My new favorite research strategy
I hope you will find this as useful as I have. Structured Procrastination is a revolutionary method which will transform me into an effective human being.
I hope you will find this as useful as I have. Structured Procrastination is a revolutionary method which will transform me into an effective human being.
I intend to do a project this quarter centered on Carnegie (and possibly other historic) libraries in Washington State. According to Wikipedia, in 1920 there were 44 Carnegie libraries in Washington. Most of the Carnegie buildings I know about have either reached the end of their usefulness as library buildings or are already obsolete. Apart from being a fan of historic buildings, I wonder what motivated Carnegie to endow so many libraries? Why do they look the way that they do; who designed them? What impact did they have on the communities they were built in? What role do Carnegie libraries play in community life in Washington? Did they have the impact they were intended to?
This will also allow me to examine the relationship between philanthropists and public libraries today. In what ways has funding for public libraries changed since Carnegie's era? Is this reflected in the services public libraries provide? How has the library's role in the community changed and how is it the same?
I would like to locate and travel to all remaining Carnegie buildings in the state and research the history of as many as possible. I have a sweet idea for a website with a clickable map of Washington with photos of each library and a little blurb about the history of each one. Whee!