Library Summer Hours

Northland Public Library will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.

Our summer hours schedule begins on Sunday, May 30 through the Labor Day weekend. The summer hours are as follows:

• Monday through Thursday - 9:00am to 9:00pm
• Friday and Saturday - 9:00am to 5:00pm
• Sunday - Closed

Memorial Day 2010

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers.

No Cartoon Left Behind: An Evening with Rob Rogers

Monday, May 24 at 7:00pm

Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist, distills the essence of timely local and national issues into his outstanding cartoons in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Provocative and sometimes controversial, Rogers's work shows his uncanny talent to capture in a cartoon the very essence of a complex subject or a widely talked-about event.

Join us for a fascinating program in which Rogers will demonstrate with drawings how he finds inspiration for his cartoons and how he subtly uses the physical characteristics of local and national celebrities to make them instantly recognizable. His book, No Cartoon Left Behind! The Best of Rob Rogers is a unique history of the post-Cold War world to the present time, presented in cartoon form, and a memoir of his own journey as a cartoonist. The book will be available for purchase at the event. Please register for the program using our library website's Events calendar or by visiting or calling the Adult Services Reference Desk at 412-366-8100, extension 113

Creating a Backyard Habitat for Birds and Insects

Thursday, May 20 at 7:00pm

Award-winning nature photographer-journalist Doris Dumrauf is a regular contributor to Pennsylvania Magazine and her work has been featured on KDKA-TV. She specializes in bird and wildlife photography while pursuing her interest in sharing with others her knowledge and experience in attracting beautiful and useful birds and insects to our backyards.

Join us on Thursday, May 20 at 7:00pm as Ms. Dumrauf presents her helpful suggestions and information along with a showing of many of her outstanding nature photographs. For those who are interested, her matted prints and notecards will be available for purchase after the program. Please register for the program using our library website's Events calendar or by visiting or calling the Adult Services Reference Desk at 412-366-8100, extension 113.

Future Bestsellers - June

Coulter, Catherine-- Whiplash
Cussler, Clive-- The Spy
Deaver, Jeffery-- The Burning Wire (Lincoln Rhyme)
De Mille, Nelson-- The Lion
Evanovich, Janet-- Sizzling Sixteen
Furst, Alan-- Spies of the Balkans
Koontz, Dean R-- Frankenstein: Lost Souls
Martini, Steve-- The Rule of Nine
McCrumb, Sharyn-- The Devil Amongst the Lawyers
Patterson, Richard North-- Honor
Rimington, Stella-- Dead Line
Rollins, James-- The Devil Colony
Tanenbaum, Robert-- Betrayed
Thompson, Victoria-- Murder on Lexington Avenue
Thor, Brad-- Foreign Influence

Family History Open House - Presented by Northland Public Library and North Hills Genealogists

Saturday, May 15 from 9:00am-4:00pm

Curious about your family history? Not sure how or where to begin? Come to the Family History Open House at Northland Public Library. We will have professional genealogists, librarians and volunteers available to help you get started in this fun and exciting hobby. Come see free resources available to you at Northland Public Library. Talk with others who may be searching for ancestors in the same places you are. Programs throughout the morning will be repeated in the afternoon. No registration required.

Introduction to genealogy:
“Your Own Detective Story” presented at 9:30am & 1:00pm by Elissa Powell, Certified Genealogist

Computer demonstrations:
HeritageQuest - Online database demonstration presented at 10:30am & 2:00pm by Amy Steele, Librarian
Ancestry Library Edition - database demonstration presented at 11:00am & 2:30pm by Amy Steele, Librarian

Volunteers available throughout the day:
Volunteers available during the day for family history consultations and to look up family history information using HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition.

Local cemetery books will be available for purchase in the Book Nook.

Handouts will include:
-Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets to help get you started
-Brochures for local history and genealogy resources
-Flyers for upcoming family history events in the area
-Brochures for local genealogy and history associations
-Booklists to help you get started

In Honor Of---

Looking for a way to honor someone who has touched your life? Contact the library for more information on how to donate a memorial/gift in someone's name.

Here are some titles that have been so generously donated. (Click on the book title to go to the catalog and then click on your browsers back button to return to this page)

Greece by Howard Martin

Shelby: The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles by Colin Comer

Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin

American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765-1915 by Barbara Weinberg

Bert Sugar's Baseball Hall of Fame : A Living History of America's Greatest Game by Bert Randolph Sugar

Costa Rica: A Journey Through Nature by Adrian Hepworth

Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Berenbaum

Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen

An Uncommon History of Common Things by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Secrets of the Short Game by Phil Mickelson

Northland Knitters

Wednesday, May 12 at 7:00pm

Calling all knitters... beginners or experts, those who love to knit, enjoy talking about knitting, sharing tips and learning a few techniques from others. Bring your latest knitting project and join us for some dessert and a planning session for an ongoing series of get-togethers. Do you prefer listening to music while you knit, listening to an amusing audio book or just having conversations with others about your favorite hobby while you stitch away? Are you interested in knitting for a charity? Let's talk about it. No registration required for this free event.

The Work of Byron Katie: A Method of Self-Inquiry

Thursdays, May 6 and May 13 at 7:00pm

Byron Katie's simple yet powerful method of inquiry into the causes of suffering and unhappiness is called The Work. Those who use The Work as an on-going practice report life-changing results as they learn effective and lasting ways to cut through their fears and anxieties. Several of her books on the subject have been bestsellers.

Barbara Bittenbinder has studied Byron Katie's methods and will present two interesting evenings exploring ways to understand and change our outlooks and judgements that cause stress and dissatisfaction. The subject content will differ on each of the evenings. You may attend one or both evenings. Please register for the programs using our library website's Events calendar or by visiting or calling the Adult Services Reference Desk at 412-366-8100, extension 113.

Writing as a Spiritual Journey

Thursday, May 6 at 7:00pm

Former professor of world religions and art history, Madhu Wangu leads a monthly writers' group that focuses on putting deeply-felt emotions and experiences into words. Dr. Wangu believes that such writings have positive results for both the writer and the reader. If you enjoy writing, turning your intense emotions into words and sharing some of your ideas with others, join us on Thursday, May 6th at 7:00 p.m. The group will continue meeting on the first Thursday of each month. No registration is required.