Carnegie Letter
Carnegie and Gates Running Head: Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, Philanthropists
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Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, Philanthropists of Public Libraries in the United States Jennifer Finlay San Jose State University LIBR 200-04 December 4, 2005
Carnegie and Gates Abstract Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, major business leaders of their respective eras, had a major impact on public libraries in the United States through their philanthropic efforts. Carnegie funded a program at the beginning of the 20th century that provided financial support for the construction of over 1,600 libraries. Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program developed a means for 11,000 libraries to have public access computers and Internet access. The personal histories of the two men, the criticisms of the programs and their donors, and the impacts of their philanthropic efforts are detailed. A brief history of public libraries in the United States is also included.
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Carnegie and Gates Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, Philanthropists of Public Libraries in the United States Introduction A century separates Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates as two of the wealthiest men of their eras. Carnegie was one of the founders of the modern industrial age through the steel
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industry. Gates is one of today’s most important developers of a new kind of business – the high tech industry. Both have made what can be considered the most significant contributions to libraries in American library history. Andrew Carnegie, at the turn of the 20th century, created a means for 1, 419 communities across the United States to build free public libraries for their towns or cities (Jones, 1997). Bill Gates, perhaps following in the footsteps of Carnegie, developed a program that has provided 11,000 libraries across the country 47,000 computers to usher these libraries into the 21st century through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program (Global
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Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, Philanthropists of Public Libraries in the United States Jennifer Finlay San Jose State University LIBR 200-04 December 4, 2005
Carnegie and Gates Abstract Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, major business leaders of their respective eras, had a major impact on public libraries in the United States through their philanthropic efforts. Carnegie funded a program at the beginning of the 20th century that provided financial support for the construction of over 1,600 libraries. Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program developed a means for 11,000 libraries to have public access computers and Internet access. The personal histories of the two men, the criticisms of the programs and their donors, and the impacts of their philanthropic efforts are detailed. A brief history of public libraries in the United States is also included.
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Carnegie and Gates Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates, Philanthropists of Public Libraries in the United States Introduction A century separates Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates as two of the wealthiest men of their eras. Carnegie was one of the founders of the modern industrial age through the steel
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industry. Gates is one of today’s most important developers of a new kind of business – the high tech industry. Both have made what can be considered the most significant contributions to libraries in American library history. Andrew Carnegie, at the turn of the 20th century, created a means for 1, 419 communities across the United States to build free public libraries for their towns or cities (Jones, 1997). Bill Gates, perhaps following in the footsteps of Carnegie, developed a program that has provided 11,000 libraries across the country 47,000 computers to usher these libraries into the 21st century through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program (Global
References: Williams, R. W. (2000, May/June). Inside the Gates [Electronic version]. Foundation News and Commentary. Retrieved November, 15, 2005, from http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=405.