History of Jefferson Hills Public Library.

Mission

To promote reading, thinking, learning, enjoyment of the arts, and to enhance the quality of life for all members of the community.

Vision

To meet the needs of all members of our community and give them the opportunity to grow intellectually through our valuable free library resources and services we provide to the public.

History

Jefferson Hills Public Library was founded in 1959 by the joint efforts of the Jefferson Borough Lions’ Club and a group of private citizens. Library shelving was initially placed in the Council Chambers and later moved to the renovated basement of the Municipal Building at 3008 Old Clairton Road.

Under the leadership of Charlotte Hill and Madeline Conklin, volunteers were organized to staff the library. The library was financed by a yearly donation from the Borough Council, donations from the Lions’ Club, local businesses, and citizens. Legislative grants were also received over the years.

Volunteers staffed the library until 1963 when Joyce Schmidt was hired as a librarian. Joyce and her volunteers worked to help the library grow for the next 30 plus years.

In October of 1992, the library moved into the Municipal Center at 925 Old Clairton Road.

Jan Reschenthaler took over as library director in 1994 and lead the library through massive changes, including the addition of computers and the internet, eBooks and other online resources, and more.  After 24 years of service, Jan retired in 2021 and was succeeded by Dana Farabaugh.

The library continues to grow and adapt to evolving community needs.  In addition to a robust physical collection of books, audiobooks, and movies, cardholders can learn a new language, research their family histories, get one-on-one tutoring, and more via the Allegheny County eLibrary.

The Jefferson Hills Library is a member of the Allegheny County Library Association and the EiNetwork. The library is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Allegheny County Regional Asset District (RAD), the Borough of Jefferson Hills, and generous donations.