Hoopla Changes Coming May 1st

Starting May 1st, the Allegheny County Library System will be implementing a daily spending cap to Hoopla. This sets a dollar amount limit that, once reached, will pause Hoopla checkouts until the next day. The daily cap resets at midnight local time.

You will encounter new messaging in the app and browser experiences. This is a collective limit, not to be confused with the personal check out limit, which remains at 5 per month. 

Please use the Favorites button in Hoopla to build a curated collection to choose from quickly. 

Get more out of Hoopla with BingePass (special collections of unlimited content) and Bonus Borrows (curated, specific titles that are available at the last week of the month).

Ask your librarian for assistance if needed. 

Writers - Biography in Context

 

Access articles, photos and more for over 600 writers with Biography in Context and your Library Card!

 This database contains the life stories of thousands of famous people including actors, leaders, inventors and singers.

Sins for Erin - Author Talk

Saturday, April 11th at 2pm

Please Register

Join Author Logan Joyce for a Deep Dive into Pittsburgh’s Most Daring Heist Ring

In his new non-fiction book, Sins for Erin, author Logan Joyce uncovers a gripping—and deeply personal—chapter of Pittsburgh’s criminal past. Centered on his own Irish-Catholic ancestors, the book explores what The Pittsburgh Press (1922) called “one of the most daring and successful shoplifting rings ever operated in Pittsburgh.”

Operating between 1917 and 1922, the ring was ignited by the spirit of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising. Far from simple theft, these downtown heists were a means of resistance, helping to fund Irish rebels during the War for Independence. Led by the formidable Bridget (Keane) Joyce and her partner-in-crime Helen (Riley) Bannon, this family-run operation bridged the gap between the storefronts of Downtown and the neighborhoods of the South Side—until it all came crashing down in 1922.

 About the Author Logan Joyce is a Pittsburgh native and historian who has been digging into his family’s South Side roots since the age of 13. A chance discovery on Newspapers.com in 2021 led him down a four-year rabbit hole of archives and ancestry, culminating in the 2026 release of Sins for Erin.

New Items in the Catalog

 Looking for the newest additions to the county catalog? 

Check out the new arrivals page for items recently added or on order!