All Ages

New library hours begin the week of April 17

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Over the past six months, the library staff conducted an hourly usage study to determine when the building had the most and least number of visitors. We have been tracking this information since September 2021, when the library reopened to pre-Covid full operating hours.

Based on the information gathered, a proposal was submitted to the Library Board and Township Council to decrease one hour of weekday evening hours and eliminate Sunday hours year-round. This recommendation was made carefully, based on actual data gathered.

Our study revealed that only 2.5% of our weekday patrons used the library during the hours of 8 to 9 p.m. From September 2021 through February 2022, these evening hours were consistently the least used timeframe. We have also experienced decreased library visitors on Sundays compared to other days of the week.

The Library Board unanimously voted on Tuesday, March 8, to recommend to Council that these changes begin the week of April 17, 2022. The proposal was presented to Council on Monday, March 14.  Council authorized the proposed changes to the hours of operation with a unanimous vote.

Beginning the week of April 17, 2022,  new library hours will be:
Monday through Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed on Sunday.

Under these new hours, the Peters Township Public Library staff will still be available to serve you for 58 hours per week. We feel this is the best way to continue serving our community’s needs in a fiscally responsible manner. We look forward to seeing you soon as we continue to expand our in-person programming in the coming months. Thank you for your continued support.

Best,
Lacey Love
Peters Township Public Library Director

New On-Demand Streaming Service – hoopla!

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The popular on-demand streaming service hoopla digital is now available for free for Peters Township Public Library cardholders. Members can access over 1,000,000 titles in various formats – audiobooks, eBooks, comics, music, movies, and TV. PT Library cardholders can stream content from any computer or mobile device by downloading the hoopla digital app for IOS and Android.

With hoopla, Peters Township Public Library now offers a vast digital collection to borrow immediately from anywhere. Hoopla is available on your desktop, phone, tablet, Alexa devices, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV. You may borrow 8 Instant Borrows each month. Books are available for 21 days, videos are available for 72 hours, and music titles for 7 days after you borrow. Titles are automatically returned and removed from your device at the end of the lending period.

“Our patrons have given us great feedback over the past year about how our library services can help meet their needs,” said Illyanna Logan, Assistant Library Director. “One thing that we heard over and over again was that the Peters Township Public Library community wanted more digital content available with their library card. When we saw that, we immediately thought of hoopla. It gives us a great way to instantly increase our digital offerings with a vast library of content in diverse formats that’s always available. We think this resource will be a great addition to our digital collections and hope our patrons enjoy exploring all that hoopla has to offer!”

The hoopla digital collection includes popular entertainment and educational content, such as hit TV series, newly released music, bestselling audiobooks and eBooks, and much more. All items in the collection are always available, so no holds are necessary. This new service is not replacing OverDrive or Libby for downloading eBooks and audiobooks. The library is providing more digital content at the request of its members.

To get started, visit hoopladigital.com on your desktop or visit the App Store or Google Play to download the mobile app. In late March and April, the library has scheduled Intro to Hoopla classes via Zoom. Visit ptlib.org/classes to register to join the Zoom session.

Additional resources:
How to hoopla on IOS, Android, or Kindle
5 easy steps to get started with hoopla

What is Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is a multi-format, digital media experience designed especially for kids (up to age 12). All of the content – movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eBooks, and comics – has been curated and brought together in this one family-friendly place. Kids Mode is a feature that should be used with parental guidance. There are different age ranges using this feature and the titles available range from G-General Audiences to PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. Parents or guardians are expected to decide whether a specific title is appropriate for their child.

How do I activate Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is very simple to activate. Once you are logged into your account, just go into your settings in the upper right. Then click/tap on the Kids Mode toggle switch, and you’re all set. Click here for a guide on how to activate Kids Mode. We also offer a Kids Mode option on the home page in the top right corner! Logging out and back into your account switches Kids Mode off by default.

 

Novel November a Huge Success!

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This year’s fourth Novel November event featuring New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid was a huge success – and a sellout! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us last week for the program, both in person and digitally. Novel November would not be possible without the hard work of The Peters Township Library Foundation, Novel November committee members, volunteers, and library staff. Thank you also to our sponsors and others who helped make the event a success:

Peters Township High School
Opeka Auto Repair
Botkin Family Wealth Management
Bombash & Earley
Victoria’s Fudge-a-licious
V&V Scratch Kitchen
Riverstone Books
DJ EESH
Room 100
Animal Media Group
Sherwood Nursery &
Greenhouse
Melone Creative, LLC
Ally Oleynik & Doug Helmick
Waterdam Plaza
Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes
Geno Levi Salon
PNC Bank
cfsbank
Prana Heart
Transformation Media
Fresh From The Farm Juices
DeLoJe Pulsus Digital
Peters Township Fire Dept.
Little Lake Theatre
Mt Lebanon Public Library
Washington Symphony Orchestra
We will soon begin the process of selecting next year’s author. If you have a suggestion, please email theptlibraryfoundation@gmail.com. We love to hear your ideas!

