Looking Back on the Beginnings of the Monroeville Library as it Celebrates 60 Years !
BY NANCY PHILPOT
The Monroeville area — long known as the farming community of Patton Township — changed little from 1800 to 1920 . However , new roads into the area such as the William Penn Highway ( 1926 ), Route 22 ( 1940 ), and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( 1950 ) attracted commerce and industry , bringing more jobs and of course , more people . By 1951 , Patton Township officially became the Borough of Monroeville , home to nearly 8,000 people — triple its population of 1920 . By 1960 , Monroeville ’ s population almost tripled again to 22,000 residents .
Clearly absent from the local landscape : a public library . Carnegie Library ’ s bookmobile stopped by each week , but it couldn ’ t adequately meet the needs of the local population . That ’ s when Maude Malick and Gladys Bernstein organized the Monroeville Citizens Committee for Library Service . With support and advice from the Carnegie Library , the group met with borough council to find a solution . Their work resulted in an ordinance that established a Library Board and provided ongoing financial support from local tax funds , provided that Monroeville ’ s citizens procured the necessary land for the facility and raised the money to build it .
An official library board formed immediately with Ms . Malick as president supported by Dr . Richard Oriani . From 1961 through 1963 , these two would spearhead the planning , development , and fundraising for Monroeville ’ s first public library . The board identified a 3.5-acre tract of land opposite the high school as the ideal location for its planned facility , hired the architectural firm of Avner and Slutsky , and set about the business of raising $ 109,000 to fund the project .
In early 1963 , the federal government opened a matching gifts initiative under the Accelerated Public Works Act . Through the program , a library could acquire a matching dollar for every dollar it had in hand . Unfortunately , the board only had $ 21,000 cash , with the remaining pledged but not yet received . To secure the federal funds , Monroeville placed a referendum on the May 21 , 1963 , primary election ballot that would enable the borough to increase its debt to guarantee payment of the federal “ match .” Citizens issued a resounding “ YES ” vote and the facility broke ground the next month .
Shortly thereafter , Ms . Patricia Hays accepted the head librarian position and began the massive job of establishing a library from scratch . Construction continued through the winter of 1964 , while book drives took place to help fill the library shelves , collecting more than 4,000 books . A hundred volunteers helped staff members and invested thousands of hours checking invoices , unpacking boxes , cleaning , preparing and shelving books , creating the card catalog , typing orders , and checking lists .
On November 3 , 1964 , Monroeville Public Library opened its doors to the community . The two-story facility included a young people ’ s collection , reference section , magazine area and adult reading areas on the upper level and a children ’ s room on the lower level . The entire facility was air conditioned and its collection numbered 7,416 books , serving a community of 22,446 residents .
Today ’ s library serves almost 30,000 residents and circulates more than 400,000 items annually . Happy Birthday , Monroeville Library !
For more information about the Monroeville Historical Society , visit monroevillehistorical . org , email info @ monroevillehistorical . org or call 412.856.1000 .
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