IN Peters Township October/November 2017 | Page 55

M
any have called the Peters Township Public Library a jewel in
the crown of the community—an incredible facility with two
brightly lit levels located in the Township complex on East
McMurray Road. This year, our PA Forward Gold Star award-winning
Peters Township Public Library proudly celebrates its 60th year of
opening books, doors and minds.
The library was founded in 1957 by the Women’s Club of Peters
Township, and was originally located in a section of the Peters Township
High School. In 1961, when the High School Library required all its
space, the Board of Education of Peters Township offered a room in the
school administration building to house the library. From 1965 to 1976
the Library was then relocated to the second floor of the Peters Township
Municipal Building. On Oct. 18, 1966, sponsorship was officially
transferred from the Women’s Club to the Township.
The library moved in 1976 from the Municipal Building to a 7,000 sq.
ft. renovated Township maintenance building, and in 1985 constructed a
new 3,790 sq. ft. addition to increase the total size of the library to 11,000
sq. ft. A fully automated catalog and circulation system were introduced
in 1993. Due to tremendous growth in the Township, planning for a
new library that would meet a greater demand for library materials and
services began in 1997. The Peters Township School Board donated
district property for a brand new $2.6 million library.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 4, 1998 for a 23,000 sq.
ft. two-story facility. The new library opened its doors to the public on
Feb. 16, 1999. In 2000, the library received national recognition from the
Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR), which ranked the
library fourth in the nation among public libraries serving populations of
10,000 to 24,999.
In 2008, construction was completed on a 4800 sq. ft. expansion,
which added a Teen Room, Family Activity Center, Local History Room,
Conference Room and expanded shelving capacity on both levels of the
library. The Dedication of the new addition was held on April 13, 2008.
The $1 million project brought the building’s total to 27,800 square feet.
Former Township Manager Michael Silvestri oversaw four of the major
construction changes to the library over the years. “The Peters Township
library due to its innovative history has been the cultural, educational and
social hub of the community,” says Silvestri. “Unparalleled to any town
in the region, the Peters Township Library has had strong community
support both in usage as well as financial backing.”
Today, the PTPL is open seven days a week from September through
May, and six days a week from the end of May to the beginning of
September—closed on Sundays during the summer months. The library
contains over 127,000 items and also lends DVDs, music CDs, books on
CD, eReaders, Playaways, and even video games for Wii, Xbox, PS and
DS. Services also include access to computers, AWE early literacy learning
stations, a copier, free wi-fi, self-checkout kiosks, homebound delivery
and meeting rooms.
There are more than 8,000 subscribers to the library's weekly
e-newsletter and the library’s newly designed mobile friendly website—
ptlibrary.org—offers an indoor Google Tour, local history photos,
interactive event calendar and a multitude of resources at your fingertips
24/7. More than 300 people use the PTPL study rooms monthly and
over 1000 items from Overdrive and Freegal Music are downloaded each
month—all free!
“The Peters Township Public Library and its staff are truly in