The Peters Township Library Foundation

Update for June 1, 2021 Library Operations

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From Peters Township Public Library Director Lacey Love:

As you are aware, Governor Wolf, in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, announced that mitigation orders except masking will be lifted on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31. In line with these new orders, I wanted to give you an update on our library operations. We will be providing more information about in-person, outdoor programming soon, but here are the changes effective June 1, 2021:

*Masks are still mandatory for all unvaccinated persons in all public spaces.

*Library hours will remain the same: Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and closed Sunday.

*Six computers will be available for public use on the 2nd floor, up from four computers.

*Three study rooms on the 2nd floor for individual use only, one person per room.

*Two chairs per table on the 2nd floor and the booths in the non-fiction area will be fully open.

*No fines for overdue library materials and the first 10 prints from our computers are free.

*Tables and chairs will be available in the Youth Services Department, including the Teen Room.

*Café Lee, Conference Room, Multi-Purpose Room, and Reading Room are still unavailable.

*Teen gaming booths, video games, toys, AWE computers, and children’s computers are not available.

*HVAC renovations are still underway in the building. Please be aware that this may cause a temporary disruption in services, as well as issues with the building temperature.

If you have any questions about these changes, please email me. We hope to see you soon in our library building!

Auto renewals for eligible items

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The WAGGIN Network would like to save you time and to help you avoid overdue fines. Beginning Monday, May 3, 2021, we will automatically renew your eligible items two days before the due date. Our policy is two renewals for books and one renewal for DVDs if no one has placed the item on hold.

The items will not renew automatically in the following cases:

  • You have reached the maximum renewal limit.
  • Another cardholder has placed the item on hold.
  • Your library account has accrued fines or fees.
  • Your library card registration has expired. (Accounts expire after three years.)
  • It is an Interlibrary loan from a library outside our consortium.
  • Items that do not renew: Digital items, hotspots, kits, special loan items; museum passes; or other specialty loans classified as not renewable.

How can you confirm the WAGGIN network renewed your items?

  • You will receive a text or email notification of the renewal.
  • You can check your account online.
  • You can email ptlib@ptlibrary.org to confirm.

You can still renew items early yourself. And you can always return items before they are due, so we can share them with others.

If you do not receive email or text notifications but would like to, send an email containing your library barcode number to ptlib@ptlibrary.org.

If you have any questions, please email us at ptlib@ptlibrary.org or call 724.941.9430 #1.

Spring Into Reading with Beanstack

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An exciting change is coming to our library! Our reading challenges will be hosted through Beanstack by ZooBean. Beanstack is an online program and app designed for public libraries to host reading challenges year-round. Through Beanstack, our library will offer reading challenges that will allow you to track your reading and complete activities to earn badges and rewards. Beanstack does have an app component, and you can create an account through their website or on the app. Like ReaderZone, Beanstack allows you to make multiple readers under one account, making it easier for families to keep their reading in one place.

Register at ptlibrary.beanstack.org or via the beanstack App or use the Paper Tracker and return to the library.

Starting immediately, our Birth-Preschoolers will be able to join the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge. Already participating with our paper and pencil forms? You can continue to log your reading this way or switch to this online format.

Readers from Kindergarten to Adult will be able to participate in our Spring Into Reading Challenge. Readers can log up to 10 hours of reading and explore 10 different kinds of books to complete the challenge. Book categories include ideas and options to help you broaden and expand your reading. Participants who log 3 hours and complete the 10 different categories will be entered for a chance to win prizes from the library. The Spring Into Reading Challenge will end on June 4. Paper Trackers will also be available for pickup at the library.

Teachers can also participate with their classrooms – group and class signups are available online or through the app.

Beanstack will also host our Summer Reading Challenge which will kick off in June. Pre-registration will be available soon in Beanstack so make an account and get ready for a wild summer in our Tales & Tails Summer Reading Challenge from birth to adult! Email Sydney Krawiec if you have any questions.