He’s been named to the top 20 of "Atlantic Monthly’s" most influential figures in American history, and a new biography of the original self-made man, one of this nation’s greatest philanthropists, is on the shelves of the Springfield-Greene County Library District.

To librarians and avid readers, Andrew Carnegie is a hero—he’s the steel magnate who proclaimed “I am in the library manufacturing business.” He granted $41 million (several billion dollars in today’s currency) to build 1,689 public libraries in the continental U.S. and in Hawaii and, and gave an additional $15 million for 660 libraries in Great Britain and Ireland, 125 in Canada, 17 in New Zealand, a dozen in South America and smaller numbers in the West Indies, Australia, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Fiji.

According to biographer David Nasaw, by 1919, the national cityscape was marked by “sturdy, Carnegie libraries,” including Springfield’s own Midtown Carnegie Branch Library, the stately three-story building of Corinthian stone blocks at the northwest corner of Central Street and Jefferson Avenue.

Springfield’s library is more than 100 years old and it looks as good as ever, renovated and updated through the years, yet retaining its architectural majesty, leaded windows, oak carvings, beautiful staircases and brick fireplaces. Look past the telephone wires and computer cables and you can imagine ladies in long skirts, gentleman in bowlers, boys in knickers and girls in ruffled dresses tied with satin bows.

It was a proud day on September 25, 1903, when the cornerstone was laid for Springfield’s first public library. Carnegie donated $50,000 toward construction of the building. In return, he required that a suitable site be purchased and the community pledge at least $5,000 annually to maintain the library. The lot was bought for $3,250; two years later in 1905, $1,000 was spent on books, magazines and newspapers and the doors opened to the public.

Carnegie’s vision in creating libraries was to provide public spaces where Americans could pursue their dreams of education and find the tools they needed to get ahead in the world. At the time of the Industrial Revolution, he had in mind recent immigrants like himself and farmers who were arriving in the cities to find work in factories and stores.

A century later, the public library is still fulfilling that mission of lifelong learning. But in the 21st century, it is computer skills and high-speed Internet access that people need to compete in the workplace. And, thanks to Andrew Carnegie, the vision remains, as viable now as it was then.

Jeanne C. Duffey, community relations director for the Springfield-Greene County Library District, can be reached at jeanned@thelibrary.org.