Language
English
Repository
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Archives and Special Collections
Title Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Woods Run Branch creator
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Collection Number CLP.20180815.001 Extent
5 Boxes
Date 1956-2006 Date 1960-1999 Author Joseph Salvador Publisher Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Archives and Special Collections Address 4400 Forbes Avenuehttp://www.carnegielibrary.org/ Content Description The Woods Run Branch Collection consists of fifteen series spanning the years 1956 to 2006. The majority of the collection is composed of branch reports of various types including Monthly reports, Annual reports, Children's Department, volunteer statistics, periodical and withdrawal information, and the like. A substantial amount of grant and financial information is also available. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and blueprints concerning the Woods Run Branch are also included in this collection.
The Monthly, Annual and Children's reports are nearly complete from 1956 to 1999; missing material is noted in the Series Note.
Arrangement
The majority of the collection has been arranged according to subject and chronological order within each series. The collection is organized into fifteen series. Due to the fact that this collection was very disorganized upon arrival, some of the material has been removed from the original order and placed into subjects groups. However, material that was retained together (with staples/paper clips) has generally been maintained in the final collection. Newspaper articles and correspondence were originally kept (usually stapled) with monthly reports; these have been separated due to concerns of acid migration and placed in their own series. All material has been placed in new folders.
Biographical / Historical
In October, 1956, the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny and its Woods Run Branch, originally established in 1890 and 1916 respectively, merged with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to form a single city-wide library system. The Woods Run serves the Pittsburgh North Side communities of Woods Run, Brighton Heights and Marshall-Shadeland as well as the county residents of Bellevue, Avalon, Emsworth, West View, McKees Rocks and the nearby townships of Ross and Reserve. The original library building was in extremely poor condition at the time of the merger and was closed in 1961 due to physical deterioration, after construction of a new building was approved. In 1958, the Branch Librarian conducted community surveys and found a "definite need of an adequate Branch building," but also commented on the areas surrounding the library, describing a community divided over ethnic, economic and social concerns. Though proposals were made calling for moving the Branch to a better neighborhood, they were not met and ground was broken in 1963 and the new site opened on July 8, 1964 at its new location at 1201 Woods Run Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15212.
From its establishment, the library was the target of vandalism which was generally contributed to the "negative connotation" of the Woods Run area. In 1985 the Friends of Woods Run Library, a local volunteer group, even suggested changing the name of the library to give it a better image. That plan did not come to fruition, but in 2006 renovations were completed with the twofold goal to make the library more environmentally friendlyfront of the building were replaced with windows which provide "views into and out of the library, was a big step in that direction, encouraging patrons to feel part of the neighborhood and that they have a stake in what goes on there." and to "connect the building to the neighborhood." The brick walls of the front of the building were replaced with windows which provide "views into and out of the library, was a big step in that direction, encouraging patrons to feel part of the neighborhood and that they have a stake in what goes on there."
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
There are no use restrictions.
Custodial History
Most materials were moved from the Woods Run Branch to the William R. Oliver Special Collections Room in May 2010.
Preferred Citation
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Woods Run Branch, William R. Oliver Special Collections, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Container List Series 1 Monthly Branch Reports , 1970-2004 Scope and Contents Monthly Branch Reports contains records from 1970 to 2004, and pertain to the library as a whole. It is also important to note that reports pertaining to Children's Services are included in these reports following 2001. These reports track basic information concerning adult and juvenile attendance and circulation, and other statistics are sometimes included. Reports are missing for the years 1976-1981, 1986, 1988, while 1989 is missing July and November and 2003 is missing October, November and December.
Monthly Branch Reports , 1970-1972 Containers box 1 , folder 1 Monthly Branch Reports , 1973-1974 Containers box 1 , folder 2 Monthly Branch Reports , 1975 Containers box 1 , folder 3 Monthly Branch Reports , 1982-1984 Containers box 1 , folder 4 Monthly Branch Reports , 1985-1987 Containers box 1 , folder 5 Monthly Branch Reports , 1989-1990 Containers box 1 , folder 6 Monthly Branch Reports , 1991-1992 Containers box 1 , folder 7 Monthly Branch Reports , 1993-1994 Containers box 1 , folder 8 Monthly Branch Reports , 1995-1996 Containers box 1 , folder 9 Monthly Branch Reports , 1997-1998 Containers box 1 , folder 10 Monthly Branch Reports , 1999 Containers box 1 , folder 11 Monthly Branch Reports , 2000 Containers box 1 , folder 12 Monthly Branch Reports , 2001 Containers box 1 , folder 13 Monthly Branch Reports , 2002 Containers box 1 , folder 14 Monthly Branch Reports , 2003 Containers box 1 , folder 15 Monthly Branch Reports , 2004 Containers box 1 , folder 16 Series 2 Children's Department Reports , 1957-2003 Scope and Contents Children's Department Reports is the largest series and runs from 1957 to 2003, only the reports for 1997, 1998, 2000-2002 are incomplete. The series includes both monthly and annual reports and these have been retained in their original order. The annual reports are found at the end of each year and have not been separated. These reports include information concerning attendance, circulation, registration, local school involvement, home visits, librarian's observations and concerns, as well as other information.
