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The Carnegie Library, built as a result of donations from the American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, was inaugurated in 1928 by the President of the Republic, Gaston Doumergue. Its semi-cylindrical shape, unusual in France, and its art deco ornamentation are worth noting. The reception hall contains small mosaic panels by A. Sauvage, representing intellectual, physical or manual activity. A hanging lantern by Jacques Simon is suspended in the centre of the dome of the hall, beneath which is a fountain which is now without water. The reading room contains a zenith stained glass window by Jacques Gruber representing a book, and to the side stained glass windows of a more simple construction by Jacques Simon. The exhibition room has a parquet floor. As a tiny "jewel" originally intended for the intellectual elite of a non-university town, the Carnegie library has since had to adapt and undergo substantial transformations.
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