List of Carnegie libraries in Kentucky explained

The following list of Carnegie libraries in Kentucky provides detailed information on United States Carnegie libraries in Kentucky, where 23 public libraries were built from 15 grants (totaling $795,300) awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1899 to 1914. In addition, academic libraries were built at 4 institutions (totaling $101,500). As of 2013, 24 of these buildings are still standing, and 7 still operate as libraries.

Key

Public libraries

	Library	City or town	Image	Date granted^[1]	Grant amount^[2]	Location	Notes
align=center	1		Corbin	Corbin			$6,000	402 Roy Kidd Ave. 36.9497°N -84.0939°W
align=center	2		Covington	Covington			$85,000	1028 Scott Blvd. 39.08°N -84.5072°W	Now the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center containing five art galleries and a theater^[3]
align=center	3		Henderson	Henderson			$25,000	101 S. Main St.
align=center	4		Hickman	Hickman			$10,000	312 Main St. 36.5717°N -89.1853°W
align=center	5		Hopkinsville	Hopkinsville			$15,000	708 Liberty St.	Vacant since the library moved in 1977. Undergoing restoration, to reopen as the Hopkinsville Carnegie Library of Kentucky Architecture
align=center	6		Lawrenceburg	Lawrenceburg			$5,800	108 E. Woodford St.
align=center	7		Lexington	Lexington			$60,000	251 W. 2nd St.
align=center	8		Louisville Main	Louisville			$450,000	301 W. York St. 38.2444°N -85.7578°W	Main branch of Louisville Free Public Library
align=center	9		Louisville Crescent Hill	Louisville			—	2762 Frankfort Ave. 38.2544°N -85.6914°W
align=center	10		Louisville Eastern	Louisville			—	600 Lampton St.
align=center	11		Louisville Highland	Louisville			—	1000 Cherokee Rd.
align=center	12		Louisville Jefferson	Louisville			—	1718 W. Jefferson St. 38.2561°N -85.7797°W
align=center	13		Louisville Parkland	Louisville			—	2743 Virginia Ave.
align=center	14		Louisville Portland	Louisville			—	3305 Northwestern Parkway
align=center	15		Louisville Shelby Park	Louisville			—	600 E. Oak St. 38.2336°N -85.7456°W
align=center	16		Louisville Western	Louisville			—	604 S. 10th St. 38.2497°N -85.7675°W
align=center	17		Middlesboro	Middlesboro			$15,000	207 N. 20th St. 36.6092°N -86.7147°W
align=center	18		Newport	Newport			$26,500	401 Monmouth St.	A new library structure for Newport opened in 2004.^[4] Today the former Carnegie library hosts the Carnegie Hall event center.^[5]
align=center	19		Owensboro	Owensboro			$30,000	901 Frederica Ave. 37.7672°N -87.1125°W
align=center	20		Paducah	Paducah			$35,000		Burned December 30, 1964.
align=center	21		Paris	Paris			$12,000	701 High St.
align=center	22		Shelbyville	Shelbyville			$10,000	309 8th St. 38.2125°N -85.2214°W
align=center	23		Somerset	Somerset			$10,000	300 College St. 37.0958°N -84.6017°W

Academic libraries

	Institution	Locality	Image	Year granted^[6]	Grant amount	Location	Notes
align=center	1		Berea College	Berea			align=right	$30,000		Now called the Frost Building, houses classrooms
align=center	2		Centre College	Danville			align=right	$30,000		Open 1913–1967
align=center	3		Kentucky Wesleyan College	Winchester			align=right	$15,000	15 Wheeler Ave.	County Parks and Recreation
align=center	4		University of Kentucky	Lexington			align=right	$26,500

Further reading

• Book: Anderson, Florence. Carnegie Corporation Library Program 1911–1961. Carnegie Corporation. New York. 1963. 1282382. Anderson.
• Book: Bobinski, George S.. Carnegie Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development. American Library Association. Chicago. 1969. 0-8389-0022-4. Bobinski.
• Book: Jones, Theodore. Carnegie Libraries Across America. John Wiley & Sons. New York. 1997. 0-471-14422-3. Jones.
• Book: Miller, Durand R.. Carnegie Grants for Library Buildings, 1890–1917. Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York. 1943. 2603611. Miller. Note: The above references, while all authoritative, are not entirely mutually consistent. Some details of this list may have been drawn from one of the references (usually Jones) without support from the others. Reader discretion is advised.

Notes and References

1. At various times, Bobinski and Jones disagree on these numbers. In these cases, Jones' numbers have been used due to both a more recent publication date and a more detailed gazetteer of branch libraries, which are often where the discrepancies occur.
2. Grants for multiple libraries (Louisville) are listed only by their total amount, not broken down for each branch.
3. Web site: Arts Organizations . Cincinnati Magazine . Cincinnati USA City Guide . 2007 . 2013-05-06 . Smith, Steve. 14. etal.
4. Web site: Library History.
5. Web site: Homepage . Carnegie Hall . 13 June 2019.
6. [#Miller|Miller]