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“It was from my own early experience that I decided that there was no use to which money could be applied so productive of good to boys and girls who have good within them and ability and ambition to develop it as the founding of a public library,” Andrew Carnegie. It was the goal of Charles Thompson to create a “free library” for the citizens of Newnan and the desire of Andrew Carnegie to assist communities in that effort. The vision of Charles Thompson, city leaders and the generosity of Andrew Carnegie combined to make the Newnan Carnegie library a reality and opened in 1904. It is one of the oldest, most historically significant public structures in our city. After use as county offices and a courtroom had ended, a community group, Friends of the Carnegie, formed to spearhead an effort to reopen the building as a community library. Under the leadership of Mayor Keith Brady, the City Council, and the Friends of the Carnegie, the dream of Charles Thompson was rekindled. In September 0f 2009, the Carnegie Library once again opened to serve Newnan and the surrounding communities. Private citizens have created the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as the successor to the Friends of the Carnegie. Its purpose as a 501-c3 non-profit corporation is to support the children and adult reading rooms, sustain and finance additional children’s programs, research and locate educational speakers of interest, and financially support many other needs of the library. These efforts are in addition to the ongoing contributions of our excellent library staff and funding from the city. I ask all the citizens of this great city and region to support the “new Carnegie” by joining the NCLF and/or financially supporting the library programs. With your assistance and encouragement, the Carnegie Library will forever more be a place of learning, excitement and a wealth of knowledge for generations to come. Sincerely, David M Farmer |
