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In 1899, the Oakmont School board
passed a resolution to "provide a place and establish a free,
non-sectarian public library for the general use of residents of this
district."
In an effort to carry out this
resolution, the Board contacted Oakmont resident, L.M. Morris, who wrote
to his cousin seeking financial assistance. His cousin, Andrew Carnegie,
responded by welcoming L.M. Morris to the "sacred guild of library
builders." Mr. Carnegie offered $20,000 in aid as long as there was a
local commitment of $2,000 for maintenance.
The School Board proceeded to
elect six prominent Oakmont citizens to serve as the Board of Trustees for
the Library, L.M. Morris among them.
Andrew Carnegie then corresponded
to the Trustees saying "Gentlemen, having been assured that the library
would be maintained by the Public Authorities, I am delighted to give you
twenty-five thousand dollars."
The Trustees then purchased from
Mrs. Salinda Anderson a plot of ground at the corner of East Railroad
Avenue and "E" Street for the site of the library for $2,500. Architects,
Alden and Harlow, were instructed to draw up building plans for the
library. Due to the rise in the cost of labor and materials, the first set
of plans were found to be too expensive. The Trustees ordered a second and
final set of plans which outlined a building 32’ x 76’ in size.
In 1900, the School Board
received bids for the construction of the library building from five
contractors. The successful low bid of $17,956 was awarded to Oakmont
contractor William Braithwait.
In 1901, the Board of Trustees
authorized the purchase of 2,603 volumes and a number of periodicals at a
cost not to exceed $3,000. Oakmont resident Miss Cora B. Morris was
elected to serve as the first librarian and her salary was $50.00 a month.
Miss Morris served as librarian
for eleven years and during her employment, the library basement was
rented to First National Bank, utilized for meetings by Oakmont Borough
Council and was used for a short time as a fourth grade school room.
In 1912, Miss Blanche McIlvaine
of Oakmont was named librarian at $70.00 a month. During her term as
librarian, the Oakmont Visiting Nursing Mission and the Socialist Party
held meetings in the library basement. The library was closed for a brief
period by the Board of Health due to the prevalence of scarlet fever in
the Borough.
The School Board, which assumed
control of the library by dissolving the Board of Trustees, ordered the
library to open on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 pm to 7:30 pm. The
librarian was compensated $3.00 per Sunday and the janitor $1.00 for
Sunday.
When Miss McIlvaine died in
November 1922, Mrs. Anna D. Schoonover held the position of librarian
until June of 1923. The Library Committee of the School Board then secured
the services of Miss Laura C. Bailey of Wilkinsburg to be librarian at
$150.00 a month. It was at this time that the first typewriter was
purchased for use by the librarian.
In 1925, the janitor and several
library assistants reported to the Library Committee that they were
"severing their connections with the unpleasantness of the Librarian, Miss
Bailey." One assistant referred to Miss Bailey as "temperamental, cold,
unsympathetic and full of notions."
The School Board questioned some
of Miss Bailey’s actions, and recommendations were made to her regarding
work hours, the ordering of supplies and the use of the library. During
the winter months, Miss Bailey was residing with Oakmont resident, Mrs.
Emma Witherspoon. It was Mrs. Witherspoon who rose to the defense of Miss
Bailey, writing to the Library Committee that she "didn’t want to make
this a public scandal, but that I know dozens of the best taxpayers in
this town who would shout with one voice: ‘Don’t fire Miss Bailey’." The
Library Committee did not fire Miss Bailey, but within three months she
resigned her position.
December 1925, ushered in a new
era at the Library with employment of Miss Sara Moot of Oakmont as
Librarian with a yearly salary of $1,600.
In January 1926, the Oakmont
Carnegie Library began a new era of growth, vitality and community
involvement with the hiring of the first series of dedicated,
community-involved professional Librarians who were dedicated to making
the Oakmont Carnegie Library one finest libraries in Western Pennsylvania.
Library
History - Directors - Page 2
