Blog

By John Byrne – The Albany Public Library Foundation presented a very successful Saturday Sculpting session at the Carnegie from 11:00 to 12:30, Saturday, August 16, 2025. About 55 (or more) participants, assisted by five Foundation volunteers, created a host of animate and inanimate objects in soft, colorful clay.  Tropical birds, cows, tigers, cars, snakes,…
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by John Byrne – Rainbows, portraits, stars, trees, and owls as well as free flowing bursts of color filled the Albany Public Library’s Carnegie Branch Saturday, August 9, when the Albany Public Library Foundation hosted the second of the four August Arts programs it is presenting at the Carnegie.  This session featured watercolor painting. Over…
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By John Byrne – The Carnegie Branch of the Albany Public Library lacked its library hush on Saturday, August 2 as dozens of kids and adults tried out guitars, violins, basses, cellos, dulcimers, small drums, electric keyboards and more. The event was a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo organized and presented by the Albany Public Library…
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Each Saturday in August you are invited to join us at the Carnegie Library Branch for some hands on fun. The Albany Public Library Foundation present four opportunities to experience the arts, through music, painting ,and sculpting. All ages are welcome to attend these events, and materials will be provided. AUGUST 2 (drop-in, 11:00 am to…
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The Carnegie’s wind-up Regulator wall clock is back at its post after a stint at the clock doctor’s shop in Salem. Shakespeare is glad to have his companion once again.

The Albany Public Library has long maintained a group of books called the Oregon Collection. These books, all dealing with some aspect of our home state, are entered in the library catalog, but they cannot be checked out: they must be examined in the library. Several years ago, the collection was moved to the Carnegie…
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It’s often the little things that count. Your APL Foundation noted that the Carnegie’s front steps were looking a bit careworn. So we had Fitzpatrick Painting come and power wash the steps and repaint them. Nothing fancy, but they do look snappier. Yes, they did become a little bit slippery, in this wet weather, but…
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By Barbara Krochta In February 1898, a group of eight Albany women established a study club for the purpose of pursuing a “light course of study,” as well as pleasant social interaction with friends. The membership of the new Modern Travelers Club soon consisted of 30 women, who met in the homes of members. Each…
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The primary purpose of the Albany Public Library Foundation is to insure the viability of the Carnegie branch, the historic home of today’s active library system. APLF also contributes to other library efforts, for the Carnegie can only continue its contribution when the system as a whole is thriving. When you know that APLF has…
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Viva Las Vegas! Not that flimflam in Nevada, but the charming railroad town in New Mexico. A small city about the size of Astoria, Las Vegas, like Albany (and Astoria!), contains a treasure trove of historical architecture, both residential and commercial. Among the gems are the railroad-built Castañeda Hotel (1898), the Queen Anne-style Louis Fort…
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