News

Former Ambassador Ryan Crocker to visit library

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The Peters Township Public Library will host former Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss Middle East Meltdown: Causes and Consequences based on his experiences as the former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Kuwait. This program is offered in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and with the support of McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 764 for the International Program Series.

Register online or call 724.941.9430 #1.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker is a career ambassador within the U.S. Foreign Service. He was in the Foreign Service for 37 years and, after retiring, was recalled to active duty by President Obama in 2011 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan.  His previous appointments included service as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Lebanon.  Crocker became dean of Texas A&M University’s George Bush School of Government and Public Service in 2010.

Crocker has received many of the nation’s highest honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the State Department Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the State Department Distinguished Honor Award, The Award for Valor, three Superior Honor Awards and the American Foreign Service Association’s Rivkin Award. When he stepped down as Ambassador in Kabul in 2012, Crocker was named an Honorary Marine by the United States Marine Corps.

Student Photography Exhibit coming to the library

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The Peters Township High School Photography Classes will exhibit their work in the main lobby of the Peters Township Public Library from March 8 through 22 during library hours. “The Gallery” is a display of hundreds of student photographs from the classes and club at the high school.  An opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 8 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.  All are welcome to attend.

Matted photographs and canvases will be on display. The Photography Club officers include Co-Presidents Emily DeNunzio and Samantha Szewczyk, and Board Members Storie Poness, Jillian Bastyr, Julianna Mankamyer, and Claire Mitchell.

For more information about “The Gallery,” contact the club sponsor, Erin Boni, at bonie@pt-sd.org.

Greater Washington County Food Drive

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The library is a collection location for this year’s Greater Washington County Food Drive from now through the end of March. Your generous donations will benefit our local Peters Township Food Pantry. Our bin is located beneath the grand staircase in the lobby. The library in Washington County that collects the most pounds of canned goods will receive a monetary prize!

We also want to give a shout out to Don Carter who has been volunteering with the Food Bank for 16 years! Read more about Don and the good work he is doing for our communities.

About the Greater Washington County Food Bank

The mission of Greater Washington County Food Bank is to provide food as well as nutritional health and wellness education to those residents of Washington County who are food insecure.

For over 33 years Greater Washington County Food Bank, a non-profit organization, has been providing groceries and nutritional information/education to food insecure residents of Washington County. It is estimated that Washington County currently has over 25,000 people who are food insecure.  While we don’t distribute food from our home office; we do distribute food through our network of 48 distribution sites and 7 agencies located throughout the county. We also support several after school food programs that help ensure food insecure students have something to eat over the weekend.  Currently over 30% of our recipients are children under the age of 18, and over 20% are seniors. We rely primarily on community support to meet these objectives in a caring and compassionate way.

Will You Take The Challenge?

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The Peters Township Public Library is inviting all library patrons to participate in the 2018 “Read Harder” Challenge.  Print our Read Harder Tracker with 24 suggested “tasks” ranging from reading a book with a cover you hate to reading a children’s classic published before 1980.   Stop by the main lobby to see our Read Harder Challenge display with plenty of books that fit the descriptions to get you started reading right away.

Many books in these categories are also available in audio format and as e-books on Overdrive for downloading. If you’ve never tried an e-book we can help with that and make 2018 the year you learn what all the fuss is about.

For you multi-taskers don’t worry, you may use the same title for more than one category!  And, oh did I mention there will be prizes?  Yes, complete any 12 tasks and bring your card to Community Day, June 30th and receive a free gift at the PT Library booth. If you complete all 24 tasks before December 31st bring your completed card to the Front Desk for another surprise.

Be sure to keep your Challenge Tracker handy throughout the year because we’ll be offering some special surprises along the way. Stay tuned!

Happy Reading!
Myra-reading

 

 

 

Myra Oleynik, Library Director at Peters Township Public Library
MOleynik@PTLibrary.org

PT Library Foundation hosts Yaa Gyasi

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The Peters Township Library Foundation will welcome the author of Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi, on Thursday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are on sale through the library web site or at the Circulation Desk. Ticket prices are $10 for Students and $15 for Adults. A limited number of VIP tickets will be sold for $60 and include VIP seats, a pre-event meet and greet with Yaa Gyasi, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a copy of Homegoing. Group rates for 20 or more are also available. Email theptlibraryfoundation@gmail.com for details.

The venue for this special event will be The Bible Chapel’s South Hills Campus at 300 Gallery Drive in McMurray. A book signing will follow the program.

The unforgettable New York Times bestseller Homegoing begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. Written with tremendous sweep and power, Homegoing traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and three hundred years of history, each life indelibly drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed in light of the present day.

ABOUT YAA GYASI

Yaa Gyasi was born in Mampong, Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she held a Dean’s Graduate Research Fellowship. Homegoing is her first novel and has won the PEN/Hemingway Award, NBCC’s John Leonard Award, and a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar

PRESS LINKS

A 26-Year-old Looks to the Past for Her Literary Debut | TIME

 

Yaa Gyasi’s “Homegoing” | The New Yorker

 

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young African Immigrant | The New York Times

 

Yaa Gyasi | NPR

 

 The blazing success of Yaa Gyasi’s ‘Homegoing,’ a panoramic portrait of the slave trade’s legacy | Los Angeles Times

 

‘Homegoing,’ by Yaa Gyasi: A bold tale of slavery for a new ‘Roots’ generation | The Washington Post

 

Come join our team!

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Peters Township is seeking an individual for the position of Circulation Desk Clerk at the Peters Township Public Library. This is a part time position with evening hours and weekends required. Duties include checking books in and out, shelving library materials, data inputting, telephone answering, and other clerical work. The individual will have a high school diploma or equivalent and customer service experience. Library experience preferred. The position starts at $10.00/hour.

Interested applicants must send a completed application to Myra Oleynik, Library Director, 616 East McMurray Road, McMurray, PA 15317 by September 15, 2017. Print an application or pick up one at the Peters Township Municipal Building. Peters Township is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Youth Services Department at Peters Township Public Library is seeking a part-time Library Technician. Duties include assisting patrons with reference questions and routine inquiries, locating library materials, and occasionally organizing and orchestrating programs for children, teens, and families. Must be able to work evenings and weekends. Previous experience with children and teens is necessary. Prior library experience is preferred. Salary: $13.50/hour.

Interested applicants must send a completed application to Myra Oleynik, Library Director, 616 East McMurray Road, McMurray, PA 15317 by September 15, 2017. Print an application or pick one up at the Peters Township Municipal Building. Peters Township is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Read the Hiring Process for the Library Technician position.