News

We’re excited to announce that the Peters Township Public Library now has Tonieboxes and Tonie characters available for checkout in the Youth Services Department!

The Toniebox is an innovative audio player for kids designed to bring audio stories, music, and learning to life for kids of all ages. Easy to use and perfect for little hands, Tonies feature everything from Disney favorites and bedtime stories to mindfulness activities and interactive learning experiences. The Toniebox makes storytelling fun, engaging, and hands-on. Whether at home or on the go, kids can enjoy endless engaging entertainment while sparking their imagination! Unlike screens, the Toniebox is designed to help kids safely learn technology while building independence, focus, speech and reading skills.

What does the library have? The library now has five Tonieboxes and 40 Tonie characters for check out. Visit the catalog to see a complete listing.

Where are the Tonies located? In the PTPL Youth Services Department

I already have a Toniebox at home. The PTPL Tonie characters are compatible with your personal Toniebox as long as it is connected to Wifi.

I already have Tonie characters at home. Only PTPL Tonie characters are compatible with PTPL Tonieboxes. Characters outside of the PTPL collection will not play on a PTPL Toniebox, since our boxes are locked in the “offline” mode.

I already have a Tonie account. PTPL Tonie characters will not appear on your Tonie account as they are locked to the library’s account.

Do I need Wifi to use a Toniebox? If you are using a PTPL Toniebox and PTPL characters, you will not need Wifi since the characters are preloaded. PTPL characters can be used with a personal Toniebox as long as it is connected to Wifi.

How many can I check out? To ensure we have enough Tonies available to meet demand, we are limiting check outs to one Toniebox and three characters per family.

The Peters Township Public Library held its third annual Tween and Teen Writing Contest this spring, culminating with a reception honoring all participants on April 8.

This year’s theme challenged writers to explore the word “wonder.” From poetic and philosophical musings to beautiful descriptions of nature to compelling fantasy and sci-fi realms, the 19 teens and tweens entering the contest addressed the theme in a variety of creative ways. Judges–including library staff, authors, and Peters Township Library Foundation members–scored entries based on creativity, technique, and theme.

Over 70 participants, family members, and friends gathered at the April 8th reception for prizes, refreshments, and the announcement of winners. The top two winners in each category read an excerpt of their entries at the reception and received gift baskets. Thank you to The Peters Township Library Foundation for generously funding the reception!

Select the writer’s name below to read their entry*. 

Tween Poetry:
Grand-prize winner: Emily Mish
Runner-up: Annabelle Droney

Teen Poetry:
Grand-prize winner: Ashley Hafenbrack
Runner-up: Rex Bennett

Tween Fiction:
Grand-prize winner: Grace Robles
Runner-up: Elliana Wilson

Teen Fiction:
Grand-prize winner: Hannah Crnkovich
Runner-up: Claire Henry

Tween Participants:
Elizabeth Hovanec (poetry)
Ruth Hovanec (poetry)
Aymaan Khan (poetry)
Ishanvi Kuppili (fiction)
Prahan Kumar Munnaluri (poetry)
Elliot Scheib (fiction)

Teen Participants:
Ella Clapp (fiction)
McKenna Fornof (fiction)
Gabriella Lamb (fiction)
Alexis Marchewka (fiction)
Thomas Oxenreiter (fiction)

*Please note that unlinked participants have opted not to publish their entry. 

The Bookmark Contest is back! We invite creative individuals of all ages, from Pre-K to Adults, to design a bookmark celebrating the Summer Reading program’s theme, “Color Our World.”

Entries will be judged based on the prompt, “Color Our World.” Participants can create their designs by hand or digitally. A panel of judges, including library staff, board members, PTL Foundation members, and 84 Sign Shop staff will select the winners. The library should receive entries by April 30, 2025, and participants can drop off their forms at the library during open hours or email their digital artwork to skrawiec@pt-library.org.

Participants must submit only one entry and must hold a valid WAGGIN Library Card to be eligible to win. All entries become the property of the Peters Township Public Library, and only original characters and creations are allowed. Copyrighted characters and images are not permitted. Incomplete forms will be disqualified.

Click here to view the entry form online as a PDF
or visit the library to get your entry form!

The winners will be announced on Saturday, June 7, at 11:30 a.m. at the Summer Reading Kickoff. The winners will receive a commemorative award and copies of their bookmarks. Winning designs will also be printed and available at the library throughout the summer.

