WHAT’S NEWS IN WEST ALLEGHENY
THE NEW LOVE FOR
LIBRARIES
Marilyn Jenkins, Executive Director,
Allegheny County Library Association
Now more than ever, residents are
discovering a new love for Allegheny
County’s community libraries and
their invaluable programs and services.
This new love was evident in another
successful “Love Your Library” campaign
during the month of September.
This annual collaboration between
Allegheny County Library Association
(ACLA) and Carnegie Library of
Pittsburgh (CLP) supports the mission
of learning and growing through our
community libraries. The campaign
was enhanced by the Jack Buncher
Foundation, which has provided prorated
matching funds of up to $150,000 each
year. These funds are used to secure
essential library services, improve
facilities and offer educational programs
for children and adults.
Offering free technology workshops,
small business centers and 24/7 virtual
access to eBooks and digital materials,
libraries are transforming communities.
No longer just places for books,
libraries are viewed as anchors, centers
for academic life and research, and
cherished spaces. Allegheny County has
a network of libraries with 73 locations,
providing books, resources and a range
of experiences and opportunities for all
members of our community.
Children and young parents can
access kindergarten readiness and
curriculum support classes, while
teens can learn to become creators and
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experimenters. Adults benefit from an
array of specialized programs, including
parenting and caregiver education,
workforce development, computer
training, job assistance and small business
development support services.
Across the network, Allegheny County
libraries have a single-card library system,
providing free access to materials through
a shared catalog and jointly offering
downloadable books, audios, and videos
as well as online databases, and they
support a diverse calendar of programs.
But it isn’t just the resources and
programs that patrons love about
libraries. Libraries also provide a unique
and safe place where one will find curious
people from all ages and walks of life,
which truly represents the diverse and
multi-ethnic population.
Allegheny County’s libraries have
continued to thrive and meet the needs
of our communities by providing services
that people demand in a world where
information, technology and forms of
delivery are changing rapidly.
The brick-and-mortar library buildings
and e-based resources will continue
to evolve and respond to the needs
of residents. Learners of all ages are
encouraged to take some time to visit
their local library and see all it has to offer.
ONE-OF-A-KIND CAR
DONATION PROGRAM
Community Auto, part of The
Lighthouse Foundation, is a nonprofit,
low income car ownership program.
It accepts donated cars, repairs and
inspects them if necessary, and sells
them to qualified working low-income
people at discounted prices, as compared
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to a regular used car dealership. The
organization says it’s the only one of its
kind in western Pennsylvania that puts
cars back into the hands of a family in the
Greater Pittsburgh area.
The used car sitting in the garage that
you didn’t sell because it was a hassle, or
the car that didn’t get the trade-in value
you wanted, or the one the kids used for
school and is no longer needed would be
the perfect car to donate. Your generous
donation is the fuel for the program and
is tax deductible.
Contact Community Auto
at communityautolico.org or at
724.538.5081 to find out how to donate
your car and give a family a hand toward
self-sufficiency.
OLSH SENIOR
MATTHEW TANCZOS
NAMED NATIONAL
MERIT SEMIFINALIST
Matthew Tanczos, Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart High School senior, was
named a Semifinalist in the National
Merit Scholarship Program. Tanczos is
one of approximately 16,000 students
from across the United States to reach
this level in the competition this year.
To advance to the Finalist level of the
competition, he will need to fulfill
several requirements. The National Merit
Corporation reports that it expects over
90 percent of Semifinalists to attain
Finalist standing, and about half of
those Finalists will win a National
Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit
Scholar title.
Tanczos is the president of OLSH’s
chapter of the National Honor Society,
is an OLSH Student Ambassador, and