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Excerpt from The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: A Bit of History With Some Pictures I think that Pittsburgh requires a Central Building, containing a Reference and Circulating Library, also, suitable accommodations for works of art, which I believe its citizens would soon provide; that there should also be added rooms for the meetings of the various learned societies of the city. The experience of New York, Baltimore, and other large cities has proved that a Central Library should be supple mented by branch Libraries. The Free Circulating Library of New York has now four of these; the city of Baltimore has five; they are not extensive structures, but each contains a small supply of the books most in demand, and a reading room, and is Operated in connection with the Central Library. Such branches, I think, should be established in the various districts Of the city, probably one in Birmingham, another in Temperanceville, another in East Liberty, a fourth in Lawrenceville, perhaps a fifth in the older part of the city. All of these should be thoroughly fire-proof, monumental in character and creditable to' the city. To provide these buildings with suitable appliances I offer to ex pend not less than one million dollars. I propose that their location, erection and management shall be entrusted to a Board of Trustees, composed, ex-officio of the Mayor, the Presidents of Select and Com mon Councils, the President of the Central Board of Education, and a Library Committee of five appointed by the Councils, such as you have done me the honor to appoint to confer with me; to these I should add the names of twelve well-known citizens of Allegheny County, who should have power as a body to provide for the re-election of its mem bers at stated times, and also, to fill vacancies in their number. The Libraries to be formally handed over to the city upon their completion, free from lien, in trust, for the purposes specified. The city to agree to receive and support same at its own proper cost, under the management of the Trustees as above provided. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.