The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a massive selection of books for children and their families, but library card holders can take advantage of a number of other services for free.
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A recent edition of Hey Pittsburgh’s newsletter cited six free things that Pittsburgh residents can get with their library card. The daily newsletter even created a podcast to discuss the activities.
Free activities and services listed by Hey Pittsburgh include:
- Borrowing power tools from the Millvale Community Library, which has a collection of more than 1,000 hand and power tools for building, home maintenance, gardening, plumbing, car repairs, and bike tuneups
- Digitizing photos and videos at the Recollection Studio’s DIY digitization lab in Oakland, which has hardware, software, and documentation to digitize VHS tapes, audio cassette tapes, documents, photographs, slides, and negatives
- Borrowing bakeware from the Library of Things, which has an entire cooking and baking catalog where visitors can find everything from popcorn, ice cream, and waffle makers to holiday cookie cutters and cake pan shapes for themed birthday parties
- Digging into family history at the main branch of the Carnegie Library in Oakland, which has a local history and genealogy section where visitors can book appointments to research their family tree through newspaper clippings going back to the early 1900s, a microfilm collection with census records and city directories, and books with instruction on cemetery research
- Picking up a new hobby. Music lovers can borrow synthesizers, beatmakers, sequencers, effects pedals, recording equipment, and instruments. Sports and outdoor enthusiasts can check out pickleball and tennis racket sets, bocce ball, corn hole, and a fishing rod kit. Those who love the arts can access a wide variety of online crafting tutorials through Creativebug such as quilting, embroidery, bookbinding, sewing, and such tools as a pottery wheel.
- Getting free or discounted tickets to a number of cultural attractions – such as the Carnegie museums, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Pirates games – with the RAD Pass.
Listen to the Hey Pittsburgh podcast to hear more about free activities that the Carnegie Library system offers.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Children’s Literacy Summit on Saturday, Sept. 27 at its CLP – Main branch in Oakland.
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Literacy organizations from the Greater Pittsburgh region will take part in the event to champion early literacy among young learners. It will bring together leaders, advocates, librarians, educators, caregivers, and anyone passionate about early literacy.
Attendees will explore strategies, share best practices, and spark conversations to empower children, from birth to age 8, through the joy of reading.
The summit will also include a Children’s Literacy Resource Fair, beginning at noon, where attendees can connect with local literacy organizations, discover valuable resources and services, and learn how to get involved to support early literacy efforts in the community.
The summit will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will release a new Virtual Storytime every month on its website that also includes songs and activities.
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This month’s storytime discusses the library’s summer reading challenge, features two books, some book recommendations, two songs, and other activities.
The storytime, which also provides an option for captioning, starts with an introduction and is followed by the reading of Susan Stockdale’s “Line Up: Animals in Remarkable Rows.”
Then, viewers can follow a felt-board story and take part in a sing-a-long of “Clap and Sing Hello.” The second book during the storytime is “Papa’s Magical Water Jug Clock” by Jesus Trejo.
The second story is followed by a song involving egg shakers and the storytime closes out with a goodbye.
At the end of the video, children and their caregivers are given two book recommendations for those who enjoyed the selections read during the virtual storytime – Joshua David Stein’s “Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild” and Hannah Eliot and Jade Orlando’s “Who Takes Care of You?”
To view the monthly virtual storytime, visit the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s website.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Main (Oakland) branch will host its outdoor Summer Reading Extravaganza in August that will include storytelling, music, crafts, food trucks, and more.
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The event will include an interactive presentation by award-winning author Antwan Eady on his book “Nigel and the Moon.” Free copies of the book will be distributed to attendees and a Q&A will follow the presentation.
A National Aviary expert will present “Amazing Adaptations,” during which children will be able to discover a bird’s unique characteristics and explore bio facts, such as feet, feathers, and beaks.
Puppets for Pittsburgh will present “Aesop’s Fables,” a puppet show made entirely from things discarded by libraries.
SQUONK will create an outdoor spectacle by fusing fantastical visual design, playful staging, and original music. SQUONK’s “Brouhaha” performance brings audiences together for a celebration of humankind and our peculiar world.
Other activities and attendees include Animal Friends, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Mad Science, Moonshot Museum, Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library, Reading Ready Pittsburgh, and various other organizations, food trucks, and businesses.
The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10.
For more information, visit the Extravaganza website.
The Carnegie Library of Homestead will host storytimes and other activities during its B is for Bookbash on Saturday, Aug. 23.
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The event, which runs from noon to 3 p.m. on Aug. 23 at 510 E. 10th Ave., will include activities for all ages.
Attendees will be able to take part in snacks, crafts, storytimes, games, a photo booth, book giveaways, and face painting.
The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books will celebrate the city’s literary community and draw poets, authors, and readers to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
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The festival features local and nationally-recognized authors, poets, children’s activities, bookstores, entertainment, and publishers.
Participating authors include Rachel Khong, Torrey Peters, and Sharon G. Flake, while poet Judy Collins will also be in attendance. The festival also offers a variety of children’s programming, including story time events and workshops.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. It will take place at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, located at 4400 Forbes Ave.
