• Skip to main content
Peters Township Public Library Logo
  • Catalog
  • My Account
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Services
    • Library Cards & Borrowing
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Print & Copy Services
    • Other Library Services
  • Explore
    • Youth Services
    • Makerspace
    • PTPL Archives
    • Memory Lab
    • Seed Library
  • Events & Programs
    • Events Calendar
    • Summer Reading 2025
    • Reading Challenges
    • Read Local Eat Local
    • Library News
    • Book Clubs
    • Novel November
    • Program Proposal Request
  • Resources
    • Digital Media
    • Resources – A to Z
    • Resources – By Subject
    • Resources – Youth Services
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Hours & Location
    • Library Administration & Mission
    • History & Timeline
  • Support Us
    • Donate Now
    • Ways to Donate
    • Peters Township Library Foundation
    • Open Bookstore
    • Volunteer
    • Cart/Checkout
Peters Township Public Library Logo
  • Catalog
  • Account
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Services
    • Library Cards & Borrowing
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Print & Copy Services
    • Other Library Services
  • Explore
    • Youth Services
    • Makerspace
    • PTPL Archives
    • Memory Lab
    • Seed Library
  • Events & Programs
    • Events Calendar
    • Summer Reading 2025
    • Reading Challenges
    • Read Local Eat Local
    • Library News
    • Book Clubs
    • Novel November
    • Program Proposal Request
  • Resources
    • Digital Media
    • Resources – A to Z
    • Resources – By Subject
    • Resources – Youth Services
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Hours & Location
    • Library Administration & Mission
    • History & Timeline
  • Support Us
    • Donate Now
    • Ways to Donate
    • Peters Township Library Foundation
    • Open Bookstore
    • Volunteer
    • Cart/Checkout

News

U.S. Army War College Officers return for 15th consecutive year

February 22, 2021 by Lacey Love

The Peters Township Public Library will welcome senior military officers from the U. S. Army War College for a panel discussion on National Security and Challenges from China on Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. online via Zoom. This program offers the community the opportunity to hear from officers who will address national security issues and the role the military plays in response.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/99974205515
This webinar is brought to you via Zoom through the generous support of The Peters Township Library Foundation and the Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services.

Featured speakers at the program:

LTC John Ament – Overview of the Instruments of Power, International Relations Theories in General, and How the Department of Defense Presents the Competition Continuum

Lieutenant Colonel John L. Ament is a native of Michigan. He attended Grand Canyon University where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, was a Distinguished Military Graduate, and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps as a Nurse Corps Officer in 1998. LTC Ament earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University. He is certified as an Operating Room Nurse and is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

LTC Ament’s previous commissioned assignments include Staff Nurse, Telemetry, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu HI; Staff Nurse, Operating Room, Tripler Army Medical Center; Officer in Charge Operating Room, 772 Forward Surgical Team, Fort Campbell KY with deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; Nurse Methods Analyst, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning GA; Chief, Perioperative Nursing Services, Reynolds Army Community Hospital, Fort Sill OK with deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; Nurse Fellow, Training With Industry, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland CA; Director, Surgical Services Service Line, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu HI.

LTC Ament is a graduate of the AMEDD Officer Basic Course, the Combat Casualty Care Course, the AMEDD Officer Advance Course, and resident Army Command and General Staff College. LTC Ament’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 OLC, Army Commendation Medal with 3 OLC, and Army Achievement Medal with 2 OLC. He has also earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

LTC Ament is married to the former Rachel Ryan, a Dental Hygienist, from Rogers City Michigan. They have four children, Paul, Kate, Luke, and Isla.


LTC Charles Knoll – From the Past to the Present International Relations Theory

A native of Dallas, Texas, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Knoll attended the United States Military Academy graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering and a Field Artillery Branch commission.

LTC Knoll first served as a Company FSO, Platoon FDO, and Platoon Leader in 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany from 2001 to 2003 and deployed in support of KFOR 4A. From 2004 to 2005, he was assigned as the Division Cavalry Squadron FSO for 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division and deployed again in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM II.

