'A very young heart' retires after 55 years at Northland Public Library, now in McCandless

Willa Neil has been at Northland Public Library, even before there was one.

She was months from graduating with a master’s degree in library information sciences from the University of Pittsburgh when she was asked to help start the first library in the North Hills.

Neil was hesitant, but her university professor told her she had the skills to do it. And at only 23, “I was basically kicked out of the nest.”

She was one of the first three employees at Northland Public Library, which opened on Oct. 6, 1968, on Three Degree Road in Ross Township.

And so began the start of 55 years of service, beginning as the library’s first children’s librarian and soon developing the Children and Youth Services Department and collection. She officially retired on Sept. 8.

While co-workers nod to her contributions, she said it’s always been a team effort.

“This is not a one-person show. It’s a combination of support, from the board to administration, all the way to the person who puts the books back on the shelf. It’s a full-out endeavor,” she said.

The present library located on Cumberland Road in McCandless opened on Oct. 6, 1978, exactly 10 years after the library in Ross opened. That site now houses retail space.

Northland was the second library in the country at that time to have its entire collection logged into a computer system, Neil said.

The library serves residents of Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall Township, McCandless and Ross Township. It’s the second largest library in Allegheny County. The geographic area served, the population base, collection and circulation are second only to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County.

Nicholas Yon, spokesperson for the Northland library, notes that Neil has worked with every employee and volunteer of the library, due to her longevity there.

One of them includes Susan Claus, manager of the children’s department at Northland, who said Neil “effortlessly gets to know people.”

“Her reader advisory is great. She can zero-in on what kids want to read and need to read,” said Claus, who has worked at NPL for 24 years.

Neil’s love for the library began when she started volunteering at a library in Shaler at 14. It’s been a lifelong commitment since then. She held various positions during her career at Northland including personnel director and assistant director from 1982 through 1992, transitioning into the role of children’s librarian in 1993 until her retirement. Willa continued to develop and maintain Northland’s vast children’s collection.

The Ross Township resident credits fellow staff for always being ready to help keep operations moving.

“Everybody did everything. There was no job delineation. If the bathroom needed to be cleaned, someone cleaned it,” she said.

She credits Northland’s local community and residents for the support and ability to grow.

“It’s a viable part of the community, and people supported it,” she said.

Neil’s job involves inventory, selecting books and keeping abreast of what is trending.

She said her job wasn’t to select books she likes, but what the public is seeking.

“Before there were books, there were stories. To deny that accessibility to anyone is an injustice,” Neil said.

As for classic nursery rhymes, like Mother Goose, librarians incorporate them during popular storytime programs, one of Neil’s favorite activities there.

“I did my share of storytelling. That will always be in my heart. If you’re doing it right, you’re not aware of what’s going on. It’s a part of you,” she said

Neil’s daughter, Katie, is a music teacher at Bethel Park School District. The librarian also has two grandchildren, Chloe, 16, who loves books, and Caleb, 14, who doesn’t as much. But he still asks her to read to him.

As far as Neil’s favorites, she likes history and mysteries. Every January she takes a subject that she knows little about and reads books on that. This past year, it was World War I and the study of the Hungarian and Austrian empire.

Neil was honored at the August meeting of the Northland Public Library Authority Board by local, county and state elected officials. The board appointed her Children’s Librarian Emerita of Northland.

“Willa not only built the foundation of our Children and Teen Department, but her passion for literacy and the library mission is felt by all who worked with or met Willa through the years,” Northland Executive Director Amy Steele said.

One of Neil’s contributions was encouraging other library staff to pursue education in the library sciences. Library officials created the “Willa Neil Librarian Scholarship.” The scholarship will benefit Northland employees who are enrolled in a Master’s of Library Information Science program.

Neil is planning on spending her retirement volunteering at the library, but at least now she won’t be “on a schedule.”

The library staff is happy to know she will still be around.

“I’ve learned so much from her. She has such a passion for children’s literature and is able to share that of these patrons and staff. She has a very young heart,” Claus said.