NEWS ARCHIVES
2012
Benefits of LEARN bus program captured on film
by Stephanie Hacke / South Hills Record - April 19, 2012
It was a magical, yet somewhat chaotic, moment at Whitehall Public Library as a line of nearly 100 refugees from around the world emerged from a school bus, ready to partake in crafts and games and check out books from the neighborhood hub.
Just a month prior, no one had ridden the bus, used to transport the large population of refugees living in the Whitehall Place, formerly Prospect Park, housing complex to the borough library.
The revitalization last year of the Library Easy Access for Residents in Need, or LEARN, bus program that has been in existence since 2002 astonished many in the community, they said.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHTS REFUGEE LITERACY PROGRAM IN WHITEHALL
By Shawn Klocek, Baldwin-Whitehall PATCH - April 5, 2012
In collegiate fiction-writing courses, a common piece of advice goes something like this: If you hit a block and can't figure out where the plot should go, put your characters in a moving vehicle.
The Whitehall Public Library has been doing something of the sort since 2002, when it launched its LEARN Bus program, transporting refugee residents from Whitehall Borough's Wallace (Prospect) Park area to the library for a monthly literacy initiative.
READ MORE...
ANNIVERSARY QUILT
How would you like to have your favorite book title immortalized at your favorite library? Now you can!
In honor of the Whitehall Public Library's 50th Anniversary in 2013, local quilters and library lovers are creating a Golden Anniversary Quilt which will hang in the library. The quilt, representing 50 Books for 50 Years, will display 50 children's book titles and 50 adult titles selected by our patrons.
For a $100 donation to the library you may select a title to be stitched on the quilt. READ MORE...
Reconnecting with the lost passion of quilting by Stephanie Hacke, South Hills Record - March 22, 2012
2011
* On-site tech help available at the local library - Thursday, December 29, 2011 By Margaret Smykla , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
* Library helping immigrants learn - Thursday, December 22, 2011 By Molly Born, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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KINDLE DRAWING!
On Saturday, December 10 - Friends of the Whitehall Public Library, Faustino Dunckhorst, pulls a winning ticket for the kindle raffle!
The Friends raised approximately $475, thank you to everyone who contributed.
* Still need help with your eReader or other device? * Do you have questions?
TECHNOLOGY OPEN HOUSE CONTINUES! / SECOND CHAPTER CAFE / No registration required
Adults -- Don't be shy! Look no further than the Whitehall Public Library's Technology Open House! Our talented panel of local teen "experts" will be on hand to tackle your technology-related questions and concerns (iPads, smart phones, Facebook, etc.) Stop by the Cafe for a visit, share a cup of coffee, and our teens will be glad to assist you.
- Saturday, January 7 @ 1:00 - 3:00 PM
- Saturday, January 21 @ 1:00 - 3:00 PM
- Wednesday, January 25 @ 6:30 - 8:00 PM
HAND PAINTED HOLIDAY SLATE DRAWING!
Also on Saturday, December 10 another drawing was held for these two holiday items.
A great big thank you to artist Lynne Mack [decorativepaintingbylynne.weebly.com] for her contribution of two beautiful holiday slates donated to the library. Our two lucky raffle winners will have an extra Merry Christmas!
Thanks to Lynne for her generosity in support of the library.
CANDY LAND PICTURES!
Here are just some pictures of the Children's Candy Land adventure at the library on Saturday, December 3, 2011.
SECOND CHAPTER CAFE
Our Senior Space*- is a unique area, library collection, and series of programs created especially for Boomers and seniors.
Things to do:
- Make yourself a cup of coffee
- Watch a movie
- Listen to music
- Explore our new eReaders or iPads
- Whitehall Public Library's GRAND OPENING and more of the Second Chapter Café
- Whitehall Public Library Officially Unveils its Second Chapter Café - Patch.com
- Fun space created for seniors - South Hills Record 3/4/2011
- Whitehall library has space for just senior citizens - Pittsburgh Post Gazette article 2/17/2011
* Funding for the Second Chapter Café was provided from a Senior Spaces grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered through Pennsylvania’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
FAMILY PLACE - GRAND OPENING
- Whitehall library showcases benefits of being 'Family Place Library' - South Hills Record / April 21, 2011
- Additional Family Place Photos - South Hills Record / April 21, 2011
OTHER NEWS STORIES
*GPLC - Report from the Prospect Park Area - Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council "Tutor Times" [page 4] / December 2011
This article is about the LEARN bus evening at the Whitehall Public Library on Monday, October 24, 2011 featuring “Bob the Juggler” [Bob Spisak]. READ MORE...
