The Shaler North Hills Library is the

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

serving

Shaler Township, Pennsylvania Shaler Township is a township in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It consists of much of the community of Glenshaw and several neighboring communities. The population was 28,757 at the 2010 census. History Traders began settl ...

, the Shaler Area School District and environs. The library can be found in Glenshaw,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, the central municipality of Shaler Township, located north northeast of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. A community and cultural resource since 1942, the Shaler North Hills Library offers a variety of materials and services. Shaler North Hills Library holds over 120,000 titles at its single branch location, including fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs, music CDs, audio books, and magazines, along with online resources. The Library also has access to the materials of all other participating Allegheny County Library Association libraries.

Special services

* The library offers free parking and is located on a bus route serviced by the

Port Authority of Allegheny County Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County) is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 20th-largest in the United States. The state-funded agency is based in Pittsburgh and is overseen ...

. * A book drop is located in the back of the building and is accessible 24-hours a day. * The library offers free use of all PC computers, which include word processing and other software for public use; free Wi-Fi and Internet access; and access to extensive online databases. * Patrons gain access to most public library collections in Allegheny County. * Children's, young adult, and adult educational and recreational programming is offered year-round. * The library has numerous meeting and study rooms.

History

Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, and its neighboring communities have been served by a local library since the establishment of the Glenshaw Public Library in 1895. As the community grew, plans were made to build a new dedicated library facility owned by the Township. Groundbreaking for the new Shaler Library occurred on December 7, 1941—coincidentally, the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Awards and recognition

* In 2010, the Pennsylvania Library Association awarded Shaler North Hills Library the David J. Roberts EXCEL Library Service Award in recognition of its Discovery Kids program. * Shaler North Hills Library received the

National Medal for Museum and Library Service The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as "t ...

in 2012. Citing over 50,000 patrons attending library programming annually, the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mis ...

(IMLS), which presents the National Medal, recognized the library's commitment to community outreach and service. According to Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director, “Shaler North Hills Library has a proactive approach to providing community service. Members of the library staff are just as likely to be out in the community working as they are to be within the library building. When they see a need … they try to find a solution.” The award ceremony was attended by Library Director Sharon McRae and U.S. Representative Jason Altmire (D-PA). * The Pennsylvania Forward Star Libraries Program currently recognizes Shaler North Hills Library as a Bronze Star Library (effective 2018 through 2021).

Partnerships and Funding

Primary funding for the library is provided by Shaler Township. Partial funding and other forms of in-kind support and collaboration are provided by the following partner agencies. *

Allegheny Regional Asset District The Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) is a special purpose unit of local government in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its physical boundaries are the same as those of Allegheny County, and include the City of Pittsburgh. History The dist ...

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

/Commonwealth Libraries * The Friends of the Shaler North Hills Library * The Shaler Garden Club * The Kiwanis Club of Glenshaw * Shaler Area School District (SASD) and area schools * Shaler Area Rotary * Western Pennsylvania Humane Society * Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) * The eiNetwork * The

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city. Like hundreds of other Carneg ...

* The Pittsburgh Foundation * The

Carnegie Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896. Housing some 22 million ...

* The Kearns Spirituality Center * The

Pennsylvania Library Association The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) is the professional association for librarians in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It represents about 2,000 members affiliated with public, academic, special, and school libraries throughout the ...

References

External links

*http://shalerlibrary.org/ Shaler North Hills Library *https://aclalibraries.org/who-we-are/ Allegheny County Library Association *https://www.imls.gov/our-work/national-medal-museum-and-library-service/ Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Medal for Museum and Library Service {{authority control Libraries in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Public libraries in Pennsylvania Library buildings completed in 1942 1942 establishments in Pennsylvania