Making it Happen

Step 1: Request a Grant

The first step in acquiring a Carnegie Library was requesting a grant. Anybody in the community could request a grant. Librarians, library board members, teachers, and prominent community leaders all wrote to Carnegie asking for a library. In these letters, it was common for the writer to provide information about the town or city and why they needed a library. Requests were usually directed to Carnegie’s personal secretary, James Bertram, who replied to grant appeals and collected in-depth information by mail on the communities requesting a library. This part of the process could take several years while Bertram collected information and a decision was made as to whether or not a grant would be given.

The first step in North Yakima was a letter sent in July of 1901 by  the Rev. H. M. Bartlett, who was then President of the Yakima Library Association.  James Bertram, Carnegie's Secretary, replied in a letter dated December 14, 1903 that:

"If the City agree by Resolution of Councils to maintain a Free Public Library at the cost of not less than One Thousand Dollars a year and to provide a suitable site for the building, Mr. Carnegie will be please to furnish Ten Thousand Dollars to erect a Free Public Library Building for North Yakima."

Step 2: Public Support for Free Libraries

A Carnegie grant only paid for the library building. The local community was required to supply the library with books and levy public taxes equal to 10% of the grant to maintain the library and its staff.  Carnegie also stipulated that library services were to be available to everyone in the community, without user fees or subscription costs. 

The maximum amount of a library construction grant was determined by multiplying the number of taxpayers in a community by $2.00 in order to calculate the maximum amount of support that the community could afford. For example, the most  a community of 1000 people would be able to afford would be  $2,000.00 a year for onging library costs. Therefore, if the request was approved, that community would be eligible to receive up to $20,000.00 of grant money. The larger the grant, the larger the tax burden.

In 1900 North Yakima had a population of 3,154. The city could have requested up to $63,000. Instead, they asked for $25,000. They received a $10,000 grant, which was later extended to $15,000. 

The city of Sunnyside was incorporated in 1902. City officials requested a $10,000 grant in 1909. They received a $5,000 grant. 

Step 3: Provide a Site & Building Plans

The third step of receiving a grant was agreeing to provide a building site and building designs for the library. The only stipulations Carnegie made about the site was that it should be ‘satisfactory’ to the community, publically owned, and large enough to allow for expansion if needed. Any difficulties regarding choosing a site needed to be worked out among the community members – Carnegie and Bertram refused to referee location disputes. 

In North Yakima four lots at the corner of Third and "A" Streets were purchased in 1905 for a total of $6,200. 

The North Yakima Public Library was designed by the architectural firm of Bebb and Mendel, (better known for their design of the University of Washington Campus.)