Tiffin-Seneca library awarded $10K

TIFFIN — Tiffin-Seneca Public Library will be welcoming the new year with a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York. According to a press release, the award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, an initiative to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honor the Carnegie Libraries still serving communities in the United States. Kayleigh Tschanen, community relations manager of Tiffin-Seneca Public Library, explained that between 1886 and 1917, Andrew Carnegie, then one of the wealthiest men in the world, funded construction of 1,681 free public libraries across the country. Tiffin was one location blessed with that funding. In 1911, she said, Tiffin's library was housed in an old residence at the corner of Jefferson and East Market Streets, and Judge Jacob Bunn, chairman of the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library's Book Committee, wrote a letter to Carnegie explaining the need for a new dedicated space. A provision of $25,000 was awarded to Tiffin's library in 1912, allowing for the construction of a new facility at 108 Jefferson St., where it remained until 1976. The library then relocated to its current location at 77 Jefferson St. Tiffin is one of 1,280 "Carnegie Libraries" still in operation in the country, Tschanen said, a designation that led to the pending grant from Carnegie Corporation. "The grant stipulates that the funds be used to celebrate America 250 however we wish," Tschanen said, "in a way that will further our mission and benefit our community." "We are still in the early stages of figuring out wha that looks like," she said. Library director Matthew Ross expressed his gratitude for the grant money. "What a fantastic way to remind everyone of Carnegie's conviction that libraries have the power to change lives," he said. "Our mission boils down to providing access to library materials, technology, community spaces, and unique experiences. This gift opens up so many possibilities to make those things happen," Ross said.