LTC Knoll then briefly served with 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis, Washington as the Battalion FSO and departed with the Brigade to Vilseck, Germany where they re-flagged to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the 1st Squadron FSO, Cobra Battery Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery Commander, and Field Artillery Squadron S3, as well as deployed in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 07-09.

Following attendance at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, where he earned a Master in Public Policy, he served as an Operations Officer with the 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment, ARCENT in Sumter, South Carolina. During this assignment from 2012-2013, he deployed twice to the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. In 2013, LTC Knoll was then assigned to 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, Colorado where he served as the Brigade FSO, Battalion S3, and Battalion XO, as well as deployed in support of OPERATION SPARTAN SHIELD. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the 4th Infantry Division Artillery Deputy Commander and the Executive Officer to the Commanding General 4th Infantry Division and Ft. Carson. LTC Knoll then served as the USAREUR Chief of Current Operations from August 2017 through July 2018.

Most recently, LTC Knoll served as the Commander of Field Artillery Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment from August 2017 through July 2018.

LTC Knoll is married to Martina from Graz, Austria. They have two children: daughter Kaitlin and son George.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal (one oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (three oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (one oak leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (one oak leaf cluster), the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist’s Badge.


LTC John Wilcox – Information Space and Economics in Competition

Lieutenant Colonel John Wilcox is a graduate of The Virginia Military Institute and earned his commission in the Military Police Corps in 1999. As a Lieutenant in the 58th Military Company in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, LTC Wilcox served as a platoon leader. During his time in the MP Corps, he served in numerous roles including Special Reaction Team Leader and Company Commander, 39th MP Detachment. In 2006 LTC Wilcox deployed to Iraq as the 1st Mechanized National Police Transition Team as the Military Police Advisor.

Lieutenant Colonel Wilcox volunteered to join the Civil Affairs regiment and attended the Civil Affairs Qualification Course. Upon graduation, he served as Civil Affairs Team 714 Team Leader for the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) and Company Operations Chief, A Company, 97th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne). He deployed to the southern Philippines in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM- Philippines where he synchronized and integrated Civil Affairs operations throughout the Mindanao region.

Lieutenant Colonel Wilcox returned to the Philippines as Company Commander, A Company, 97th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) to advise the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) and JSOTF-P command on all issues pertaining to civil affairs operations within Mindano. LTC Wilcox led an effort within the Philippines Civil Military Operations School to professionalize the force and to establish standing civil affairs units to support the demand for competent civil affairs forces.

In 2015, Lieutenant Colonel Wilcox was assigned as the Assistant Chief of Staff G9, 2nd Infantry Division. As the G9, Lieutenant Colonel Wilcox primarily worked with local governments in the Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, and Pocheon city areas to ensure the strong relationships with those regions remained so.

In 2017, LTC Wilcox assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne). The Battalion is responsible for the evaluation, training, and qualification of U.S. Army, Sister Service, and Allied Civil Affairs Soldiers in order to provide DoD the capability to conduct worldwide Civil Affairs in support of the General Purpose and Special Operations Forces in ambiguous and complex environments worldwide.

In 2019 LTC Wilcox volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan as part of NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan as the Director of the Afghan Local Police Special Operations Advisory Cell, where he was responsible for shutting down the $60 million program consisting of approximately 30,000 Afghan Guardians across the entire country.

Lieutenant Colonel Wilcox is married to the former Nellie Cho, they have three children; Hannah (10), Aiden (8), Lukas (5).


LTC Stephen Thibodeau – U.S. Military in Competition

Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Thibodeau is a Field Artillery Officer and a 2000 graduate of The University of Rhode Island. Following the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, LTC Thibodeau was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery (2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division) at Fort Hood, Texas as a Fire Direction Officer {FDO), Fire Support Officer (FSO), Paladin Platoon Leader, Battery Executive Officer, Battalion Maintenance Officer, Battalion FDO, and Battalion Deputy S-3. From January 2004 to February 2005, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Battalion FDO.

