History of the Library

General Background

The Brockville Public Library (BPL) was formally established in July 1895, an out-growth of the collections and services developed by the Brockville Mechanic's Institute, founded in 1842 with the purpose "to collect books of interest to clerks, apprentices and craftsmen; to sponsor lectures on a variety of subjects; and to conduct experiments in natural philosophy (essentially, physics and chemistry)", wrote Canadian Historian Ian MacPherson. A library building grant from Andrew Carnegie in 1902 (one of 111 such grants in Ontario) resulted in the opening of the Carnegie Library (later the Brockville Public Library) in 1904.

• Andrew Carnegie
• Expansion Project Summary
• Expansion Committee
• Before & After the Summary
• The Computer Age