A Carnegie library is a library that was built with the help of money from Andrew Carnegie. Over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built across the world. Between 1883 and 1919, Carnegie would give money to cities and towns to build a library. The cities or towns would have to give a place to build the library, and promise to give 10% of the cost of the library's construction each year for the library's costs. Many Carnegie library buildings still stand. Some are used for other purposes now. Most are made of brick. They often have a staircase leading up to the front door.