The Best Gift

This book is a vivid reminder of the early days of library development in Ontario. The beautiful buildings which still grace Ontario towns and villages, as illustrated, are a part of our provincial heritage.

By the turn of the century, a public library was perceived as an important element in the civic fabric of almost every Ontario community. However, the introduction of the Carnegie grants for library buildings gave impetus to the Ontario government programme for library development, and provided a focus for increased suport of library services. Rivalry among neighbouring communities to secure a Carngie library heightened this awareness, as did the publicity -- in some instances even controversy -- which surrounded each step of the grant seeking, site selection and plan approval process.

As well, the hitherto unexplored story of Carnegie grant process in each community has been examined, and the role of one man, James Bertram, secretary to Andrew Carnegie, is...