Classic Film Night on Wednesday, March 25

The featured film for this month's Classic Film Night will be Sunset Boulevard starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden and released on August 4, 1950. Sunset Boulevard is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made. In 1989, The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress chose it for their initial list of 25 landmark films deemed "culturally, historically, or esthetically important."

The film will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Reading Room on the Second Floor. Join us at the library as we celebrate the tradition of classic film! Register at the library's circulation desk.

"...All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my closeup.''

Rising Powers: The New Global Reality

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has enjoyed the spotlight as the sole superpower in world affairs. Yet the 21st century promises to be characterized by multiple and competing sources of global power. Join Michael R. Kraig for “Rising Powers: The New Global Reality” at the Peters Township Public Library on Thursday, March 19 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. as he provides analysis of the dynamics driving the diffusion, redistribution, and redefinition of power around the globe.

Dr. Michael Kraig is director of Policy Analysis and Dialogue at the Stanley Foundation in Muscatine, Iowa. In this role, he is currently managing the overall conceptual and substantive direction of several foundation initiatives: United Nations and Global Institutions; US and Global Security; US and Asian Security; US and Middle East Security; Rising Powers; and Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament. These ongoing programs are centered on widening the policy debate in the United States and within foreign capitals by discussing multilateral, cooperative policy options that could make both the United States and the world more prosperous and secure. Kraig has a Ph.D. in political science from the University at Buffalo, New York, with a concentration in international relations, US foreign policy, and comparative politics.

Register for this program at the library’s circulation desk, call 724-941-9430 or email Carrie Weaver.

This program is part of the library’s continuing partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and is part of this year’s series "Looking to the Future: the U.S. and the World”. An honorarium for these speakers was generously provided by a grant from the McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764.

Your Town, Your History

The bound volumes containing 21 interviews collected and transcribed during the library's Oral History Project are now available for patrons to check out and enjoy. They are located on the second floor with a "Life in Peters Township" photographic display.

The interviews record the history of the township through personal audio interviews with past and present residents, some now decreased. Photographs, documents, records, letters, and other items shared during the interview process were digitized by library staff and volunteers and are included throughout the transcripts. A collective bound edition is also available in the Library & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

The interviews reflect various facets of the history of Peters Township, including farm life, education, government, recreation, transportation, industry, and daily life in a rapidly changing suburban community. Funding for the project was provided by Taste of the Township.

"I'd like to thank the Academy..."

Yes, Oscar Night is almost here! The 81st Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast on ABC, beginning with the red carpet arrivals at 5 p.m.

Did you know all five Best Film Nominees were adapted from books?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by Fitzgerald, F. Scott
The Conviction of Richard Nixon : The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews
by James Reston ("Frost/Nixon")
The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts ("Milk")
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Q & A by Vikas Swarup ("Slumdog Millionaire")

The library has all five of these books in our collection, as well as many other books that eventually were turned into Oscar-winning films. Visit the library and check out our display for the Academy Awards in the main lobby, or email me for a complete list of titles in our collection. Happy Oscars!

Here We Go!

Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!

To help pass the hours until Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, February 1st at 6 p.m., visit our display of Steeler "stuff" on the second floor of the library and read about all the Steeler greats - past and present. We've got Steeler DVDs too!

Check out the 2008-09 version of "Here We Go!" on YouTube!

Books on Screen program filled

The Books on Screen program is now filled with the maximum number of participants permitted by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. We are thrilled by the tremendous response to this book/film discussion series!

We have currently begun a waiting list for the program. Please consider visiting the Reference Desk on the second floor of the library to be placed on that list. If you have any questions regarding Books on Screen, please call 724-941-9430 ext. 327.

Books on Screen Program nearly filled

If you were considering signing up for our Books on Screen program to begin in February, please come into the library as soon as possible to do so! We only have room for four more participants before we reach the maximum permitted by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.

In case you are not familiar with this very popular program, Books on Screen compares four acclaimed films and the literature that inspired them. This book discussion series begins in February 2009 at the library on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Our discussions will be facilitated by David R. Shumway, Professor of English, and Literary and Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University.

Visit the adult program page on our web site for more details about the books/film adaptations to be discussed as well as the program dates. If you have any questions, please call the Reference Department at 724-941-9430 ext. 327.