Teen Services

     -  LeeAnn Anna 

 The Pittsburgh Photographic Library (PPL) of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh contains more than 50,000 prints and negatives relating to Pittsburgh's history. The Library began in 1950 by the University of Pittsburgh under the direction of photo documentalist Roy Stryker and noted local photographers such as Luke Swank, Frank Bingaman, Clyde Hare, Abram Brown, Harold Corsini and others.

The project ceased in the late 1950's and the Pittsburgh Photographic Library was transferred to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as a reference collection in 1960. Contact prints are on file in the Pennsylvania Department, and materials are available for viewing during regular Library hours. Research assistance is also available by request or appointment.

You can also browse some of these photos in the online exhibit  Bridging the Urban Landscape. This exhibit contains more than 600 historical photographs and images of Pittsburgh, its bridges and its neighborhoods.

In addition to individual orders, prints from the collection are utilized by local and national businesses, researchers, advertising agencies, colleges, clubs, social service agencies, publishers and featured in the film and television industry.

News and Reminders from Commonwealth Libraries

Check WebJunction Pennsylvania for funding opportunities, such as: 

• Wal-Mart State Giving Program - March 14 and August 8
• Monnell Foundation Education Grants - April 30
• Grable Foundation - May 1
• America's Historical and Cultural Organization Planning Grants - August 13
• America's Media Makers Production Grants - August 13
•  Ford Foundation
• Hillman Family Foundations  

Grow with the Library

Have a seed?  Leave a seed!  Need a seed?  Take a seed!

Patrons can now check out seeds from CLP-Main's Seed Library, located on the First Floor of the Main Library in Oakland.  Envelopes and labels are provided.  

Patrons can sign out their seeds in the provided binder.  We ask that patrons also bring heirloom or organic seeds to the seed library to share with others at the end of the growing season.  

The Seed Library strives to be a source of knowledge and community building with seeds as the catalyst. This effort will help to preserve local garden stories and knowledge while promoting the growth and expansion of a local, free and regionally adapted seed base.

Photocopy Services

The Microfilm Room at CLP -Main (Oakland) recently added a piece of new equipment called the ST ViewScan. The ST ViewScan enhances viewing of microfilm, microfiche and microcards and enables high quality image scanning for better quality printing of microforms, especially when printing pictures from newspaper articles. It also makes it possible to save images to a flash drive or forward to customer as a PDF.

The Microfilm Room staff also offer a library-to-library photocopy service, initiated and fulfilled by library staff. Copyright law interpretation indicates that photocopied materials can be given to customers. A maximum of ten copies are free. 

Nonprofit Resource Center

As of January 2014, the Foundation Center, located at CLP - Main, was renamed the Nonprofit Resource Center. The intent of this name change is to distinguish the department from the actual Foundation Center which is a separate nonprofit organization located in New York City. The department's full name is now Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Nonprofit Resource Center.  The website address  has changed but other contact information will remain the same.  
 
The center is a partner in a national Funding Information Network established by the Foundation Center to provide information about grantmakers and their grants to the public. In addition to a core collection of Foundation Center materials, both print and online, the center also provides access to other resources that are related to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in general.  For this reason, we feel the new name better reflects the breadth of the collection.