This contest is sponsored by the 84 Sign Shop. The Sign Shop provides graphic design, printing services, promotion, and awards for this contest.

Millions of people across the country visit their libraries every week. What’s the draw? Everything. From young families stopping in for play and storytime, to students sketching out their next creative project in a makerspace, to seniors seeking tech help, libraries of all kinds help us connect the dots from one part of our journey to the next.

Stop by the PT library anytime this week to let us know what draws you to the library. Leave a love letter for your library or write a note to staff. Notes will be shared with library staff, library board members, and township officials.

This year we’re also celebrating with a spirit week and social media campaign with prizes. Read on for details.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN | Engage with us on social media and win!

During National Library Week, we’re launching a Facebook campaign with prizes: a six-month Riverstone Books subscription, a Book Lover’s Gift Basket, and a three-month book subscription. Entering is easy. Simply like or comment on our posts during the week, or create your own library posts and tag us! Each post engagement earns you one entry into the contest, while each post you create earns two entries. The more you engage with us, the more entries you get, and the better your chances to win!

Post ideas:
· Dress up for our Spirit Week (details below) and post and tag us.
· Take a pic at a library program you attend and post and tag us.
· Share your book haul online and tag us.

The contest runs from Sunday, April 6 through Saturday, April 12th. Three winners will be randomly selected from the entries the following week and winners will be notified on Saturday, April 19th. Prizes are sponsored by The Peters Township Library Foundation.

SPIRIT WEEK | Show your spirit when you visit the library this week.

· April 7: Wake Up & Read — Pajama day at the library!
· April 8: Twin Tuesday — Dress like a librarian, library worker, friend, or family member!
· April 9: Bookworm Wednesday — Pay homage to a favorite book character or wear some bookish inspired garb!
· April 10: Throwback Thursday — Whether it is the 80s, 60s, or 1700s, throw it back with an inspired wardrobe choice today!
· April 11: FANtastic Friday — Support your favorite team or teams today!
· April 12: Super Saturday — Be a hero or a villain!

LOOKING FOR MORE FUN?

The library has 20+ programs during National Library Week. Find these programs and more on our event calendar. The library is also launching a Bookmark Contest again for the summer reading theme. Visit our blog post to learn more!

Senior officers from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, return to the library for a panel discussion on Contemporary National Security Policy Challenges. The officers will appear in-person at the library on Thursday, January 23, from 6 to 7 p.m., with a question-and-answer session to follow the presentation.

Registration is available through our online event calendar.

This is the 18th consecutive year the library has hosted a panel discussion with officers from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This presentation is part of the Eisenhower Series College Program with the U.S. Army War College.

Featured speakers for the program include:

Lieutenant Colonel Creesy Antoine is a Signal Officer in the U.S. Army with over 24 years of experience in planning and managing communication and information systems networks for Army and Joint organizations. She has held various leadership and staff roles in Combat Engineer, Signal, Infantry, Special Operations, and Airborne Infantry organizations. Her operational and combat experience spans deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Germany, Poland, and Romania. She holds a BA in Speech Communications and Rhetorical Studies and an MS in Management with a focus in Public Relations.

Colonel Rob Haertsch, an Australian Army Officer with 25 years of service, recently served as Director – Land at Army Headquarters in Canberra, overseeing the integration of operational planning with the joint force and government. Prior to this, he was the Defense Adviser in Suva, Fiji, working with the Head of Mission at the Australian High Commission. His operational deployments include to the Solomon Islands, Iraq, and Afghanistan, along with domestic support to civil authorities in Australia. Colonel Haertsch holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of New South Wales and a Masters in Defense and Military Studies from the Australian National University.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Hartnett is a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Air Force. He has served for over 19 years, and his last assignment was as the Public Affairs Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force. In this capacity, Lt Col Hartnett supported the Secretary’s efforts to modernize the force and improve the lives of Airmen through the coordinated use of media engagement, community outreach, and internal coverage. He holds a Master’s Degree from Air University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Colonel Kevin G. Werry is an Air Defense Artillery officer with 22 years of service.  He most recently worked at the Joint Staff as the operational design team lead for a classified project directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense focused on force modernization and design.  Prior to serving on the Joint Staff, he commanded a Patriot battalion in Fort Cavazos, Texas.  Colonel Werry has deployed to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and several other locations in the Middle East and Europe.  He holds a BS from the University of North Texas, an MA from Naval Postgraduate School, and an MS from Georgetown University.