ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


4 8 0 /C& RL News

Pittsburgh: Your kind of 
neighborhood

By Marcia Duncan Lowry

Plan to attend ACRL’s 7th National 
Conference, March 29-April 1, 1995

P ittsburgh! “It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood,” as Mr. Rogers, one of the 
city’s notables, attests. Come experience the 
friendliness, charm, and diversity of the “City 
of Three Rivers” during ACRL’s 7th Annual Confe 
rence, March 29-April 1, 1995. Pittsburgh long 
ago shed its grimy, industrial image of the ear­
ly 1900s. Today the city is described by spar­
kling rivers, fountains, green parks, towering 
modern skyscrapers, and, nestled in its sur­
rounding hillsides, 90 ethnically diverse and 
distinct neighborhoods. It is a city with a rich 
200-year history, as its many nicknames indicate.

"G atew ay to the West"
In 1753 a young major in the Virginia Militia 
named George Washington was sent on a sur­
veying mission to western 
Pennsylvania. Finding a lo­
cation at the confluence of Pittsburgh
the Allegheny and Mononga- first fe rris
hela rivers, he wrote that the 
area was “extremely well sit­ first drive-
uated for a fort, as it has ab­ statio n , a n
solute control of both rivers.”

The triangular spit o f land football te
where the two rivers meet n u m b ers o
and the Ohio River begins 
was the site of several forts 
over the course of the following years. Both 
the French and the English wished to claim 
this strategic location for expansion into the 
interior of the North American continent. The 
English Fort Prince George was supplanted by

the French Fort Duquesne in 1754, only to re­
turn to English hands with the erection of Fort 
Pitt in 1759- The British General John Forbes 
named the settlement which developed around 
the fort “Pittsburgh.”

After the Revolutionary War, Pittsburgh was 
pivotal for the westward migrations of the pio­
neers. It was a welcome location for replenish­
ing supplies and energies following the trek 
over the Appalachians, and the “Gateway to 
the West” grew as a trading and boat-building 
center.

"Iron and Steel City" transforms
The 19th century transformed Pittsburgh into 
an industrial center fed by rail and steamboats. 
The great steel magnates Andrew Carnegie and 
Henry C. Frick established their empires in the 
city and the mills’ production played a major 
role in America’s growth. The glory of being 
the “Steel Capital o f the World” came with a 
hefty price tag, however. Pittsburgh’s produc­

tive mills, coke ovens, and 
foundries churned out mas­

 claim s the sive quantities o f smoke, 
 w h e e l, the soot, and pollution. The city 

was described as “hell with 
in g a s  the lid o f f.” Streetlights 
d  the first burned both day and night 

to penetrate the industrial 
am  to put darkness well into the 20th 
n je rse y s! century.

The “Smoky City” under­
went a major transformation 

shortly after World War II. The public and pri­
vate sectors joined to fund the city’s first re­
naissance. In 1946 Pittsburgh instituted a smoke 
control program in conjunction with a major 
urban renewal project. The heavily industrial-

ιMarcia D uncan Lowry is reference librarian a t Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; 
e-m ail: lowry@rmcnet. robert-morris. edu



S ep tem b er 1 9 9 4  / 4 8 1

ized “Point” where the rivers meet was trans­
formed into a 36-acre green park and, in place 
of terminals and warehouses, the office towers 
of Gateway Center were erected.

After an industrial peak in the 1950s, the 
economic base o f Pittsburgh faced a major set­
back. The decline of the domestic steel indus­
try in the 1960s and 7 0 s  left many unemployed 
and the city struggling to come to grips with its 
new reality. Fortunately, however, another lit- 
tle-noticed industry was growing in Pittsburgh 
during the decades when steel was king—  
the service industry. By the 1980s the white 
collar work force outnumbered the blue by 
four to one, compared to the one to one ratio 
o f the ’50s. Today Pittsburgh is in the midst 
o f its second  renaissance, restructuring its 
econom y to propel it as a model city into the 
21st century.

"One of the Top" & "One of the Best"
The Pittsburgh of the 1990s is consistently num­
bered on the “top” and “best” lists published 
by various organizations and pollsters. It is one 
o f the largest corporate headquarters in the 
country and eight F ortu n e 500 companies call 
the Golden Triangle home. Pittsburgh consti­
tutes the third largest research and develop­
ment center in the country. Knowledge is sur­
passing steel’s previous profitability to become 
the economic resource o f the region. Finance, 
education, medicine, biotechnology, software 
engineering, and advanced technologies cur­
rently fill Pittsburgh’s portfolio.

Pittsburgh enjoys membership in the “Most 
Livable City Club,” 
being the only U.S. 
city to have placed 
in the top five lo­
cales three times in 
the P la ces R ated  A l­
m a n a c . It is also one 
of only six cities to 
be included twice in 
the once-a-decad e 
list o f top U.S. cities 
p u b lish e d  by the 
Partners for Livable 
Communities. D e­
spite a population 
nearing 2,500,000,
Pittsburgh maintains 
the friendliness and 
charm  o f a sm all 
town.

Culturally, Pittsburgh takes center stage as 
well. It is home to one o f the world’s best sym­

hony orchestras; its ballet is consistently 
anked among the top ten regional companies; 
nd its opera is one of the nation’s ten best. In 
ll, Pittsburgh is host to more than 200 per­
orming arts groups.

