Ocala Carnegie Library
The Ocala Carnegie Library opened in 1916 on Ocklawaha Avenue in Ocala, Florida. It was one of 10 Florida Carnegie libraries to receive grants awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1901 to 1917. Steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie provided funding for more than 3,000 Carnegie libraries in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Constructed in the Spanish Mission architectural style with a red-clay tile roof, Ocala's first public library was a short distance from what is today the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park. Although the Carnegie library was Ocala's first permanent, physical public library, the city's library collection began in 1886. Originally a subscription library, its members paid one dollar for a two-year membership. In 1890, The Women's Library Association assumed responsibility for a public library collection, temporarily housed in the Hotel Ocala. The Ocala Free Public Library officially began as a circulating collection in 1914 even though the Carnegie library did not open until 1916. Louise Gamsby was appointed librarian in 1916 and served in that capacity until her retirement in 1951; after retirement, Gamsby continued to serve as a library consultant for many years. The Carnegie Library was demolished in 1968 to make way for a larger, more modern library facility.
