Editorial: Support and expand Social Work in Libraries Program; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 28, 2023

  THE EDITORIAL BOARD, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Editorial: Support and expand Social Work in Libraries Program

"The Social Work in Libraries Program, a collaboration among the Allegheny County Library Association, the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, began bringing professionals into libraries this September. The Downtown, East Liberty, Allegheny, Oakland and Hill District CLP branches now each have their own in-house social worker.

These experts can handle more intense interventions. They can take the time to guide people to a food bank or to help them find addiction treatment. They can pull someone into another room to place a phone call to a shelter or help research where they might get an ID. 

Pittsburgh isn’t the only city with this idea, either. Baltimore, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Seattle have all brought social workers into libraries in the past year.

The local program is still getting established: The social workers are short-term interns, generally students earning a degree in social work. And the other 17 CLP branches are on their own. We hope the county government and local foundations will consider funding to expand the program further.

It’s a creative way to ease the stress on librarians and to bring more services to the people who need them. And it brings help to one of the few public spaces where people are still encouraged to ask for it."

Baldwin Township man leaves $500,000 to Carnegie Library system; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/4/15

Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Baldwin Township man leaves $500,000 to Carnegie Library system:

"A retired Baldwin Township man who researched his investments at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Downtown branch did well enough to donate $500,000 to the library system.

Last month, a plaque was installed at the Downtown and Business branch entrance to honor the donor, Orest Seneta, who was in his late 80s when he died in 2011.

Mr. Seneta graduated from McKees Rocks High School and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He moved away but later returned and lived in Baldwin Township at the time of his death. His brother, John Seneta of Dunn Loring, Va., told library leaders that his brother regularly did research on his investments at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Downtown and Business location.

In a prepared statement, John Seneta said, “This is a fitting tribute to my brother and a way to ensure that others have the same access to resources into the future,” noting how much libraries have evolved over the years since his brother did his research manually...

Ms. Cooper said the bequest was “one of the more significant gifts that we have gotten from an unknown donor. If people are interested in leaving money to the library, we’d love to meet them.”"