Library Home Page
Library Catalog
Department of
Library
A Brief History of the Library
The Book Department of the Upper St. Clair Women's Club collected $300 and 2,500 books to establish Upper St. Clair's first library in 1957. The club members and their families cleaned and painted three small rooms on the second floor of Mitchell's Corners Shopping Center.
The library was called the Book Nook and it was truly a grass roots volunteer effort: club members catalogued all the books and took books home with them to apply a protective varnish to the covers. Some financial support came from membership fees, donations and an annual garden party hosted by the Women's Club. The bulk of the funding though, was provided by the Friends of the Library – which was also started in 1957. The Friends raised money for the Book Nook by holding card parties, selling calendars door-to-door throughout the Township and holding fundraisers at Little Lake Dinner Theatre.
In 1958, the Book Nook moved into the newly constructed Township building, though it was still a private library.
In July of 1967, the Women's club turned over control of the library to the Township, and the library became a public library, free to all Township residents. On April 1, 1968, the first paid staff members were hired.
The Commissioners allocated funds to renovate the "large front room" of the Township Building for the Library. In October 1968, three Upper St. Clair Boy Scout troops carried all the books from the old quarters to the new Upper St. Clair Township Library.
In 1985, the library officially became a department of the Township Municipal Government.
In March 1987, the Township library moved into the new three-story addition combined with the remodeled "old" Library facility.
Directors:
1970-1986 Catherine Conley
1986-1993 Annette Kovic
1993-2008 Lois Hoop
2008-present Helen Palascak
Based, in part, on an article in the May 1996 issue of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY.
Township of Upper St. Clair · 1820 McLaughlin Run Road · Upper St.Clair, Pennsylvania 15241
Library · Phone: 412.835.5540 · Fax (Library): 412.835.6763
contact the Webmaster | contact the Township