Ocean County Library’s Lakewood Branch Receives $10,000 Gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York

TOMS RIVER – The Lakewood Branch of the Ocean County Library received a surprise $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie.

The award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the roughly 1,280 Carnegie Libraries still serving communities across the United States.

Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the United States between 1886 and 1917.

Ocean County Library’s Lakewood Branch is considered a descendant of the original Lakewood Library built in 1917 with funding from Mr. Carnegie's foundation.

The Lakewood Branch looks forward to enhancing spaces and welcoming patrons into their collections, encouraging use of their materials, and spreading knowledge in the community.

The Ocean County Library would like to extend our gratitude toward the Carnegie Corporation of New York for their support of public libraries.

Library Director Susan Quinn says, “We are delighted to receive this gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York for the Ocean County Library’s Lakewood Branch which has been dedicated to serving the community for generations.”

The Lakewood Branch will use these funds toward their book collection and to support spaces for enjoying reading.

The funds will be used to begin a Hebrew children’s book collection for younger children, specifically board books and a Yiddish book collection for adults, new tables and chairs for the reference reading area, as well as updated signage and displays.

The $10,000 library gifts anchor a $20 million special initiative created to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by supporting America’s civic institutions and organizations that foster civic participation and bring people together.

These grants include exchange programs between people in urban and rural areas, cultural events that reach new audiences and activities that engage the next generation Americans.