Carnegie Library Scrapbook, 1936-1944

Reading Room, Carnegie Library, Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, late 1930s

We're really excited to get this scrapbook online because it speaks so directly to our own history here in the University Libraries. The Carnegie Library opened in 1905 in what is now the Forney Building. The building was partially destroyed by fire on September 15, 1932, and was enlarged during its reconstruction. The Library reopened in 1933 and vacated this building in 1950, when a new facility, now part of Jackson Library, opened across College Avenue. In 1955, Forney Building was extensively renovated for classroom use and in 1957 was named for Edward Jacob Forney, the school treasurer and chair of the Commercial Department from 1892 to 1940.

Greensboro was unusual in that it had within its current city limits  four different Carnegie Libraries associated with four different institutions: one each at Woman's College (now UNCG), Bennett College, and Guilford College, and one serving as the Greensboro Public Library. All but the Greensboro Public Library building are still standing and Guilford's building is still serving as part of the Hege Library.

The scrapbook contains clippings, photographs, and other material and is a great time capsule of a college library in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was digitized as part of a three-year project that will make over 300 scrapbooks available online.