Celebrate library week at Northland Public Library

“Drawn to the Library” is the American Library Association’s theme for National Library Week 2025, which falls April 6-12, and it’s a fitting theme for the ever-growing Northland Public Library.

As the second largest library in Allegheny County, Northland serves more than 90,000 residents of Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall, McCandless and Ross, as noted on its website. The library is located at 300 Cumberland Road in McCandless.

“This year’s theme, ‘Drawn to the Library,’ explores the many ways patrons are drawn to the library, its materials and resources. It is a call to action to recognize, celebrate and visit libraries, like Northland,” said Nicholas Yon, communications director for Northland Public Library.

In 2024, Northland logged 1,027,974 checkouts and renewals of physical items, which Yon said is the “highest number of any library in the county for the third year in a row and second year in a row eclipsing 1 million checkout-plus renewals of physical items.”

There were 231,993 library visits, which is up for the third year in a row, he said.

Nearly 200,000 items are in Northland’s physical collection, including books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and CDs. Additionally, visitors can access more than 1.8 million downloadable eBooks, AudioBooks, eMagazines, videos and music.

“Libraries provide vital access to materials, resources and services that impact the lives of the communities we serve, across the spectrum of their entire lives. Libraries provide opportunities for exploration, connection and discovery and act as a third place for our communities,” Yon said.

Griffin Ramakrishna of Marshall was there looking for a good book with his family on March 25.

“There’s always something new. You can stay here, and there’s always a place to read,” he said.

Other interesting finds at the library can include virtual headsets, take-home science boxes, board games and an outdoor explorer backpack. Northland also offers a variety of educational and social programs for adults and children, and a calendar of those activities are available online at northlandlibrary.org.

Northland currently is undergoing an approximately $4 million renovation, which is expected to last until early summer.

Local municipalities issued proclamations in March to recognize National Library Week. Northland will have a copy of those proclamations on display, including other library-related handouts and activities, Yon said.

Mary Jayne Cramer of Ross is a shelver who started working at Northland three years ago. She was looking for some structure in her life after retiring as a physical therapist.

She enjoys her job and co-workers at Northland, but that’s not all.

“I also like the interaction with the patrons, and I love the books,” Cramer said.

A preorder “dine to donate” event will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. April 10 at Millie’s Ice Cream, 11978 Perry Highway in Pine, with 20% of in-store sales going to the library. Through April 7, library supporters also can preorder a sundae box for $49, a sundae kit for $30 and individual pints of ice cream for $9.50 for pickup during the event. Twenty percent of those sales will be donated back to Northland. To preorder, visit millies-fundraising.square.site.

Norhland receives the majority of its funding from the five municipalities it serves, according to its website. Other funding comes from the state, locally generated income, the Northland Public Library Foundation and the Allegheny County Regional Asset District.

The American Library Association lists special observation days during National Library Week, including Right to Read Day on April 7, National Library Workers Day on April 8, National Library Outreach Day on April 9 and Take Action for Libraries Day on April 10.

Visit ala.org for more about these events.