Untitled Document

Carnegie’s Gift to Bradford
Written by Sally Costik, Curator of Bradford Landmark Society

A whirlwind of controversy has surrounded the recent accusations by the Bradford School board in regards to the funding of our local library. Feeling that the school board should not be, indeed, is not obligated to our library system is the viewpoint of some school board members who are relying on supposed facts to support their claim.
The historical facts of the founding of the library are simple. As Bradford grew in the 1880’s, a group of concerned citizens raised enough funds to buy 200 books, and established the first library and community center in 1879. The Bradford Temperance Free Reading Association, later called the Bradford Library Association, eventually built a small building on Congress Street to house 3000 books, with operating hours from 9PM to 11PM each night.
Meanwhile, the Bradford High School had also formed a small library inside the high school itself. It also owned about 3800 books.
By the end of the 19th century it was evident that a much larger library was needed, both on the school level, and for the public. A recent fire had destroyed the city hall building on the corner of Congress Street and Corydon Street, so with an eye towards that building site, the Library Association and the School Board went to the city for help. It seemed an ideal arrangement, and the only thing that was needed were the funds to erect a substantial building.
Then, Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie entered the picture. Carnegie, after a lifetime of hard work and determination, resolved to donate his fortune to society, but with one catch. The money he donated must be spent in a way that did not encourage laziness, and to create an institution that made opportunities for anyone with the right character to be successful.
An agreement was entered into by the city, the school district, and the Library Association, whereas the city donated the vacant lot, the school district turned over its books, library furniture, and revenue derived from the library tax, and the books and real estate owned by the Library Association. An ordinance was written to reflect this partnership.
A group of prominent Bradford businessman persuaded Carnegie to donate $25,000 for the erection of a new brick library building on the donated city lot. Construction began in 1900, with the grand opening held the next July. As an added bonus, Carnegie donated an additional $5,000 that night.
No further money was ever received from Andrew Carnegie, or from the Carnegie Foundation after 1901. This is a common misconception. In reality, the financial management of the library rested with the school district’s levying a library tax – “one mill on the dollar of the city valuation”, and the required $3,000 from the city. Later donations and endowments from dedicated readers helped to keep the library growing and operating.
Every town needs a library. Our town needs a library.

Directors Consider Closing Library by Year’s End
Roger Newton The Bradford Era
October 22, 1991
Directors of the Bradford Area Public Library on Monday discussed how to deal with their operating funds deficit, including the possibility of closing the library by the first of the year.
“We have to deal with this in the next three weeks … we must decide by mid November,” library director Candace Ekdahl. She stressed that the library cannot close with a day’s notice, but many loose ends have to be tied up.
“We’re not using scare tactics … it’s real – we do face a deficit,” agreed Chuck Rowe, board treasurer.
Ekdahl and board members are hoping to find a means of gaining $10,000 extra funds by the end of November in order to stay open through December. But that would leave another $10,000 to be raised for January.
Board member Dr. Elmer Myers, also superintendent of Bradford School District, suggested he attempt to get his board to pay three months worth of its 1992 allotment in advance, which would get the board through November. It was pointed out that, while this might help temporarily, this would only push the problems into next year when the board had previously counted on the monthly funding.
The option of closing the facility temporarily was raised but it is not clear if this would jeopardize any of the state’s allotment to the library of about $23,000. Ekdahl will talk to the state library by telephone this morning and the finance committee will meet at 4 p.m. today to try to determine what course of action they will take.
Ekdahl said that some of her full-time employees might volunteer to work a month without pay to keep the library open. Some board members thought this would be unfair to ask them to do.
The board actually sees all of these options as stopgap measures for keeping viable the operation of its new $2.2 million building until some permanent means of funding the library’s operation can be found. “If I knew of $10,000 (extra) by mid November … perhaps it would give us the time to get the other solution in place,” Ekdahl said at one point.
On Oct. 10 the library officials unveiled a plan to save it from its anticipated deficit of nearly $70,000 in 1992, a plan which would involve forming a library authority, which could charge a per capita amount, perhaps at $10 apiece. This funding would supplement the donations already given the library by the various supporting municipalities.
The board is hoping that solicitors of the municipalities to which the plan was shown will meet soon to determine its legality: after that it could be sent to supervisors, borough council and city council representatives for approval. Sine there would be a 30-day period for each municipality to hold a public hearing on the matter, the earliest the authority plan could be activated could be several months.
At least one municipality representative has said he will wait to find the will of this constituency before voting for the authority. Board member Rebecca Ryan suggested that those people in each municipality supporting the authority and keeping the library open should contact their municipalities’ officials and make their wishes known.
Although board member Howard Fesenmyer said that the library board would not let the library close no sure-fire plan to keep it open has yet been raised.
Ekdahl listed several things that would need to be done to close the library, explaining why a decision had to be made by mid November. These included making sure all books were back in, that the Access Pennsylvania lending and receiving books would be stopped, the teachers who had ordered film-strips for their classes months in advance would be accommodated, and that meetings booked for the library ahead had their organizations notified.
Someone will have to be at the library to let in the Dale Carnegie course organization which has rented a room in the library for several times for $1000. Another group set to meet there is a drama group, making use of the new library’s stage.
Ekdahl and board members pointed out that the lack of operational funds stands in sharp contrast to the extensive use of the public is making of the new building. For example some 220 new patrons have gotten cards since the library has opened, in addition to many renewals. Some officials believe this is three times the usual amount in this time period.
In other financial business, Ekdahl reminded the board that it still owed money for construction costs of the new library. Although the banks had said $200,000 could be borrowed, the library has borrowed all but $27,100 of this already.
In addition, the unpaid cost for the shelving is costing the library $1,000 per month in interest.
Rowe pointed out at one point that even if the board had elected to stay in the old library building on Congress Street, there still would be a large operational deficit this year. In addition the old building would have needed many costly repairs.
Board members agreed unanimously to name the new children’s room in the library for Virginia Loveland Miles, in honor of the former board member who has been “very active in the library,” including setting up an endowment and buying puppets for the children’s room.