Children's Department Reports , 1957-1959 Containers box 2 , folder 1 Children's Department Reports , 1960-1962 Containers box 2 , folder 2 Children's Department Reports , 1963-1965 Containers box 2 , folder 3 Children's Department Reports , 1966-1967 Containers box 2 , folder 4 Children's Department Reports , 1968-1969 Containers box 2 , folder 5 Children's Department Reports , 1970-1971 Containers box 2 , folder 6 Children's Department Reports , 1972-1973 Containers box 2 , folder 7 Children's Department Reports , 1974-1975 Containers box 2 , folder 8 Children's Department Reports , 1976-1977 Containers box 2 , folder 9 Children's Department Reports , 1978-1979 Containers box 2 , folder 10 Children's Department Reports , 1980-1981 Containers box 2 , folder 11 Children's Department Reports , 1982-1983 Containers box 2 , folder 12 Children's Department Reports , 1984-1985 Containers box 2 , folder 13 Children's Department Reports , 1986-1987 Containers box 2 , folder 14 Children's Department Reports , 1988-1989 Containers box 2 , folder 15 Children's Department Reports , 1990-1991 Containers box 2 , folder 16 Children's Department Reports , 1992-1993 Containers box 3 , folder 1 Children's Department Reports , 1994-1995 Containers box 3 , folder 2 Children's Department Reports , 1996-1997 Containers box 3 , folder 3 Children's Department Reports , 1998-1999 Containers box 3 , folder 4 Children's Department Reports , 2000-2002 Containers box 3 , folder 5 Children's Department Reports , 2003 Containers box 3 , folder 6 Series 3 Annual Reports , 1956-2003 Scope and Contents Annual Reports contains reports filed annually by the Branch Librarian and the series is nearly complete, running from 1956 to 2003. The only missing record is for the year 2002. From 1909 through 1914, the report is given on a fiscal calendar (February to January). Prepared by the librarian, these reports contain important information concerning the community – churches, population, occupations, schools, etc. In addition, the annual reports offer statistics on attendance and circulation that were collected throughout the year.
Annual Reports , 1956-1959 Containers box 3 , folder 7 Annual Reports , 1960-1969 Containers box 3 , folder 8 Annual Reports , 1970-1979 Containers box 3 , folder 9 Annual Reports , 1980-1989 Containers box 3 , folder 10 Annual Reports , 1990-1993 Containers box 3 , folder 11 Annual Reports , 1994-1996 Containers box 3 , folder 12 Annual Reports , 1997-1999 Containers box 3 , folder 13 Annual Reports , 2000-2003 Containers box 3 , folder 14 Series 4 Grants and Financial Reports , 1991-2005 Scope and Contents Grants and Financial Reports consists of information pertaining to City and State grants that the Branch applied for between 1991 and 2005. In addition, other financial information, such as balancing reports and budget proposals are also included in this series.
Legislative Grant , 1991-1992 Containers box 3 , folder 15 Legislative Grant , 1993 Containers box 3 , folder 16 Legislative Grant , 1994-1995 Containers box 3 , folder 17 City Grant Papers , 1995 Containers box 3 , folder 18 City Grant Papers , 2002 Containers box 4 , folder 1 City Grant Papers , 2003 Containers box 4 , folder 2 City Grant CDBG , 2001 Containers box 4 , folder 3 City Grant CDBG , 2005 Containers box 4 , folder 4 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2000 Containers box 4 , folder 5 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2001 Containers box 4 , folder 6 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2002 Containers box 4 , folder 7 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2003 Containers box 4 , folder 8 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2004 Containers box 4 , folder 9 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2005 Containers box 4 , folder 10 Budget: Trial Balance Report , 2006 Containers box 4 , folder 11 Budget Information , 2000 Containers box 4 , folder 12 Budget Information , 2002 Containers box 4 , folder 13 Budget Information , 2003 Containers box 4 , folder 14 Budget Information , 2004 Containers box 4 , folder 15 Budget Proposal , 1985 Containers box 4 , folder 16 Resource Analysis , 1989 Containers box 4 , folder 17 Miscellaneous Financial Forms , 1992-2005 Containers box 4 , folder 18 Series 5 Volunteer Information , 1990-1998 Scope and Contents Volunteer Information contains material concerning volunteer statistics between 1990 and 1998. Similar and additional information can sometimes be found attached to the Monthly or Annual Reports.
Volunteer Quarterly Statistics Report , 1990-1998 Containers box 4 , folder 19 Other Volunteer Information Containers box 4 , folder 20 Series 6 Withdrawal Information , 1992-2004 Scope and Contents Withdrawal Information consists of reports pertaining to the amount of books removed from the Woods Run library between the years 1992-2004.
