Carnegie Library 2, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Sean_Marshall’s photostream

On February 20, most Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh locations began staying open later. Some libraries which had been closed on Saturdays have now reopened on that day. In total, library users are gaining an additional 119 hours of access per week. According to Essential Public Radio, “The new hours are in direct response to feedback from customers…” You have a chance this Saturday to provide more feedback and help to shape the future of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. On February 25, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will hold a meeting to kick off their strategic planning process.

Via their website:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is developing its next five-year strategic plan. Our vision of the future must take into account the changing needs of our users and our communities, new methods of delivering services, and our ongoing pursuit of sustainable funding.

Library users and stakeholders will play a critical role in the process.

They promise a format that will be interactive and fun. Light refreshments will be provided. They’re looking for as many perspectives as possible, so come with your family and friends!

Their 2007-2011 Strategic Plan covered everything from making information and resources more accessible to library users of all ages, to completing the neighborhood library revitalization program, to updating lending/borrowing policies. If you want to weigh in about the future of our libraries, this is the meeting for you.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh First Community Workshop
When: Saturday, February 25, 2012, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where:St. Nicholas Cathedral, 419 South Dithridge Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213 (map)
Parking: Free parking adjacent to St. Nick’s

Teen Room, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from informationgoddess29′s photostream

Calling all companies, artists, gamers, makers, app and software developers, roboticists, musicians, designers, advertising agencies, corporations working in research & creativity, new media educators, and new media creators! If you’re working with creative technology, the Pittsburgh Technology Council is looking for you to enter the 2012 Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards. Since 1983, the Pittsburgh Technology Council has been helping southwestern Pennsylvania’s technology companies succeed. Their Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards and Interactive Exhibition is a premiere event in our region. It honors this year’s best and brightest regional creative technology projects.

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Born out of the tragedy of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE) formed over 40 years ago. The mission of PACE is to “strengthen the community-based nonprofit organizations that potentially or demonstrably can assist African American and economically disadvantaged communities to identify their needs and take effective action.” PACE has provided over $10 million in grants, as well as technical assistance, to over 300 nonprofit organizations in undeserved communities in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. As part of their mission, last week, PACE announced the kick off of their second cohort of their Strategic Action Planning Program.

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On February 13th, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Innovation Practice Institute and Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law will present a daylong forum: Building Sustainable Neighborhoods: Powering Sustainable Development in Allegheny County. The forum is being hosted by Phipps Conservatory. The day will feature compelling discussion by legislators, innovators, and industry experts on how Allegheny County can become a leader in sustainable growth and energy development.

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2012 is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is the only animal in Chinese astrology which is not real and it is considered to be the luckiest year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. You can celebrate Chinese New Year this Sunday at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The Silk Screen Asian Arts and Cultural Organization will join with The Steel Dragon School and Mimi Jong to ring in the Year of the Dragon on February 12th.

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Facing a $64 million deficit in its operating budget for the coming fiscal year, The Port Authority of Allegheny County has recently announced devastating service reductions which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has called “the largest cut in the agency’s 48-year history”:

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Did you know that the average household spends 20% of its income on transportation? Would you like to participate in the the planning process that will guide transportation decisions and spending in Pittsburgh for the next 25 years? If so, we have a meeting for you.

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Pittsburgh institution, John McIntire, will be hosting three other Pittsburgh institutions this Saturday. The John McIntire Dangerously Live Comedy Show features local journalists, politicians, comics and celebrities saying the kinds of things you usually only hear off the record, but live on stage. The panelists for January’s show are nationally-known forensic pathologist and loquacious talker Dr. Cyril Wecht, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and syndicated award-winning cartoonist Rob Rogers, and our very own Councilman Bill Peduto!

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Surely, there are hundreds of reasons to want to live in Pittsburgh, but Yinzpiration chose to highlight a nice round number (for Pittsburgh) of 57. Yinzpiration is the brainchild of Kate Stoltzfus, a non-native, who, “[i]nspired by the positive energy of the Steel City,” is interviewing 100 Burghers. She’s nearly halfway there. (You can nominate who “yinzpires” you here.) In the meantime, she’s compiled some of her favorite Pittsburgh tweeps’ reasons for why we love to live in this city.

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The Green Building Alliance (GBA) is one of the first U.S. Green Building Council affiliate organizations in the country and a national pioneer in promoting green building. Created in 1993, this nonprofit strives to drive market demand for both green buildings and green building products, helping Western PA achieve national prominence in LEED-certified buildings. GBA programs include giving project assistance for green buildings including resources for funding, LEED rating systems and green building practices; providing educational opportunities for industry professionals; driving the development of a large-scale database for analyzing sustainable and high performance buildings; promoting the greening of schools, and more. Since 1998, over 6,000 people have attended GBA workshops and training events.

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