🏢 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

West End Branch

One of Pittsburgh's very first Carnegie libraries, the West End branch opened on January 31, 1899 and was among the earliest in America to let patrons browse the shelves themselves rather than wait for a clerk.

📖 About West End Branch

The West End branch opened on January 31, 1899, making it the third Carnegie Library to open in Pittsburgh and the eighth in the entire country — part of Andrew Carnegie's original grant to the city. It holds a notable place in library history as only the second Pittsburgh branch to adopt open, self-service shelving, the then-revolutionary policy of letting patrons browse and pull their own books instead of requesting them from a clerk behind closed stacks (the Lawrenceville branch was first). The building, at 47 Wabash Street in Pittsburgh's West End neighborhood, was added to the City of Pittsburgh's historic designations in 2004. More than a century later it continues to serve the West End with lending, public computers, Wi-Fi, and programming. The branch is open Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.

⭐ What makes this branch special

• Opened January 31, 1899 — the third Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and the eighth in the United States
• Part of Andrew Carnegie's original grant to the City of Pittsburgh
• Only the second Pittsburgh branch to introduce open, self-service shelving
• Added to the City of Pittsburgh's historic designations in 2004

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