bicentennial, the Franklin Public Library Bicentennial Commission published a short history of the library, "A History of America's First Public Library at Franklin Massachusetts, 1790 ~ 1990" written by John Peters and Nina C. Santoro.  Click here to read and enjoy. [Website]

Windsor Library, Windsor, Vermont

[LIB7712] The Georgian Revival structure, as designed, was opened to the public on June 4, 1904. The library building, on State Street in Windsor is one story, 60 by 28 feet, with an annex, 26 by 16 feet in the rear. The roof is the “finest Maine slate”; the foundation, Ascutney granite; the exterior walls are red brick and the base, cornices and all exterior trimmings, with quoins and dentils, are of Fitchburg granite. Two sets of elongated windows are on each side of the entrance in front, a portico with Doric columns, of the same granite. In the vestibule entrance, on the left, is a bronze relief of Mr. Blood, and a plaque bearing his birth date and place together with the following inscription: This building was erected by Benjamin F. Blood, of Waltham, Massachusetts, A.D. 1903, and by him presented to the people of Windsor to be forever used as a public library. A former citizen of Windsor, by industry and ability, he accumulated a fortune, and this he dedicated to the best interests of the descendants of his early associates and providing for them church, school and library advantages. [Website]

George Maxwell Memorial Library, Rockville, Connecticut

[LIB7711] The history of the Rockville Public Library began in 1893 with the bequest of $10,000 from George Maxwell to the town for a free public library.  Previously, private subscription library services, which charged a fee, existed in the area. The bequest was given with the provision that the town raise an equal amount in five years.

In 1893 the Rockville Public Library was incorporated and the Rockville Public Library Association was organized. The town appropriated the matching $10,000 in 1895, and the following year the library opened in the Hartford Connecticut Trust Company building on Elm Street.

The present building, constructed in 1904, was designed by Charles A. Platt of New York. It was a gift from Mr. Maxwell's wife and children after his death. In addition to the building, the gift included funding to maintain and operate the facility. The majority of the library's current operating budget continues to come from this source. The total cost for the lot, building, and furnishings was approximately $150,000.  The library was dedicated and opened on June 29, 1904. [Website]