County Libraries: the Beginnings of the Movement

The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust was formed by Andrew Carnegie under a Trust Deed, replaced later by a Royal Charter, to continue his benefactions for public library facilities and for encouraging the appreciation of music. In the Deed the Trustees were bidden to be pioneers and were reminded by the donor that “new needs are constantly arising as the masses advance”. The following is an account of how the Trustees fulfilled their charge, so far as libraries are concerned, during the early years of the Trust.