Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 125th Anniversary - Realize: Our Power, Our Potential

FREE TO THE PEOPLE

“ A Library
outranks any
other one thing
a community
can do to benefit
its people. It is
a never failing
spring in
the desert.”
– ANDREW CARNEGIE
On November 5, 1895, Andrew Carnegie dedicated the Carnegie Institute
and Main Branch of the Library to the people of Pittsburgh. Since that time,
whatever the divide, the Library has been a bridge, helping people learn, grow,
connect with others and transform their lives. This year, Carnegie Library
of Pittsburgh is celebrating 125 years of engaging, informing and empowering
individuals and communities. We invite you to help us remember the past
125 years and ensure the tradition of a free public library for years to come.
2

Throughout the Library’s history, stories of
commitment, collaboration and generosity
have stood out.
It has always been the parent who
makes a weekly trek to story time,
the patron who tells their neighbor
how to get a library card, the volunteer who
shares their time, the quiet philanthropist
who has elevated the Library to a cornerstone
in our community and ensured its
vitality for future generations.
German immigrant and dry goods merchant
Julius D. Bernd made the first bequest to
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to serve
all the people of Pittsburgh. Mr. Bernd’s
bequest was formally accepted by the
Board of Trustees at its inaugural meeting
in 1895: “Protestant, Jewish, Catholic and
non–sectarian, — for black and white, — for
the aged and orphans,— for the sick and the
homeless, — for schools, scientific, artistic
and technical; without regard to race,
sex, sect or nationality.”
A gift in your will or
beneficiary-designation
helps ensure future
generations can enjoy
access to library
resources. It may be
the most impactful
gift you make.
Patrons, volunteers, advocates and donors
are the fuel that have driven and sustained
the Library since 1895.
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We are grateful to volunteers who share their time and passion, enriching
our services and helping us respond to immediate community needs.
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Library volunteer on a home library visit.
T
hrough the 1910s volunteers
were essential in providing
children in all city neighborhoods
with access to books. Willing families
housed a cabinet of library books in
their home and welcomed neighbors to
meet there. A Library volunteer visited,
read aloud and exchanged the books.
More than a century later, volunteer
Reading Buddies help with homework,
play games, read and provide muchneeded
assistance during busy afterschool
hours in branch libraries.
I
n 1938, when libraries were crowded
with the unemployed and circulation
had risen by 50% over pre-Depression
numbers, Anna Randolph Gillespie and
her daughter Mabel Lindsay Gillespie gifted
funds in memory of husband and father
David Lindsay Gillespie. A woman before her
time, Ms. Gillespie made an additional gift
in 1945 to purchase books that promoted
racial justice and intercultural relations
in memory of her parents. She created a
generous endowed fund to support the
Library’s collections and services in perpetuity.
A gift made to the Library in honor or memory of
a loved one is a lasting tribute that will benefit
and transform the lives of many for years to come.
5

You can help
Carnegie Library
of Pittsburgh
eliminate barriers
that impede library
access with a gift
through your donor
advised fund, a trust
or annuity.
Harry S. Wherret’s education was
interrupted at the age of 15 when
he began work in the local glass
plant as an office boy. At the time of his
death, he had risen to the position of
President and Chairman of the Board
of Directors of the Pittsburgh Plate
Glass Company. In 1952, Pittsburgh’s
first bookmobile, a gift of the Wherrett
Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh
Foundation, began operations and lent
83,075 books during its first full year.
In 2015, retired teacher Shirley Page
created the Shirley A. Page Children’s
Fund: “Within walking distance of our
house was the East Liberty branch Library... .
Mother’s card and our cards were well-used
before I left Pittsburgh for college... . How
grateful I am for the people who inspired me
to become a lifelong reader and learner.”
Now Ms. Page is helping provide books and
programs that are inspiring new generations
of children at CLP – East Liberty to become
lifelong readers and learners.
Gifts to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s
endowment support innovation and
growth, even during times of uncertainty.
Today your gift to the Library’s endowment
may be matched by our Carnegie Library
of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees.
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Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has been a
beacon for the community during times of
celebration and challenge.
For 125 years the people of Pittsburgh have been able to rely on their public library to prioritize
education, support workforce and economic development and strengthen community. You can
help ensure the Library continues to be a beacon to all today, tomorrow and for years to come.
We invite you to make Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a part of your life and legacy.
• Support the Library services you love in perpetuity with a contribution to the endowment.
Named endowed funds are a permanent tribute and all gifts to the endowment sustain
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for future generations.
At this time, the Library’s Board of Trustees matches all gifts to the endowment
dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000, paving the way for you to create a permanent family legacy.
Learn more about how a gift of $12,500, made over several years, can create a fund that
will provide ongoing support for the Library you love.
• Make a difference to future Library-lovers by including a gift in your will or naming
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as a beneficiary of an IRA, trust, life insurance policy,
bank or brokerage account.
• Transform the Library with a gift to capital projects. Help current and future users enjoy
welcoming, vibrant Library spaces with a gift to ongoing and future renovations, expansions
and improvements. Naming opportunities are available at all of our neighborhood locations
and our Network Library serving the print disabled.
• Make a Leadership Gift of $1,250 or more to help us honor 125 years of service and care for
daily library operations. Join our most loyal supporters and become a monthly Library Sustainer.
• Consider additional options for giving. Appreciated stock, a life insurance policy or a gift
from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Required Minimum Distribution can support
the Library services you value and wish to sustain for others.
To discuss ways you would like to make, or already have made
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a part of your Philanthropic Legacy
CONTACT
Anne Lee, Manager of Special Gifts and Planned Giving
412-325-0056 or leeanne@carnegielibrary.org
We also encourage you to consult your financial and legal
advisors about making a gift that is right for you.
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From children laughing at storytime to the relieved sigh of a job-seeker submitting
an application, every day at the Library we see the impact our donors have and the
gratitude of our community.
As we commemorate 125 years of service, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is honored
to recognize those who help sustain the Library and its mission in the following ways:
• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Circle
The Library Circle recognizes donors who are helping transform library services for years
to come by making a gift through their will or estate, contributing $1,000 or more to the
Library’s endowment or creating a named fund. We invite you to join the nearly 100 members
of the Library Circle who have notified the Library of their intentions.
• Named Endowed Fund
Today, there are more than 60 named funds in the Library’s endowment. A complete and
updated list of named endowed funds from 1895 to the present is prominently recognized.
• Naming Opportunity
Recognition opportunities at our neighborhood locations are a meaningful way to link your
family’s name with the Library’s great legacy.
• Leadership Gift
All supporters of $1,250 and up during our anniversary year will be included in a special
celebration in November 2021.*
*As health and safety recommendations permit.
Anne Lee, Manager of Special Gifts and Planned Giving
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-365-0056 or leeanne@carnegielibrary.org