The establishment of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh was forecast in a letter dated November 25, 1881 from Andrew Carnegie to the Mayor of Pittsburgh in which Mr. Carnegie offered to donate $250,000 for a free library, provided the City would agree to provide the land and appropriate $15,000 annually for library operations. After additional consideration, Mr. Carnegie increased his charter investment to $1 million to build and equip a Main Library and five neighborhood branches.

Founding public libraries became a personal philanthropic mission for Mr. Carnegie. To him, libraries were vital, non-luxury assets to be supported by public dollars. When finished, Mr. Carnegie established some 3,000 libraries around the world.

The Library's first annual report, January 31, 1897, shows a staff of nineteen and a book collection of 27,000 volumes. The growth and use of the Library during its first decade proved that Pittsburghers would eagerly respond to the offer of books and library services.

Six branches--Lawrenceville, West End, Hill District, Mt. Washington and Hazelwood, all opened between 1898 and 1900, and East Liberty, opened in 1905--served Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods offering reading clubs and extended services. The South Side Branch was opened January 30, 1908, the last of the Pittsburgh libraries to be financed from Mr. Carnegie's original gift to the City.

The Library’s Homewood Branch, dedicated March 10, 1910, was by far the largest of the branches. Mr. Carnegie departed from his usual custom of requiring the City to provide the land for libraries, by purchasing it himself. Homewood was the eighth and last of the "Carnegie branches," and the last branch to be erected in Pittsburgh until 1964 when the City of Pittsburgh began its building program.

Today, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh serves the citizens of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County with a distinguished history of leadership among the country’s great public libraries. Through its 19 locations, including Main Library in Oakland and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the region’s most visited asset. Each year the Library provides more than 6,000 free programs, classes and other learning and training opportunities that are tailored to meet the dynamic and diverse needs of people living in Western Pennsylvania. The Library system is also one of the few in the nation to provide a dedicated Children’s Librarian in each location.

As one of the first public library systems in the United States, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is proud to mark these important milestones for library services:

First Library Storytime, 1899

First fully organized children’s department, 1899

First Training Class for Children’s Librarians, 1900

First Science and Technology Department, 1902

Services to the Blind, 1907

Depository for Library of Congress catalogue cards, 1908

First “browsing room” in a large city library, 1938

First Public Library/Private College partnership, 1997

Since 1895 the library has built an extensive collection of materials about the history of Pennsylvania. In 1928 the materials were consolidated into one unit, the Pennsylvania Department. The department has resources on Pennsylvania history, biography, law, economics, sociology, and demographics with an emphasis on Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.

Collections include:

Andrew Carnegie Collection: Books, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and correspondence by or about Andrew Carnegie.

Pittsburgh Photographic Library: More than 100,000 negatives and prints that are a visual history of the city of Pittsburgh from its origin through its industrial development and renaissance. The department also maintains a small circulating collection of pictures of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh subjects.

Genealogy and Heraldry: Family histories; census enumeration schedules of Pennsylvania, 1790–1920; a surname index file; Pittsburgh newspaper marriage and death notice indexes; city directories.

Pittsburgh Clipping File: Circa 1900 to date, this file contains thousands of articles from local newspapers covering a variety of historical and current topics and personalities of the Pittsburgh area.

Manuscripts: A number of collections consisting of original documents and personal papers reflecting the history of Pittsburgh.

With the proliferation of new technologies, it is now possible to access library resources at any time of day or night from any location using any type of communications-enabled electronic device. In addition to millions of publications, the Library’s virtual collection include eBooks, full text newspapers and journals, eAudio, photographic images, streaming music and spoken word

Today the Library faces the challenge of adapting 19th century buildings to fit 21st century requirements. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has embarked on a system-wide renewal program. The renewal plan builds on the Library’s historical strengths while addressing the rapidly changing needs of the information age and community demographics. To date, six branches and the first floor of the Main Library have been renovated or relocated. The newly renovated libraries reflect community needs and are having measurable impact on their neighborhoods, including reintroducing young people to the library.

Just as they did more than a century ago, library buildings continue to function as cornerstones of society – providing gathering places and promoting lifelong literacy and learning. A recent economic impact study demonstrated the importance of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as a valued community resource: a library represents a higher investment in a community; it is an economic generator; and it is a symbol of stability.

"A public library outranks any other one thing that a community can do to help its people."
~ Andrew Carnegie