Carnegie Library hires new director

Mary Menk joked that she went from one of the biggest libraries in Allegheny County to one of the oldest. After working at the Northland Public Library in McCandless, Menk started this month as the Andrew Carnegie Free Library’s new director.

“I’m excited,” Menk said. “I’m a history buff, so for me old houses and old buildings are fun to kind of explore.”

Menk began working at the Northland library after moving to Pittsburgh with her husband. She previously worked in various librarian capacities in her home state of Virginia at the Henrico County Library outside of Richmond.

Menk completed her undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and minoring in German and Russian international studies. She holds a Master’s in library science from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Menk’s favorite professor at UMD, Carla Hayden, would later go on to become the current Librarian of Congress.

“She’s so dynamic. She’s very passionate about what she knew about public libraries,” Menk said. “Her passion for keeping us relevant was passed on to everybody who was fortunate enough to take that class.”

Menk said the library is planning on expanding programming options for seniors and children, with an emphasis on after school activities for teens in particular. She also said the library hopes to establish a volunteer program.

“We hope to…get more people aware of what we can do here and what they can help us do. It’s not just building maintenance and shelving books, but helping us with programs and connecting people with resources,” she said.

Matthew Guerry is a Tribune-Review contributor.