250 to 250: 58. Carnegie Libraries, Narrated by Mayor Corey O’Connor

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Carnegie Libraries, Narrated by Mayor Corey O’Connor

Corey O’Connor is the 62nd mayor of Pittsburgh with a highly-regarded political lineage. Mayor O’Connor and his wife, Katie, serve as official ambassadors for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s summer reading program. Mayor O’Connor tells us how “robber baron” Andrew Carnegie gave much of his fortune to building almost 2,000 libraries across the United States.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland.

• He came to the United States as a young boy.
• He left school and started working.
• He worked in a factory and as a telegraph boy.
• Later, he became very rich in the steel business.
• Carnegie gave money to build free public libraries.
• He helped build more than 1,600 libraries in the United States.
• He believed rich people should help others.
• He wanted more people to read and learn.
• Today, many people remember Andrew Carnegie for his libraries and his gifts to education.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 7:01. List where and when you have worked or attended school full- time or part- time during the last 5 years.
• USCIS 100:11. / 128:12.  What is the economic system in the United States?*
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation

Family Fun:

• ALA: Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence
• Andrew Carnegie Foundation: Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Series | video playlist | Democracy playlist
• Carmel Clay Public Library: Carnegie Funded-Library coloring page
• NPS: Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright (Teaching with Historic Places)
• PBS: American Experience: Andrew Carnegie
• Wikipedia: List of Carnegie libraries in the United States