(Photo by iStock/bgwalker) I grew up in a town with a Carnegie library. Constructed in 1904 thanks to a $27,000 grant from the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the building served as the community’s public library for seven decades. It’s where my mom went to borrow books. By the time I was a kid, it had been converted into a public arts center, hosting classes and performances and giving countless families a place for creativity and connection.