Registration, which is now open for the festival, secures a spot at any program. The book festival’s dinner, which will run from 6 p .m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 30, has also opened registration.
More information on the headlining authors, adult programming, children and young adult programming, workshops, and panels is available on the festival’s website.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has opened registration for its citywide summer reading challenge that includes events and prizes.
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Flights of Imagination, the library’s summer reading challenge, calls for participants to read at least five books after registering and entering to win prizes. Each book that a participant logs after their fifth earns them a chance to win a variety of prizes, including:
- $25 gift card
- Gift baskets
- Toniebox and four characters
- KiwiCo 12-month membership
- Nintendo Switch
- Pittsburgh Zoo family membership
- Beats headphones
More information on which age group is eligible to win the various prizes can be found on the summer reading challenge’s prizes page.
The library will host a series of summer reading kickoff events in June that include face painting, an owl-related event with Allegheny County park rangers, Hosanna House’s Center for Aviation Technology & Training, and an animal visit at the National Aviary. The dates, times, and locations for all of the kickoff events can be found on the library’s website.
To register for the summer reading kickoff, participants must:
- Create an account or log in with an existing Beanstack credentials and update the details. Those who cannot remember their password should call 412-622-3114.
- Log summer reading and keep track of reading progress.
- Log reading online in the Beanstack website or on its tracker app on a phone.
For more information, visit the library’s website.
An initiative of the Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania (LDA) is incorporating everything from movement to sandboxes and balls to make reading fun and, in the process, bridge the literacy gap for low-income students, Public Source wrote in a recent report.
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The LDA’s reading intervention initiative is divided into two programs:
- Early literacy tutoring, which offers group learning for children who need help reading between kindergarten and second grade
- One-on-one reading intervention for students of any age
State and city statistics show that the LDA initiative is needed. Pennsylvania fourth graders who were kindergarteners at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic scored lower in reading than fourth graders in 2019, Public Source reported. And third-grade reading proficiency is at 46.2% – which is 1.6% lower than last year – in Pittsburgh Public Schools’ largest school district.
A Multi-sensory Approach
LDA’s reading programs use a multi-sensory approach that incorporates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses to aid reading, Public Source reported.
Students in Taylor Erickson’s class at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Hill District branch take part in “sky-writing.” They are encouraged to stand up, wiggle their bodies, and use their arms like pencils to trace letters.
For more information on the LDA initiative, which provides free tutoring for both reading programs, read Public Source’s story.
As part of its programming, Buzzword distributes its signature “BUZZ Boxes” to local families to help excite children from birth to age five as well as their caregivers about new words that are all around them. These family engagement kits come complete with a high-quality children’s book and enriching activities that support early literacy skills and development.
This month’s Buzzword is USEFUL, which means to be used for a practical purpose. Buzzword’s USEFUL Activity Book will give children – ages birth to five – and their caregivers the opportunity to connect through science, art, music, and early literacy activities.
Caregivers are encouraged to read through Lou by Breanna Carzoo with their child. Then, they should go through the different activities and ideas together, taking time to explain the meaning of the words and connecting them to their child’s real-life experiences.
Buzzword has also provided a USEFUL book list of recommendations from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for further reading.
View the USEFUL Activity Book and book recommendations.
More Information
Want to learn more on how to get involved with Buzzword? Ask your local Allegheny County Family Center about the program, or email buzzword@tryingtogether.org.
While activities for adults to celebrate Black History Month can include everything from commemorative to cultural events, there are also a wide variety of activities for children that incorporate play, arts, and learning.
Events
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh will offer its second annual Black History Month Art Crawl from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 1. Contemporary artists will be stationed throughout the museum’s first floor who will create live portraits and artworks honoring Pittsburgh’s Black heroes. This year’s featured subjects will include Pittsburgh’s Freedom Corner, Kuntu Repertory Theater Founder Dr. Vernell Lillie, baseball player Josh Gibson (of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords), civil rights activist and performer Lena Horne, and many others.
The Carnegie Science Center will host several Black History Month-themed events, including a Story Time Under the Stars during which children can learn about Black STEM professionals while listening to science-themed stories under a starry sky.
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will host “Words & Pictures” featuring author Kelly Starling Lyons. Her latest book celebrates the 120th anniversary of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem, and how it inspired five generations of a family. The talk will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 30 at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Main branch in Oakland.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Knoxville branch will host Kids Club: Taking Flight – African Americans in Aviation for children in kindergarten through fifth grade on Wednesday, February 5. The event will focus on three history makers: Bessie Coleman, David E. Harris, and Guion Bluford, all three of whom played a significant role in aviation and aerospace history.
The Carnegie Library has also put together a list of Teen Books for Black History Month 2025. The list includes everything from nonfiction to novels that fit in with the Black History Month theme.
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, located on Main Street in Greensburg, will host a Black History Month Celebration on Sunday, February 9. The event will include art-making activities and performances honoring the month’s theme.
