Online Event
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FREE
FREE
Date:
Feb 12, 2026
Time:
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
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Upcoming Events
- Exploring Carnegie Libraries in Five Plans and Three Maps
Feb 12, 2026 - Preservation in Print | California Eden: Heritage Landscapes of the Golden State
Jan 22, 2026
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Featured Image Courtesy Abigail Van Slyck. Carnegie Library, Upland, California, W.H. Glidden, 1911-13.
Register for this Event Exploring Carnegie Libraries in Five Plans and Three Maps
Thursday, February 12th | 12pm - 1pm
Between 1881 and 1917, Andrew Carnegie’s library program produced more than 2,500 public libraries worldwide, many of which remain central landmarks in their communities today. While often described as familiar or even “ordinary” buildings, Carnegie libraries were quietly innovative—especially in how their plans, sites, and interior layouts shaped ideas about education, access, and public life.
In this lunchtime program, architectural historian Abigail Van Slyck shares some of her favorite insights into Carnegie library design through a curated set of visuals: just five building plans and three maps, as well as a selection of favorite photographs. Together, these images anchor a narrative about how libraries were sited within towns and cities; how spaces were organized to manage collections and people; how children became welcome library users for the first time; and how a remarkably consistent building type adapted to communities ranging from major cities to very small towns.
Drawing on years of research and firsthand visits, Abby highlights the ideas and decisions embedded in these buildings, surfacing details that are surprising, revealing, and sometimes even amusing—offering a fresh way to see one of America’s most recognizable civic building types.
About our Speaker:
Abby Van Slyck is an internationally recognized architectural historian whose research examines building typologies, gender, and the spaces of childhood. She is the author of Free to All: Carnegie Libraries and American Culture, 1890–1920, among other titles. A two-time Fulbright scholar, she has also served in leadership roles as President of both SAH and the Vernacular Architecture Forum. Van Slyck is Dayton Professor Emerita of Art History and Architectural Studies at Connecticut College, where she also served as Dean of the Faculty.