Bridgeville and South Fayette Libraries Agree to Partnership

On behalf of the South Fayette Township Library Board, we are pleased to announce a management partnership with the Bridgeville Public Library beginning next year. Below is a press release from the Allegheny County Library Assoc. explaining the partnership after BPL Board of Trustees ratified the agreement Tuesday night. South Fayette's Library Board approved the agreement in October. -Mike Jones


The Bridgeville Public and South Fayette Township libraries agreed Tuesday night to a collective partnership to maximize collective resources and staff next year.  In a day of shrinking budgets and shifting technology these libraries are breaking new ground, deciding to work in tandem to deliver library service to residents of Bridgeville, South Fayette, and beyond.  As Rebecca Wisbon, President of the Bridgeville Public Library observed, “Our libraries are taking a leadership role in how we can deliver the best possible service to our communities.  We don’t have to work alone.  By working together we can do so much more.”  This sentiment is shared by the Board of the South Fayette Township Library, as represented by President Robert Milacci: “Those who live in our communities don’t see boundaries when they look for service. Our libraries have long recognized that and are committed to finding better ways to leverage the tax support we receive.”

Beginning in January the South Fayette Township Library will be contracted to manage day-to-day operations at the Bridgeville Public Library.  This will allow the two libraries to focus resources on direct public service.  They will be able to share programming expertise, back-room support functions, and outreach to the residents of both communities.  This model is one that other libraries in the County have already tested.  Focus On Renewal, the agency that owns the library in McKees Rocks, has a management services agreement with the Sewickley Public Library.  Library operations are managed on a contract basis, similar to how municipalities contract out for other services.  Marilyn Jenkins, Executive Director of the Allegheny County Library Association, applauds this forward thinking.  “ACLA is a countywide consortium that supports all types of collaboration. In fact, even before there was a unified 9-1-1 service we had a unified library system – one library card good at any library in the County.  Libraries like Bridgeville and South Fayette are progressive trailblazers in intergovernmental cooperation.”

Bridgeville is a small community challenged by its limited tax base, but it has a new library facility that serves as a community anchor.  South Fayette is an expanding community still looking for a “town center.”   Both entities bring valuable assets to the table. The new arrangement will formalize and enhance the cooperative spirit that the libraries have informally pursued all along.  For local residents the transition will be virtually seamless. They will begin to see more opportunities in the way of programs and public service at both locations.

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