Santa Cruz Public Libraries Receive $20,000 Carnegie Award for U.S. History Materials

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The Santa Cruz Public Libraries have received a $20,000 award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the Carnegie Libraries 250 initiative, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The funds will be used to acquire materials focused on U.S. history and founding documents, as well as to promote and educate the public about the roles and rights of U.S. citizens.

Why it matters

This award highlights the ongoing commitment of the Carnegie Corporation to supporting public libraries and promoting civic education. As one of the first Carnegie libraries built in California, the Santa Cruz Carnegie (Main) Library has a long history of serving the community, and this funding will help ensure it continues to provide valuable resources and programming related to U.S. history and citizenship.

The details

The $20,000 award is part of the Carnegie Libraries 250 initiative, which is providing $10,000 to each of the approximately 1,280 Carnegie libraries across the country to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries will use the funds to acquire materials highlighting the history of the U.S. and its founding documents, as well as to promote and educate the public about the roles and rights of U.S. citizens.

• The Santa Cruz Carnegie (Main) Library opened in April 1904 with partial funding from Andrew Carnegie.
• The Garfield Park Library, which is still open today, is the only remaining Carnegie library in the Santa Cruz area.
• The Santa Cruz Carnegie (Main) Library was among the first Carnegie libraries built in California, following those built in San Diego, Alameda, and Los Gatos.