Since the legislation making federal funds available for the construction of new buildings and the remodeling of older buildings stands as a turning point in the development of the American public library, the present study has been designed to investigate the effect of the federal funds both in terms of the stated purpose and the intent of the enabling legislation. An examination of the present urgent need for construction of public library buildings in the United States along with the limited financial resources available for such programs has led to the development of the present study. This study attempts to measure and evaluate how the availability of federal funds has affected the extent to which the local funds appropriated for construction and the utility of the buildings constructed have been increased. The study is limited to an examination of a sample of new and expanded library buildings in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. Remodeling projects are not included within the scope of the study because of the difficulty of defining and identifying the universe of projects. (Author/SJ)