Three LARL Branches to Receive $10,000 Gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York

Three branches of the Lake Agassiz Regional Library will each receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie. The awards are part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the roughly 1,280 Carnegie Libraries still serving their communities across the United States.

Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries nationwide between 1886 and 1917. Approximately 750 of them continue to use their original buildings, while others have moved to new locations.

Lake Agassiz Regional Library’s history with the Carnegie Corporation of New York begins in 1905, with a $12,000 Carnegie gift to build the Moorhead Public Library, which opened its doors in 1906. The current location was built in 1962, with a brand new Moorhead Public Library set to open in early Spring 2026.

Two years after the Moorhead Public Library received its Carnegie gift, the Crookston Public Library received a gift of $17,500, received in 1903 with construction completed in 1908. The Crookston Public Library would eventually occupy a new facility next door, which opened in 1984. The historic Carnegie building is currently used by the Polk County Historical Society.

Three years later, the Detroit Lakes Public Library received a $10,000 Carnegie gift in 1911, opening its doors in 1913. Lake Agassiz Regional Library continues to operate in the historic building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to this day.

“The original Carnegie gifts to the communities of Crookston, Detroit Lakes and Moorhead made library services possible in those communities,” said Liz Lynch, Executive Director of the Lake Agassiz Regional Library. “These gifts extend that generous legacy and honor the history of Carnegie Libraries and the role they have played in communities nationwide for more than a century.”

“Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as ‘cradles of democracy’ that ‘strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,’” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie and former head of the University of Oxford. “We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded.”

Customers are invited to share their library photos, stories, and community celebrations at carnegielibraries.org.