The city’s museums include the Carnegie, 
ith its Museum of Natural History, Fine Art 
useum and Heinz Architectural Hall; the Andy 
arhol (native son) Museum; the Frick Fine 

rt Museum; the Stephen Foster Memorial; the 
arnegie Science Center; and the Pittsburgh 
egional History Center. For flora and fauna 

overs, the city offers the Phipps Conservatory, 
he National Aviary, and the Pittsburgh Zoo— a 
tate-of-the-art natural habitat.

Other Pittsburgh facts may surprise and de­
ight the trivia lover. The “City o f Bridges,” with 
ver 700, has more than any other city in the 
orld. And as long as one is counting, Pitts­
urgh has more golf courses and pleasure boats 
er capita than any city in the U.S. The 
cDonald’s Big Mac was invented in Pittsburgh; 

adio’s, first broadcast was made from Pitts­
urgh’s KDKA on November 2,1920; and Jonas 
alk developed the polio vaccine here. Pitts­
urgh claims the first ferris wheel, the first drive- 

n gas station, and the first football team to put 
umbers on jerseys! And if you are wondering 
hat Flash D an ce, S ilen ce o f  the L am b s and 
offa  have in common— it is Pittsburgh. Due 

o its diverse and rich architecture— H. H. 
ichardson Romanesque to Phillip Johnson 

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(Pittsburgh cont. on p a g e  519)

A view  o f  Pittsbu rgh ’s reju ven ated  “P oin t” w h e re  th e  riv e rs m eet.



September 1 9 9 4 /5 1 9

G regory C. Colati has been appointed col­
lege archivist at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, 
Maine.

Cindy C om pton has been appointed ad­
ministrative services librarian at Baylor Univer­
sity, Waco, Texas.

Philip  C ro o m  has been named health/ 
physical sciences collection management librar­
ian at Virginia Commonwealth University, Rich­
mond.

Ree D eD onato is now undergraduate li­
brarian at Columbia University, New York.

Fran cin e D eFranco has been promoted to 
reference services unit head at the University 
of Connecticut, Greater Hartford Campus.

Elizabeth A. Dupuis is now reference and 
electronic information services librarian at the 
University o f Texas at Austin Undergraduate 
Library.

Paula E pstein  is the new coordinator of 
library outreach at Columbia College, Chicago.

Mark E sser has been named conservator 
in the Burns Library o f Rare Books and Special 
Collections at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, 
Massachusetts.

K arl Fattig has been appointed catalog li­
brarian at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

(Pittsburgh co n t.from  p a g e 481)
modem— the city is consistently chosen as a
prime movie filming site.

ACRL 1995 convention site
As a convention city, Pittsburgh offers a com­
pact downtown area which is safe and easily 
navigable by foot or public transit. Within 
roughly ten square blocks, restaurants and shop­
ping abound. One Oxford Center, PPG Place, 
and Fifth Avenue Place provide the most avid 
shopper hours o f pleasure in proximity to the 
Convention Center and hotels. Slightly further 
afield in the distinctive neighborhoods of the 
city are South Craig Street in Oakland, Walnut 
Street in Shadyside, Forbes and Murray Ave­
nues in Squirrel Hill, and East Carson Street 
and Station Square on the South Side.

The ACRL local arrangements committee has 
planned an array of events and tours designed 
to acquaint conference attendees with the city 
and its environs. Future articles will discuss in 
greater detail tours which are planned, cultural 
events, sightseeing, libraries, and local restau­
rants. Come share a few wonderful days “in 
the neighborhood.” ■

F re d e rick  L. G ilm ore has been named 
electronic resources librarian at Virginia Com­
monwealth University, Richmond.

D. J e n n ife r Haas is now Balcones librari­
an in the Engineering Library at the University 
of Texas at Austin.

S haron  Hay has been appointed social sci­
ence/humanities reference librarian at Indiana 
University Purdue University Indianapolis.

P atricia H en d erson  has been named as­
sistant acquisitions librarian at the University 
o f Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Alberto Hernandez is now reference librar­
ian/bibliographer in the O ’Neill Library at Bos­
ton College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

R obert A. H inton is now reference, docu­
ments librarian at Indiana University Purdue 
University Indianapolis.

Virginia W. H op croft has been named ref­
erence librarian for government documents at 
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

M aym anat Ja fa ri has been named social 
science reference librarian at Indiana Univer­
sity Purdue University Indianapolis.

D ebra K etchell has been appointed acting 
deputy director o f the University of Washing­
ton Health Sciences Libraiy and Information 
Center, Seattle.

Ann E. K oop m an  has been named science 
reference librarian at Indiana University Purdue 
University Indianapolis.

M ary Berghaus Levering is the new dep­
uty register o f copyrights at the Libraiy o f Con­
gress, Washington, D.C.

R osem ary McAndrew has been appoint­
ed head o f access services at New York Uni­
versity, New York City.

Mark M cFarland is now acting coordina­
tor o f electronic information programs at the 
University o f Texas at Austin.

A m anda Maple recenüy joined the Penn 
State University Libraries as music librarian.

T erren ce M ech has been appointed vice- 
president for information and instructional tech­
nologies at King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Penn­
sylvania.

Ju d ith  Reid M ontgom ery has been pro­
moted to associate librarian for public services 
at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

T hom as Newell recently joined the Uni­
versity o f Texas at Austin Tarlton Law Library 
staff as computer services librarian.

J o a n  R. N orton has been appointed refer­
ence librarian at the Tacoma Campus of the 
University o f Washington.