*Library's LEARN bus recognized for service work - by Stephanie Hacke - South Hills Record / September 29, 2011
Participation in Whitehall Public Library's LEARN bus had declined last year to the point that, at times, no one was using the program geared to assist refugees in getting to the community hub.
A new influx of residents, mostly from Bhutan and Napal, had moved into the Whitehall Place housing complex and they were not taking advantage of library programming like others had in the past.
So, Whitehall Public Library director Paula Kelly and adult program coordinator Denise Ignasky decided to visit the housing complex and make a connection. And what they found was astonishing.
* EDIBLE BOOK FESTIVAL - Our First Annual Edible Book Festival was an astonishing success, and once again, we thank everyone who was involved in any way. To host a program filled with such good will, good fun, and community involvement--all centered around creative efforts focused upon the love of books and literacy--is a library's dream come true!
Sweet Success at the Whitehall Public Library by Sarah Beth Martin - Baldwin-Whitehall Patch / September 17, 2011
Whitehall Public Library's First Edeible Book Festival by Kathy Rudolph - IN: Brentwood Baldwin-Whitehall Community Magazine / WINTER 2011
* Whitehall Public Library Earns Unique Award - Library honored for serving older adults in a diverse community.
August 27, 2011 - http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com
Whitehall Public Library's English as a Second Language Literacy Program, aka the LEARN Bus, has been selected as a 2011 recipient of the Marietta Y. King and Alberta Walden Still Diversity Award for Public Library Service to Older Adults in a Diverse Community.
* Book lover, library volunteer named Whitehall Citizen of the Year - post-gazette.com - Thursday, September 15, 2011 By Jonathan Barnes
After Whitehall's annual 5K race this year, hundreds of runners and residents watched as one of the biggest book lovers in the region was honored as Whitehall Citizen of the Year. Faustino Dunckhorst, a tireless volunteer for Whitehall Public Library and a persistent advocate for libraries throughout the county, was honored by having Aug. 27 named for him in his hometown.
* Faustino Dunckhorst receives Whitehall's annual Citizen of the Year award. Read more and view photos...
August 27, 2011 - http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com 
READ MORE...
* RESUME: A newsmaker you should know
- Library director sees many changes but some things stay the same.
By Margaret Smykla - Pittsburgh Post Gazette / Thursday, July 28, 2011
When Paula Cunningham Kelly was a child, her mother, Lois Cunningham, worked at Whitehall Public Library. "Going to the library was something we did as a family every week for as long as I remember," Ms. Kelly recalled. "It was: go to the grocery store, go to the bank, go to the library ... it was just an expectation to take books out and read them," she said of how she acquired her lifelong love of reading.
Today, Ms. Kelly, of Mt. Lebanon, is the director of Whitehall Public Library which -- thanks to the technical and information age we live in -- is not your mother's library.
Look what we have done!
The Whitehall Public Library has been awarded two grants from Commonwealth Libraries. A Senior Spaces grant and a Family Place grant. Only six libraries in the state were chosen for each of these grant opportunities, and we were awarded both. We can’t wait to get started! For more information, take a look…
* Advocate for libraries gets special honor - South Hills Record (1/13/2011)
Ask Faustino Dunckhorst anything about Whitehall Public Library and he'll respond with a long list of facts, figures, charts and a detailed history of the situation at hand. Read more...
* Whitehall Public Library: A Place for all Ages - Patch.com (1/13/2011)
As the Friends of the Whitehall Public Library celebrate their 50th anniversary, they have much to be proud of. Ranked among the top 25 libraries in Pennsylvania, this educational powerhouse offers daily programs for people all ages, from birth to seniors. Read more...