Monthly & Annual Withdrawals , 1992-1998 Containers box 4 , folder 21 Monthly & Annual Withdrawals , 2001-2004 Containers box 4 , folder 22 Series 7 Library Services and Activities , 1991-1999 Scope and Contents Library Services and Activities holds information about the various programs offered by the branch over the years. "Three Rivers Free Net" was a free internet service offered by the library as a way to bring the web to more local users. This series also contains "Program Evaluations" for the library's Summer Reading Program, as well as information about a few other programs.
Three Rivers Free Net Containers box 4 , folder 23 Library Alert Containers box 4 , folder 24 Program Evaluations , 1991-1999 Containers box 4 , folder 25 Series 8 Operations and Action Plans , 1993-1998 Scope and Contents Operations and Action Plans contains valuable strategic planning information from the 1990s. This material reveals what difficulties the branch was facing at the time and where the Branch Librarian wanted the library to go in the future.
Strategic Planning , 1993 Containers box 4 , folder 26 Action Plan , 1997 Containers box 5 , folder 1 Agency Planning , 1998 Containers box 5 , folder 2 1996-1998 Containers box 5 , folder 3 Series 9 Staff & Employment Information , 1976-1983 Scope and Contents Staff $ Employment Information is made up of material concerning job descriptions, evaluations, performance reviews and pay plans for the CLP system.
Position Classification and Pay Plan , 1976 Containers box 5 , folder 4 Job Descriptions and Pay Classifications , 1976 Containers box 5 , folder 5 Employee Performance Review Guide , 1983 Containers box 5 , folder 6 Series 10 Correspondence , 1950-1999 Scope and Contents Correspondence contains all of the loose correspondence found in the collection, dating from the 1950s through the 1990s. Other correspondence may be found in other areas of the collection attached to a specific piece of material; these were maintained in original order.
1950s Containers box 5 , folder 7 1960s Containers box 5 , folder 8 1970s Containers box 5 , folder 9 1980s Containers box 5 , folder 10 1990s Containers box 5 , folder 11 Series 11 Newspaper Articles , 1960-2009 Scope and Contents Newspaper Articles consists of numerous newspaper clippings dating from the 1960s, 1970s and 2000s. Some of the pieces include information about construction and opening of the new library building as well as the more recent renovations.
1960s Newspaper Clippings Containers box 5 , folder 12 1970s Newspaper Clippings Containers box 5 , folder 13 2000s Newspaper Clippings Containers box 5 , folder 14 Series 12 Blueprints & Drawings , 1964 Scope and Contents Blueprints & Drawings is made up of the design proposals for the 1964 building plan, as well as contractor's blue prints. It is interesting to note that the original drawings show glass walls which were scrapped until the 2006 renovations.
Blueprints & Drawings Containers box 5 , folder 15 Series 13 Photographs , 1962 Scope and Contents Photographs contains the handful of photographs that were found in the collection. Most notable are those from the 1962 groundbreaking ceremony for the new library building.
Photographs Containers box 5 , folder 16 Series 14 Perry Hilltop Branch Proposal Scope and Contents Perry Hilltop Branch Proposal contains correspondence, petitions and blueprints for a proposed new branch library to be built on Perrysville Avenue. To the great disappointment of the citizens of the Perry Hilltop area, he building was never constructed.
Documentation & Correspondence Containers box 5 , folder 17 Library Report Containers box 5 , folder 18 Blueprints Containers box 5 , folder 19 Petitions Containers box 5 , folder 20 Series 15 Miscellaneous , 1961-2005 Scope and Contents Miscellaneous contains a broad range of material concerning Woods Run. The 1961 city ordinance to contract an architect to design Woods Run is maintained here, as is information pertaining to the opening of the new building. One folder contains information pertaining to the Friends of Woods Run and another holds community information including a "Neighborhood Profile" and local maps. Most of the remaining material pertains to various library reports and statistics, such as patron counts, registrations, meeting minutes, and circulation statistics.
1961 Building Agreement Containers box 6 , folder 1 Reopening of 1964 Containers box 6 , folder 2 Friends of the Woods Run Branch Information Containers box 6 , folder 3 Community Information & Service Area Maps Containers box 6 , folder 4 Branch Patron Count , 1997-1999 Containers box 6 , folder 5 Floor Plans , 1996 Containers box 6 , folder 6 Children's Services Meeting Minutes , 2002-2003 Containers box 6 , folder 7 Programming Statistics , 1998-1999 Containers box 6 , folder 8 Programming Notes , 2000 Containers box 6 , folder 9 1994 Annual Report Booklet Containers box 6 , folder 10 Circulation Statistics , 1991-1996 Containers box 6 , folder 11 Registration Statistics , 1992-1994 Containers box 6 , folder 12 Room Use of Materials , 1994-1996 Containers box 6 , folder 13 Periodicals Subscription Information , 2002-2005 Containers box 6 , folder 14 