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Library To Get Burns Bust

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By ESTHER HAMMER

ehammer@tampatrib.com

Published: January 21, 2009

TAMPA - The St. Andrew's Society of Tampa Bay today will unveil a bronze bust of one of Scotland's favorite sons, poet Robert Burns, at the downtown John F. Germany Library, where it will remain on display.

The society yearly celebrates Burns' birth. This year marks his 250th birthday, an occasion that sparked the move for a special commemoration.

Why a bust? Why Burns? And why the library?

The Scotland-born, American-raised 19th century industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, funded and established more than 3000 libraries in the United Kingdom and in 47 states in the United States. A devotee of Robert Burns, Carnegie instructed that a bust of the writer was to be placed in each library.

He funded two libraries in Tampa: the Old Tampa Carnegie Free library, established in 1910 at 107 East Seventh Ave. and the West Tampa Branch of the Hillsborough Public Library System, established in 1913 at 1718 N. Howard Ave.

People can meet sculptor Linda Ackley-Eaker and hear Scottish bagpipe music at the unveiling at 5:30 p.m. today at the downtown library, 900 N. Ashley St.

Correspondent Esther Hammer can be reached at (813)259-7662.

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