雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to look at the history of public libraries. As you might know, the first public libraries in the UK were established in the mid-nineteenth century, after the Public Libraries Act of 1850. However, it wasn't until the 1870s that they became truly widespread. One key figure was Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy industrialist who donated millions to build over 2,500 libraries worldwide. Interestingly, Carnegie's donations often came with conditions: local communities had to provide the land and commit to maintaining the library with public funds. This model greatly influenced library development in both the UK and the US.