Following the Field Artillery Advanced Course, LTC Thibodeau was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany serving as the Regimental Deputy FSO and later deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August 2007.

LTC Thibodeau took command of Bravo Battery, Fires Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment while the Battery was deployed to Diyala Province, Iraq, conducting combat operations as a motorized Infantry Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon redeployment in October 2008, the battery began transitioning to the newly fielded M777A2.

From March 2010 to May 2011, LTC Thibodeau was assigned to the Joint Multinational Training Center, Grafenwoehr, Germany as the Chief of Multinational Training Exercises.

Following the Command and General Staff College, LTC Thibodeau was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson serving as the Brigade FSO. From April 2013 to October 2014, LTC Thibodeau served as the S3 (Operations Officer) for the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery (2nd BCT/41D) and later as Executive Officer (XO), including a deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield from October 2013 to June 2014. In October 2014, LTC Thibodeau was assigned as the S3 for the 4th Division Artillery until June of 2015. LTC Thibodeau was assigned to The National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California from July of 2015. LTC Thibodeau has served as the Field Artillery S3 trainer as well as the Executive Officer trainer. He also served as the Brigade Fire Support Officer trainer during his time at The National Training Center. Prior to attending the Army War College, he commanded the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery assigned to the 1st Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright Alaska. While in Command, the battalion deployed to Operation Inherent Resolve – Iraq from August 2019 to July 2020.

LTC Thibodeau is a native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Rhode Island.

He is married to Pamela (née Neil) of Airdrie, Scotland, and joined by their children, Sadie (14) and Stella (8).


LTC Leslie Semrau – China Military in Competition

Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Semrau is a student of the United States Army War College. She received her commission as a Pilot Training Candidate from Virginia Tech in 2002. She is a graduate of Undergraduate Pilot Training, Instructor Pilot Training, Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Air Force Legislative Fellowship.

Prior to her arrival at Carlisle Barracks, she was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, where she served as the Commander of the 56thRescue Squadron. Previous non-command assignments include service as a Legislative Liaison, United States Central Command, Pentagon; Chief of Standardizations and Evaluations and Executive Officer, 563rd Rescue Group in Tucson, AZ; Evaluator Pilot, Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot and Weapons and Tactics Officer, 41st Rescue Squadron in Valdosta, GA; Executive Officer and Pilot, 33rdRescue Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

Her command assignments include 24 months as Commander, 56th Rescue Squadron, 31st Operations Group, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy; 6 months as Commander, 56th Rescue Squadron, 48th Operations Group, 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; 4 months as Commander, 46th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq; and 4 months as Commander, 303rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, Djibouti.

Lieutenant Colonel Semrau holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. Her awards and decorations include Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with OLC, the Air Force Air Medal with 4 OLC, the Air Force Aerial Achievement Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 OLC, Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals, Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Air Force Command Pilot Badge.


LTC John Ament will discuss The Diplomatic instrument of power in Competition and offer closing remarks. A question and answer session will follow the panel discussion.

Filed Under: Adults, Announcements, News

Change in library services effective Monday, Nov. 30

November 24, 2020 by Lacey Love

Dear PT Library Community,
Based on the Pennsylvania Department of Health recent stay at home advisory, we are taking the following actions to protect our community until further notice:

The library building will be open to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 and Saturday, Nov. 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The library building WILL CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC beginning Monday, Nov. 30. Library Staff will continue to work in the building to provide library materials and remote services Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This change will remain in effect until further notice.

Curbside Pickup Service will be available Monday through Saturday during library staff hours with an extended 3-week loan period. Please place your requests online for all items in the WAGGIN catalog. When you receive an email/text/phone call that your items are available, drive to the library, and park in any designated Curbside Pickup space in front of the building. Call 724.941.9430 #1 when you arrive. Library staff will deliver your items in a plastic bag to the trunk of your car.

Curbside Pickup Service will be available to pick up kits for Adult/Youth Services programming. After you register for a program, you will receive an email with pick up directions when your kit is ready.

