In part inspired by my colleague's recent post here on the LBPH Blog, I've recently decided to look further into the topic of homesteading and self-sufficiency.   I've been gardening for a few years now, and every year try to do a little more to make my yard more sustainable and productive.  I have a raised bed garden, but also mix plenty of edibles throughout the landscape.  I've never…

I stumbled across this excellent collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction a few years ago. The title and the idea of a collection that was purposefully made in terms of writers of color taking on the themes, tropes, and issues of these genres was really interesting to me. What I found equally interesting were the introductions by the editors. The discussion of why this…

An intern uses the library's REcollection studio to share the hidden histories in the Pittsburgh Photographic Library.

Bonnie discovers that there's always something to talk about.

The Best Books for Babies list has been created annually since 2000 by a committee of local librarians, child development experts, and community members. Check out this year's Best Books for Babies list, and start reading today!

I’m not going to be hilarious today as I usually am. I think it’s the weather… Even the bus drivers are cranky, can you imagine? It’s an enigma. Although, when I hear Enigma I usually think of coding and Alan Turing… Turns out there is a guy running around, trying to kill people, whose DNA is unlike any other, and he’s an Enigma! If you…

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir Wait Till Next Year will transport you to another world — life in suburban America in the 1950s, a time in which baseball was unarguably our national pastime.  Ms. Goodwin has written that she initially set out to write the story of her coming of age as a passionate Brooklyn Dodgers fan but soon realized that her enthusiasm for baseball was…

Learning begins at birth! Not only are our Best Books for Babies Baby Book Showers a fantastic way to jump start your child's education, they are fun, too! Join us Saturday, May 5th at CLP – Hazelwood and Saturday, May 12th at CLP – Allegheny, from 1:30-2:30pm to celebrate this year's Best Books for Babies!

Working at a library has always provided a never-ending list of titles to add to my reading list. One such moment occurred when I was adding audio books to the collection and a title peaked my interest: The Trees by Ali Shaw.  The short annotation was interesting enough for me to order a print copy and look it up on Goodreads for a longer description.…