The Library's Pittsburgh Iron and Steel Heritage Collection is a digital archive of more than 500,000 pages from historic materials documenting the emergence of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Dating as far back as the 1800s, the collection features books, maps, journals, photographs, illustrations and trade catalogs.

"What you'll find within the collection is an abundance of resources about the iron and steel industry, including the people, neighborhoods, industries and businesses that evolved and thrived in the industry's shadow," said Ryan Hughes, project manager for the digital collection. "You'll also find a lot of items indirectly related to the industry."

For example, did you ever wonder why your friend or coworker from Pittsburgh's East End thinks his or her neighborhood is the best? "Apparently folks in the East End have felt that way since at least 1907, when it was declared 'the world's most beautiful suburb,'" said Hughes.

Visitors to the collection can download a copy of a Fort Pitt Supply Company's 1905 catalog on bathroom fixtures; Thomas Fay's 1914 How to Buy an Automobile; the sheet music to the Automobile Waltz from 1900 and an 1879 photo of George Washington Gale Ferris, inventor of the Ferris Wheel.

The Library will have a social networking component to the project that will connect industrial researchers, public school students, historians and genealogists to the collection. A selection of the material already has been added to Flickr, enabling users to view, share and contribute to the collection. In the coming months, a curriculum guide will be available for all elementary, middle and high school students.