25 November 2007

Thank you Andrew

Thanksgiving may be over in Canada and the US, but its not too late to give thanks for the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie who was born on this day, November 25th 1835, in Dunfirmline, Scotland.

The first library I every used, in Gorleston, Norfolk, was a Carnegie library. Ottawa's main library was originally supported by Carnegie with a $100,000 donation. That was only after city Council had voted down a motion to build a library as . . . the city just didn’t have any money to spare for “luxuries.” Some on the present Ottawa city council must be close genetic descendants of their predecessors.

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