The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (PYLMC) will receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the library said Friday in a news release.

"The gift honors the history of Carnegie Libraries and the role they played in communities nationwide for more than a century," said Amie Fifarek, director and CEO of PYLMC.

PLYMC, which opened its main library in downtown Youngstown in 1910, will receive the gift in January 2026. 

"Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as 'cradles of democracy' that 'strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,'" said Dame Louis Richardson, president of Carnegie and former head of the University of Oxford. "We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries founded."

The Carnegie Corporation was established by Andrew Carnegie, and the award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries nationwide between 1886 and 1917, with around 1,280 Carnegie Libraries still active across the country.