We will be accepting returns. You can place library materials in a plastic bag in the black RETURNS bins located at the library front entrance during library staff hours. The outside Book Drop will be open when library staff is not in the building. We quarantine all returns for 72 hours.

We are not accepting book donations, meeting room applications, or scheduling any library volunteers at this time.

The library computers will not be available during this time.

We will continue to offer programs virtually. We will announce these programs through our library newsletter (subscribe here), on the library Events Calendar, and the Peters Township Public Library Facebook page. Visit the library’s YouTube Channel for playlists which include all of our virtual programs. Virtual classes and programs will also be available via Zoom.

If you have questions, please email us at ptlib@ptlibrary.org.

Please check your email for further updates about reopening the library building and in-person library services. We appreciate your patience and look forward to safely serving you soon.

Lacey Love, Library Director

Filed Under: Adults, All Ages, Announcements, Children, News, Teens

Meet the PTPL WAGGIN Chat Team!

October 1, 2020 by Lacey Love

For two years, the library has participated in a free resource for all residents of Pennsylvania called Chat with a Librarian. Anyone can get accurate, unbiased information online from a real librarian 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff joined with librarians and paraprofessionals from across the WAGGIN network to form a new service called WAGGIN Chat, which would offer personalized service to all residents of Washington, Fayette, and Greene Counties.

As part of the Pennsylvania Chat with a Librarian service, residents are still able to receive 24-7 reference and research help. On Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., WAGGIN staff is working online to answer your questions directly, either through live chat or via an email question form.  Whether you need help with homework, genealogy resources, or how to find a business, visit waggin.org/chat. There you can submit your question online for a quick response.

Eight PTPL staff members received training to offer this new chat service. In addition to their regular duties, they help remote library users with questions throughout the day. Coordinated by Ed Wolf, PTPL Information Technology and Reference Librarian, the group has been very successful.  They will serve as a best practices model for other libraries in the state as they set up their chat participation.

Our local staff is available to help via chat during library hours. You can use this service if our library is not open, but understand you will be communicating with a Pennsylvanian librarian who does not work locally. They will not be able to answer questions about overdue materials, renewals, or other account-specific activity. For those types of individualized questions, you can submit your question to  www.waggin.org/email-us.

Filed Under: Adults, All Ages, Announcements, News, Teens

Celebrate Your Right to Read!

September 27, 2020 by Lacey Love

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in both libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unpopular or challenging to their personal beliefs.

Banned Books Week was first launched in the 1980s and has grown to reach over 2 billion readers every year. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. Having these conversations and sharing this information is important. We hope that you will join us from September 27 through October 3 in exploring some of the diverse books that have been challenged in recent years. Please watch the video below created by PT Library staff to learn more!

Visit our Banned Books Display in the Main Lobby and take a few books with you to read! Learn more about Banned Books Week on these websites:

  • The history of Banned Books Week
  • Get involved!
  • Top 10 Challenged Books of 2019

Banned Books Display

 

Filed Under: Adults, All Ages, Announcements, Book Clubs, Children, News, Teens

Ride the Wave with Gab Bonesso

September 22, 2020 by Lacey Love

If you find your days full of worry about getting sick, losing your job, or making decisions about your child’s education, you are not alone. Over 53% of adults in the United States ” reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus” in a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

To help with coping methods to deal with anxiety, the Peters Township Public Library will host award-winning comic performer Gab Bonesso via a Zoom presentation on World Mental Health Day, Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. Bonesso will share an interactive look at her successes and struggles with mental health issues. In her “Ride the Wave” talk, she will focus on staying positive, healthy, and creative during difficult times, incorporating her famous humor throughout.

Registration is required for access to this free event suitable for adults and teens. Register online here.

Gab Bonesso is a nationally renowned performer, comedian, musician, and motivational speaker, best known for her award-winning school assembly programs and concert appearances.

Based in Pittsburgh, performer Gab Bonesso has spent the last eight years traveling the U.S. with a series of unique and interactive musical comedy programs for children, teens, and families. Over 800 school, community, church, camp, library, and festival locations across fifteen U.S. states have featured her work, and she has directly engaged an estimated 400,000 youth, educator, and adult participants in the process.

