BEDFORD — The Bedford Public Library has received a commemorative grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, library officials announced Friday.
The gift, which comes as part of a national initiative to celebrate the 1,350 surviving Carnegie-funded libraries, was issued without conditions, allowing the library to direct the funds toward community-focused projects.
In a letter accompanying the grant, Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, praised the role of libraries as “unifying” institutions during times of social strain.
“Andrew Carnegie wrote that libraries are ‘cradles of democracy,'” Richardson wrote. “It has been truly inspiring to hear accounts from across America of how the 1,350-plus surviving Carnegie Libraries are serving their communities today.”
The Bedford Public Library, a staple of the local community for over a century, remains one of the state’s most prominent examples of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic legacy.
“Mr. Carnegie’s legacy endures! Libraries, which he saw as ‘cradles of democracy,’ have always been about providing community members with access to information,” said Nathan Watson, director of the Bedford Public Library. “As one of Indiana’s earliest Carnegie Libraries, the Bedford Public Library has been keeping that mission alive for 129 years, 124 of which has been in our Carnegie building.”
Watson noted that the funds will be used to further the library’s core mission of community enrichment.
“The Carnegie Corporation’s gift for America’s 250th birthday will help us continue the work of connecting people, ideas, and information to enrich lives and build community,” Watson said.
