How San Rafael Got Its Library

How San Rafael Got Its Library. . , A Library is Born , It is astonishing how quickly the foundation was laid for a library that would endure into the 21st century. On April 20, 1887, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union decided to establish a coffee and reading room in the town of San Rafael. One month later, the group staged a Flower Festival and Musicale to fund the enterprise. The Marin Journal of June 2, 1887, announced, “The Coffee Room and Free Library is now open.” Through fundraising, donations, and subscriptions, the “ladies of the W.C.T.U.” were able to move to a rented building on Fourth Street by early December. By that time, the Library Association had more than 60 members, each paying $1 a month., The Town Accepts Guardianship , The Library Association formally presented the library to the town Library Trustees on April 30, 1890. The assets included furniture, more than 1,000 books, and $33.50 in the treasury. As noted in the May 8 issue of the Marin Journal, “It is a matter of congratulation that through the efforts of a few public-spirited women the town is now in a position to maintain a free library. The members of the old Board of Town Trustees deserve special mention for carrying out the will of the people in levying a library tax.”, Friends In High Places , In December 1904, the City Trustees had resolved to provide operating funds and secure a site for a new library if Mr. Andrew Carnegie would donate the money to erect the building. Fortunately for San Rafael, local resident Judge William W. Morrow served as a Trustee of the Carnegie Institution and was a personal friend of Carnegie. Judge Morrow arranged to have lunch with his friend at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on the Saturday before the Trustees’ Monday meeting in Washington, D.C. As reported in The New York Call: , Judge Morrow took occasion to compliment [Carnegie] on his generosity in providing libraries for many cities and towns and remarked casually that San Rafael, Cal. Had not yet thus been honored. ,

“How big is San Rafael?: asked the Scotchman. , Judge Morrow informed him. , “Then I will give $12,500,” said Carnegie , “Remember that I live there,” suggested Judge Morrow. , “I shall not let that fact stand to prejudice of San Rafael,” said Carnegie, “and so I will make it $25,000 out of pure sympathy for San Rafael people.” , Clearly, Mr. Carnegie had a sense of humor.

, Civic Support, Tragic Delay, and Triumph , The Library Trustees undertook a vigorous campaign to raise the $6,500 needed to purchase the library site. They received support from 58 individuals and three corporations, with gifts ranging from $10 to $500 (about $200 to $10,000 in today’s dollars). The deed for the lot was filed on March 1, 1906. All construction projects were delayed as San Francisco was rebuilt. Finally, the dedication of the San Rafael Public Library in its elegant new Carnegie building took place on January 9, 1909. The building was designed by Reid Brothers, one of the best-known and most well-respected architectural firms in San Francisco.