Gab has appeared on CBS and PBS television for her efforts and received regular airplay on renowned radio stations such as WXPN Kids Corner and WYEP-FM with her music. She garnered national press and awards for her live appearances and has partnered with organizations like Reading is Fundamental, American Eagle Outfitters, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and many more. Gab’s programs utilize original music, interactive comedy, and educational discussion to explore themes of tolerance,  positive expression, bullying awareness, and above all, the use of creativity as an alternative to negative expression.

Filed Under: Adults, Announcements, News, Teens

Donations Keep Local History Room Thriving

August 18, 2020 by Lacey Love

Preserving local history has been a goal of the Peters Township Public Library since its founding over 60 years ago. To go beyond clipping newspapers, in early 2003 the library staff began an Oral History Project with funding from Taste of the Township. The goal was to record and preserve the history of the township through audio interviews with past and present residents.

Community Day promotional materialsThe library worked with the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center Oral History Service Department to conduct the interviews. By April 2004, the collaboration had produced twenty-two interviews. They reflected various facets of the history of Peters Township – farm life, education, government, recreation, transportation, churches, and industry. Next, the interviews were transcribed, edited, printed, bound, and added to the library’s Local History collection. You can search the library catalog for “Life in Peters Township: an oral history project” and request any of the bound volumes to check out and enjoy.

Peters-Township NewsIn the spring of 2008, a two-story addition expanded the building with space for a Local History Room on the second floor. Over the past 12 years, the room has acquired copies of the bound oral history interviews and many photographs and documents received from various donors. Along with several volunteers, Head Reference Librarian Margaret Deitzer and Information Technology Librarian Ed Wolf continue preserving the donations that tell the story of the township from the late 1700s to present.

Carolyn Friedrich and Ed WOld with historical donationsLast year The Peters Township Library Foundation committed to channeling contributions received from the Washington County Community Foundation’s Day of Giving toward the library’s local history efforts. This donation supported the ongoing work of library staff and archivist Carolyn Friedrich to make the collection searchable from anywhere in the world.

Mr and Mrs Ed LybargerA recent donation from Edward and Janis Lybarger added extraordinary resources to the collections. The Lybarger family connection to the library began in the 1950s with his mother, Alberta Myers Lybarger. As president of the Women’s Club of Peters Township, her efforts helped to make the dream of a community library for the township become a reality. Their new donations cover topics like local schools, churches, civic organizations, businesses, and the development of the library through blueprints, photographs, newspapers, and artifacts. The library welcomes items like these to continue to document the past and present growth of Peters Township. Please call the library at 724.941.9430 for more information.

Line drawing of the Peters Township Public LibraryThe Lybargers have also financially supported The Peters Township Library Foundation, which continues to support this archival work, covering the costs of making this collection accessible to the public. Is preserving Peters Township history important to you? The WCCF Day of Giving is Thursday, September 10, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Your online donation that day to The Peters Township Library Foundation continues to support our efforts to preserve, arrange, scan, digitize, and store our growing collection of Peters Township Local History. Your tax-deductible gift will also benefit programming and resources not covered by the library’s operating budget. AND you will help us become eligible for added support from the WCCF’s $100,000 bonus pool. For more information, visit the WCCF Day of Giving web site.

Filed Under: Adults, All Ages, Announcements, History, News

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 21
  • Go to Next Page »

Let's Stay In Touch

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Never miss a beat at the PT Library with our email newsletter!

SUBSCRIBE!

Hours

Monday - Thursday: 9 am to 8 pm
Friday: 9 am to 4 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 4 pm
Sunday: CLOSED

Address

616 E. McMurray Road
McMurray, Pennsylvania 15317

Phone

724.941.9430

We are a . . .

WAGGIN Library
WCLS Library
PA Forward Gold Star Library
Supporter of PT Character Counts

Power Library Logo

We are members of the . . .

McMurray Rotary
PT Chamber of Commerce

© 2020 Peters Township Public Library. All Rights Reserved.