Minuteman Group Ponders Countywide Library System
Roger Newton; Bradford Era
November 11, 1991
In an effort to help the Bradford Area Public Library out of its financial straits, members of the Citizen’s Minuteman Committee agreed Wednesday to seek input from representatives from other libraries in the county
In a special, mainly informational, meeting the Minuteman Committee discussed the Bradford library’s financial plight with municipality solicitors and others and decided to meet with other county librarians to explore the feasibility of a countywide library system.
The Bradford Area Public Library board will have to decide at its November meeting Monday whether to close its doors by January due to a projected shortfall of nearly $70,000 in its operational budget for 1992.
Presumably the purpose of any countywide library system would be to have a means of seeking additional state or federal funds for both the Bradford library and those of other municipalities, as well as soliciting financial support from the McKean County Commissioners.
When questioned about the proposal Wednesday afternoon, Harrijane Hannon, McKean County commissioner chairman, said she had heard nothing official about any such countywide plan. She indicated that while the commissioners would be willing to talk with anyone attempting to help the library, she did not know if the commissioners could make a financial commitment since the county itself is “hard pressed” for next year for money to provide its own services.
The library, which recently opened is new $2.2 million building on West Washington St., has proposed the formation of an authority to combat its projected operational deficit for 1992. Need for more operational funding has been a chronic problem, which apparently has plagued the library for more than a decade, and moving into a new building has aggravated the situation.
A library authority, unlike the library board, would have the power to levy a ready-to-serve fee to any adult living within its service area.
This plan, devised mainly by library attorney Greg Henry, has found disfavor with at least one municipality’s solicitor, Jeff Duke of Bradford City.
Duke complains that the plan may have legal flaws, such as not being able to demand fees from residents in municipalities rejecting the plan. He also contends that forming an authority might take three to four years if it is challenged in the course.
Two optional solutions posed at a recent meeting of the solicitors of eh municipalities affected were that of either raising the contribution of the contributing municipalities or have each municipality raise money by adding tax mileage to property owners.

Donor Gives Library Time to Solve Financial Problems
Roger Newton The Bradford Era
November 19, 1991
The new Bradford Area Public Library will not be closing.
This was the word from library officials during the board of directors’ meeting Monday. Although they declined to name the person or persons who have promised to bail out the library, saying such disclosure might jeopardize the funding, board officials indicated that some party in the community has assured them of the money they need to keep the library open until a permanent solution can be found for its operational deficit.
“The library will stay open – we will be here,” said Howard Fesenmyer, board member. “We have people working on it, … we’re NOT going to close; that’s it!”
“Absolutely, it’s a positive as I can make it: there is no plan to close the library,” board president Robert Kirk echoed after the meeting. Kirk indicated while no figure or timetable has been set, the part, which requested anonymity, will supply the board the money it needs to stay operational until a permanent operational funding solution can be found.
Board members had said at a previous meeting that if they decided to close by year’s end, it should be at Monday’s meeting. Although they had secured funding from the school district’s early payment to get through December, Candace Ekdahl, library director, had said she needed to know about closing by the middle of November to close in an orderly fashion.
Ekdahl had previously projected a nearly $70,000 shortfall for the 1992 budget, unless help was found. Without that help, documents she handed out Monday showed the library likely would be #13,246.70 in the red by April 1.
Board members also agreed to go back to their respective municipalities and ask for more support.
It was noted that the Citizen’s Minuteman Committee is exploring the possibility of forming a countywide library system, a plan that could give all the county’s libraries increased permanent support, possibly from the state or the county commissioners.
Any closing of the facility, however temporary, would likely result in loss of funding from the state, which gives some $23,000 per year and an obligation to pay back a $400,000 Library Services and Construction Act grant received through the state library.
It was agreed the board would hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. next Monday to get an update on operational funding and deal with any problems that might arise.
On another front of the library’s funding battle, it was announced that Zippo Manufacturing Co. has donated $50,000 to the facility’s construction fund for the $2.2 million facility.
Ekdahl reported that she had used $34,006 of the money to pay Library Design and Equipment Co. as a final payment for shelving plus the balance, $15, 994, to pay on the final amount owed to S.M. Gleason, the general contractor, of some $81,000.
She reported that there remains $62,977 owed to Integra Bank, but this is covered by outstanding pledges from the community. And if the bank will lend the final $27,000 promised (also covered by pledges), the net amount still to be raised by some $40,000, to pay Gleason and the architect, B. Hendryx.
Fesenmyer challenged the board to come up with lists of 10 names of persons who may want to buy a building brick but for some reason were not contacted. He also suggested that some donors who have paid up their pledge be asket to give the equivalent of one year’s installment more to help the construction fund. He further challenged each board member to try to sell five more bricks (at $1,000) before the year’s end.
It was reported that use of the new library has already surpassed that of the old building on Congress Street. In October alone 377 new patron cards were issued and the building was used by groups for 52 meetings.