The Hazelwood Branch Collection consists of five series spanning from 1900 to 2009. The majority of the collection is made up of annual and monthly reports for the entire branch as well as annual and monthly reports for the branch's children's department. The collection also features documents regarding branch hours and payroll issues, documents regarding budgeting, and reports and surveys. Documents on the branch's various stations and deposit collections are included in the collection. A series on the branch and its relation to the Hazelwood community are also contained within the collection.
The bulk of the collection is the branch annual and monthly reports and the children's department reports. There remain missing years and gaps within the collection. The branch annual reports from 1900 to 1902 are missing along with the reports from 1949 to 1968 and the reports from 1986 to 1993. The children's department annual and/or monthly reports are present for every year between 1918 and 1925. There are no reports from 1926 to 1934, but there are reports for every year starting in 1935 and ending in 1989. All reports related to the children's department between 2000 and 2008 are included in the branch annual and monthly reports.
Arrangement
The materials have been separated into five series. Each individual series is arranged by year or subject. The first four series deal mainly with the branch as a whole and are arranged starting with the annual reports and ending with a series on the branch and the community. The fifth series focuses entirely on the branch's children's department.
Biographical / Historical
In 1890 Andrew Carnegie provided the city of Pittsburgh with funding for the construction a main library and six branches spread throughout the city. One of these six branches was the Hazelwood Branch, named after the neighborhood in which it was built. At the time of the branch's opening in 1900, Hazelwood was considered to be an upper class community. As industry began to spread throughout Pittsburgh, however, Hazelwood became the home for steel workers and railroad employees. Many of these workers were immigrants.
The Hazelwood Branch soon had to accommodate its collections to fit in with an increasingly lower class population. It also had to acquire books in different languages since many of its patrons could not speak or read English. The branch's circulation continued to increase, especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The Hazelwood Branch featured many book stations throughout the Hazelwood and Greenfield communities. Two of its most prominent stations were the St. Rosalia School Station in Greenfield and the Glen-Hazel Station. The Glen-Hazel Station served the residents of the Glen-Hazel Defense Housing Project which was built around 1941.
After the 1940s, the Hazelwood community began to decline as major industries such as the steel mills began to leave Pittsburgh. The population decline eventually led to the library's loss of branch status in 1981. The former branch became known as the Hazelwood Reading Center, and it was supervised by the Squirrel Hill Branch.
By the late 1980s, it was decided that the Hazelwood Reading Center would once again become known as the Hazelwood Branch. Although the library had regained its branch status, its circulation was still considerably low due to the location of the library. The branch's location had always been a problem as it was situated on a residential street instead of in a business district. The branch was finally relocated to a store-front building in Hazelwood's business district along 2nd Avenue in 2004.
The Hazelwood Branch has experienced many ups and downs throughout its history. It witnessed a population boom during the early 20th century only to witness a severe population and economic decline in the later 20th century. Although the branch continues to battle with these issues today, it has retained a strong presence in Hazelwood and surrounding communities.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
There are no use restrictions.
Custodial History
The materials were removed from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Hazelwood Branch and transferred to the William R. Oliver Special Collections Room.
Accruals
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Hazelwood Branch sends new materials to the Oliver Room on an irregular schedule.
Preferred Citation
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Hazelwood Branch, William R. Oliver Special Collections, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
