Democratizing Knowledge: Carnegie Libraries for the 21st Century

This Capstone project with the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) will reimagine the role of libraries in the 21st century and identify where targeted philanthropic investment can have the greatest national impact. Building on Andrew Carnegie’s enduring vision of libraries as “ladders upon which anyone and everyone could rise,” the project seeks to modernize that legacy amid today’s challenges of digital inequality, political polarization, and declining trust in institutions.

The team will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. public library landscape—mapping the scope of services provided, assessing disparities in access and funding, and identifying critical gaps that hinder libraries’ capacity to serve as engines of education, civic engagement, and community resilience. Particular attention will be given to the interplay between federal, state, local, and philanthropic funding streams, and how strategic, sustained investment from CCNY—can catalyze systemic improvements. Through data-driven research, stakeholder interviews, and collaboration with partners such as the American Library Association, Urban Libraries Council, and the New York Public Library, the project will produce an evidence-based framework and actionable recommendations for CCNY’s future grantmaking. The final report will highlight opportunities for libraries to advance CCNY’s broader goals in education, democracy, and peace—ensuring that these trusted civic institutions continue to evolve as inclusive, knowledge-driven spaces for community empowerment in an era of rapid social and technological change.