News

Read Local/Eat Local Returns!

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The Peters Township Public Library will host 25 local authors at its 2nd annual Read Local/Eat Local event on Saturday, June 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The library is encouraging the community to read books by Pennsylvania authors that represent all genres for all age groups. No registration required to attend.

Authors at the event will include:

Kicking off the event at 10:00 a.m. will be a talk by New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict followed by a book signing. Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History and Art History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. While practicing as a lawyer, Marie dreamed of a fantastical job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women — and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing.  

She embarked on a new, narratively connected series of historical novels with The Other Einstein, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The following novel in this series is Carnegie’s Maid, which tells the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world’s first true philanthropist. Marie’s 3rd installment in the series, The Only Woman in the Room, was published in January of 2019. A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of Hedy Lamarr, glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Advance registration is requested for Ms. Benedict’s talk as seating is limited. Call 724.941.9430 #1 to register to attend. Independent bookstore Riverstone Books will be handling books sales for Marie Benedict that day. To preorder your books before Read Local/Eat Local, call Riverstone Books at 412.366.1001.

No registration is required to attend the rest of the Read Local/Eat Local event.

Concluding the event at 1:00 p.m., Robin Carroll from Riverstone Books will offer tips for authors about marketing themselves and their books, working with an independent book seller, and discuss opportunities for events at their bookstore.

Plan to Eat Local while at this free event or passing through the area. Three food trucks, Burgh Bites, Southside BBQ Company, and Udderly Fresh, will be in the library parking lot with refreshments for sale that afternoon.

For more information about Read Local/Eat Local, call the library at 724.941.9430 ext. 5771.

Hitler’s Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals

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Learn more about Hitler’s campaign to destroy the Austrian Royal family when Peters Township Public Library will host Professor James Longo to discuss his book Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Fuhrer’s Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals on Thursday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. Register to attend this free program by calling 724.941.9430 #1. A reception will follow the event.

“My book is the result of a decade of research and interviews with Habsburg descendants exploring the roots of Hitler’s determination to destroy the family of the dead Archduke, and their courageous fight to survive,” said Longo.

James Longo is Professor of Education, and Education Department Chair at Washington & Jefferson College. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and Distinguished Chair of the Gender and Women’s Study Program at Alpen-Adrian University in Austria and has lectured throughout Europe and America. His book Isabel Orleans-Braganza: The Brazilian Princess Who Freed the Slaves was nominated for the Yale University Gilda Lehman Frederick Douglass Book Prize for the “most outstanding non-fiction book in English on the subject of slavery and abolition.” Hitler and the Habsburgs was nominated for Overdrive’s Big Library Read Program, which is their first-ever ‘global eBook club’ and will connect readers around the world by reading the same eBook at the same time.

Summer Hours for 2019

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The Peters Township Public Library will be closed on Sundays beginning May 5 through and including September 1, 2019.

Library hours during the rest of the week are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, visit the library’s web site at ptlibrary.org or call 724.941.9430.

Photodocumentation of Chernobyl Site

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Michael Haritan, a Peters Township resident and professional photographer, went to the Ukraine in 2016 and 2018 to produce a photodocumentation of the abandoned city of Pripyat and the last remaining persons living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – the scene of the nuclear disaster in 1986.

Haritan will share his story and photos at Chernobyl: The World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster on Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Peters Township Public Library. Register to attend this program by calling 724.941.9430 #1.

This timeline presentation is a view of the catastrophe from its origins in the plant’s primitive design, careless management, and safety protocols, to the economic and political crisis the accident precipitated. Haritan recognized that the censored and forgotten stories had to be told. His personal photographs and video gives a haunting documentation of the nuclear reactor disaster site, the abandoned city of Pripyat, a psychiatric institution and orphanage. His talk will enlighten the audience with a rare view of not just a calamitous event, but a place and the people who once worked, lived and died.

Explore Your Backyard Wilderness

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Escape the snow and cold at the Peters Township Public Library by visiting a free Backyard Wilderness display during library hours now through mid-April. The family-friendly, interactive exhibit features:

  • a scavenger hunt for 15 hidden plants and animals
  • “telescopes” that provide more information about the creatures they are pointing at
  • tips on how to become an outdoor explorer
  • inspiring quotes hidden in the tree roots

The library was awarded a grant from HHMI Tangled Back Studios to host the display. It is part of a campaign designed to get kids excited about exploring the outdoors and observing the ecosystems around them. Beginning in March, the Youth Services Department will offer programming for families that want to spend more time studying nature together like Backyard Birdies on Saturday, March 2, 10 to 10:45 a.m., Are You a Citizen Scientist? on Tuesday, March 12, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and World Water Day Celebration on Thursday, March 21, 10 to 10:45 a.m.

Plans are underway for additional programs that will be offered in partnership with the Peters Township Parks and Recreation Department later in the spring.

For more information about the Backyard Wilderness display or to register for one of the March programs, call the Youth Services Department at 724.941. 9430 #3.

Global Challenges and National Security

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The Peters Township Public Library will welcome senior military officers from the United States Army War College for a panel discussion on Global Challenges and U.S. National Security Strategy on Thursday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. This program is hosted in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and offers the community the opportunity to meet with officials from the U.S. Army War College who will address various national security issues and the role the military plays in response.  Registration is requested for this program. Email programs@ptlibrary.org to register or call 724.941.9430 #1.

Featured speakers at the program:

  • Moderator: Dr. Michael S. Neiberg, Professor of History and Chair of War Studies, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College
  • Colonel Abdullah Haruna Ibrahim, Nigerian Army 
    Topic: The War on an Extremist Group in West Africa: Boko Haram and the Nigerian Case
  • Lieutenant Colonel Eric A. McCoy, U.S. Army
    Topic: Cement Between The Bricks: Developing Strategic Leaders for the Future
  • Lieutenant Colonel Shaw Pick, U.S. Army
    Topic: The Weaponization of Social Media: 21st Century Info Warfare
  • Lieutenant Colonel Steven Tofte, U.S. Air Force
    Topic: SHAPEing Success: The Need for Negotiation Skills for America’s NATO Officers

McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 764 generously provides support for the International Program Series which is part of the Pennsylvania Library Association PA Forward initiative. Libraries can give citizens of all ages the knowledge and skills they need to improve their lives, to contribute effectively in their communities, and to participate in civil discourse.