Neighbor Spotlight: Sewickley Public Library executive director's love of books goes beyond the building

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A trip with a neighbor to a local library some 30 years ago set Carolyn Toth’s life in motion.

The Bethel Park native turned Sewickley resident recalled going to the Bethel Park Public Library at age 9 with Barbara Marinac.

Back then, it was in the Hillcrest Shopping Center. It is now at the municipal building along West Library Avenue.

“It is one of my great memories,” said Toth, 63. “She believed in libraries a lot. She was a teacher, and she had four children. One of her daughters and I were friends. They went regularly. She got me a library card, and I was invited along to go and get library books.”

That library card was like a ticket to new worlds.

“I just remember looking at all of those books, probably in the children’s department, the ‘Nancy Drews,’ the ‘Bobbsey Twins,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I can’t wait to read these,’” Toth said. “I enjoy the peace and quiet of reading and escaping into another world rather than having the visuals given to me the way a movie does. I was a happy kid.”

That childlike wonderment would serve her well as she went on to mentally devour textbooks, fiction and nonfiction works through the years.

Toth, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 1976, remembers some simple pleasures of growing up there.

“When I went to the high school, they had separate buildings, like you were on a college campus,” Toth said. “One was a math building. One was a science building … I just loved the fresh air in between classes. That’s one of my fond memories.

“I lived across the street from South Park. So, my two brothers (David and Donald) and I were able to enjoy the parks, bicycle riding, walking, South Park events that were promoted by the county, the fairs. Bethel Park was a pretty typical suburban community, but it was very nice to grow up there.”

Toth would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics and masters in library science, both from the University of Pittsburgh.

Working with books

Toth worked as an assistant manager for a few years at Waldenbooks in West Mifflin, a now-defunct American shopping mall-based bookstore chain, while studying business at Pitt.

“I just thought I would climb that corporate ladder there because I was good at it,” Toth said.

Two things would significantly change that course – marriage to Joseph Toth, a steelworker from Peters Township in 1980, and the reading of “Do what You Love, the Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood” by Marsha Sinetar.

“When I realized I couldn’t move to their home office in Standford, Conn., I didn’t want to be an assistant manager or a manager in a book store for the rest of my life,” Toth said. “When I saw that book it just clicked that I should go to library school. I love books. I need to stay in the book business.”

With libraries once again her focus, Toth would return to Pitt for her master’s degree.

She worked as a library assistant at Winchester Thurston School for three years and served as Community Library of Castle Shannon director for nine years.

“As a school librarian, your primary customers are students,” Toth said. “They have many needs based on the curriculum. In a public spectrum, the needs are so much more diverse. A lot of people help themselves. The public library is fascinating to me because of the breadth and depth of a collection of materials.”

Toth became executive director at the Sewickley Public Library in September 1998.

It was a rough transition for personal reasons. Joseph Toth had passed earlier that year.

“It was a loss,” Toth said. “I probably felt sadder for my daughter (Lindsay) losing her dad. She was 8. It was sad.”

The Sewickley library became like a second home for her family.

Sewickley library

The library on average serves 231,000 people a year, most from the Quaker Valley area. It is supported, in part, through taxes collected by the Quaker Valley School District.

There are about 311,600 items, including more than 188,000 books. Current staff includes nine full-time workers and 38 part-timers.

Many programs have been cut and computers and most furniture has been put in storage due to the pandemic. There are virtual storytimes on YouTube.

The library was founded by the Young Men’s Library Association in 1873. They rented a room for library services at the Mozart Hall at the corner of Beaver and Broad Streets for decades.

Its current location at 500 Thorn St. was given to the association by William Clause in memory of his wife, Elizabeth Ann Clause, in 1923. The original entrance is now its reference department.

It was about 8,800 square feet when Toth took over. At that time, officials had just broken grown for a major expansion.

The facility is now 23,800 square feet with a second-floor children’s department and meeting areas. A patio was donated by the garden club.

“It is one of the most beautiful libraries in Pennsylvania,” Toth said. “It has been a wonderful library and a wonderful community to work in.”

She credits her staff with the library’s continued success.

“If I am good at my job, I know who’s good at their job,” Toth said.

Jen Farmerie has been with the library for about 16 years, including the last four as children’s department head.

“I love being here,” she said. “The room is just wonderful. I love working with the patrons. I love working with the kids. I love planning programs for the community. This is a really fun, active job. Working with Carolyn is great. She’s a fantastic boss. She always gives me free rein to do whatever projects the department feels that we need. She’s super supportive with any projects or any funding we need for the department.”