Greensburg Hempfield Area Library

What Greensburg Hempfield Area Library does

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library (GHAL) is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit public library founded in 1935 and headquartered at 237 S. Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The library serves approximately 70,000 residents across Adamsburg, Arona, the City of Greensburg, Hempfield Township, Hunker, Madison, New Stanton, Salem Township, South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg, and Youngwood through two physical locations (the main historic former-post-office building in Greensburg, constructed 1912, and the Youngwood Area Public Library branch added in 2009) plus a 24/7 digital footprint. As a member of the Westmoreland County Libraries (WCL) federated system of 23 public libraries formed in 1993, GHAL operates as part of a county-wide resource consolidation and shares catalog infrastructure with peer institutions.

The library's service portfolio spans traditional physical lending (111,417 catalogued volumes as of September 2017, plus DVDs, audiobooks, Wonderbooks, Launchpads, book club kits, museum passes, and nature backpacks), digital content distribution through Libby/OverDrive, Hoopla (950,000+ titles, five free checkouts per month), and Beanstack reading challenges, and a learning stack that includes Gale Courses, The Great Courses, Pronunciator (315 languages), and the statewide POWER Library portal with MyHeritage genealogy access. Specialized offerings include the Pennsylvania Room local-history and genealogy collection (census records 1790-1950, church and cemetery records, newspaper microfilm) and the second-floor Children's Library, which in 2023 received the Family Place Library national designation and now operates the Play.Learn.Connect. early-childhood program with on-site human-services agency partnerships.

GHAL's revenue model is multi-stream and structurally non-commercial: municipal tax millage (notably from the City of Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg following the 2017 referendum), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania library aid determined by a local-support formula, the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) corporate giving program (75-90% tax credit for donating businesses), general donations, memorial gifts, planned giving, used-book sales, and signature fundraisers such as Bingo Bash and Library Libations. Pricing to patrons is free for all core services including library cards; only printing (25¢ B&W / 50¢ color per sheet), room rentals ($40/hr with non-profit discounts), and replacement cards carry fees. The library reports a social return of $5.50 in services per $1 donated and is governed by a Board of Trustees under Library Director Jamie Falo, with Head Children's Librarian Jessica Kiefer leading the Family Place initiative.

Name

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library

Legal name

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library

Website

https://ghal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library is a 1935-founded non-profit public library in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, serving approximately 70,000 Westmoreland County residents across two branches with physical collections, digital platforms, children's and genealogy programs, and community services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community library resources
• Digital library access
• Children's library programs
• Genealogy research collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: General donations, memorial gifts, planned giving, used book sales, special events (Bingo Bash, Library Libations gala), and direct appeals to patrons and community members.
2. Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC): Corporate tax credit program where businesses donate to the library and receive 75-90% tax credit. Funds designated for Summer Reading program.
3. Local Government Funding: Tax-based funding from municipalities and school districts within service area. Referendum-based millage from approved jurisdictions (City of Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg).
4. State Funding: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania library funding, which is determined by a formula including local support levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library is a community public library that provides free access to physical and digital books, audiobooks, movies, music, online courses, and language learning resources to residents of the Greensburg and Hempfield areas in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It operates two physical branches (the main Greensburg branch and the Youngwood branch) and maintains specialized collections including the Pennsylvania Room for genealogy and local history and the Family Place Children's Library. Ancillary fee-based services such as printing and meeting room rentals supplement the core free offerings.

Product overview

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library operates as a public library system offering a unified mix of physical and digital services. The core physical services include traditional book lending, meeting room rentals, internet access, and printing. The digital portfolio centers on three main platforms: Libby (by OverDrive) for ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming; Hoopla for additional streaming content with BingePasses; and Beanstack for reading challenges. Learning resources include Gale Courses, The Great Courses, Pronunciator for language learning, and POWER Library statewide portal. Specialized services target children (Children's Library with Family Place designation, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten), genealogy researchers (Pennsylvania Room with census and local history resources), and community needs (Nature Backpacks, museum passes, book club kits). The library also provides patron-facing services like printing via Princh, internet/WiFi access, and meeting room rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Card Membership Free library card membership providing Greensburg and Hempfield area residents with access to physical books, digital media, online learning tools, and other library services.
• Physical Book and Media Lending Traditional lending of physical books, audiobooks, and other media items from the library's circulating collections at both branches.
• Digital Lending (Libby and Hoopla) Digital lending of e-books, audiobooks, movies, and music through the Libby and Hoopla platforms for library cardholders.
• Pennsylvania Room (Genealogy and Local History) Specialized collection and research space providing access to genealogy records, local history materials, and Pennsylvania-related resources for researchers and community members.
• Family Place Children's Library Children's library collection and programming focused on early childhood literacy, family engagement, and children's services.
• Online Courses (Gale Courses and Pronunciator) Online learning platform access via Gale Courses (instructor-led courses) and Pronunciator (language learning) for library cardholders.
• Beanstack Reading Challenges Reading challenge and tracking platform through Beanstack, supporting community reading programs for patrons of all ages.
• POWER Library Access Access to POWER Library's statewide digital resources, including research databases and educational content, for Pennsylvania residents.
• Printing Services Fee-based printing services available to library patrons at branch locations.
• Meeting Room Rentals Fee-based meeting room rental service for community groups, organizations, and individuals at library branches.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5.50 social return per $1 donated
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Westmoreland County Libraries (WCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Federated system of 23 public libraries formed in 1993 to consolidate resources and secure funding from county and state. GHAL is a member library. WCL aims to ensure all county residents have access to high-quality library services.
• Family Place Libraries (National)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational initiative supporting public libraries as community centers for early childhood development. GHAL received Family Place Library designation in 2023, transforming Children's Library into family community center with Play.Learn.Connect. program.
• Human Service AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local human service agencies (Blackburn Center, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, etc.) through Play.Learn.Connect. program to provide on-site assistance during early learning sessions.
• PA Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEITC program administrator that enables GHAL to receive corporate tax credit donations. Businesses apply through DCED's electronic system.
• Chick-fil-A (Eastgate and Westmoreland Mall)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReceipt donation program where patrons submit Chick-fil-A receipts and the restaurant donates 20% back in food credit for library events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: Large urban library system serving the Pittsburgh metro area. Operates in the same regional market and provides overlapping digital resources through the same statewide platforms, but at materially larger scale than GHAL.
• Free Library of Philadelphia: Major Pennsylvania library system serving Philadelphia. Operates in the same state under similar state-aid funding structures but at a far larger scale; useful as an upper-bound incumbent reference point for GHAL's service model.

Direct peers

• Mt. Lebanon Public Library: Suburban Pittsburgh public library of similar size and community profile to GHAL. Comparable in physical scale, digital service offerings, and suburban Pennsylvania patron demographic.
• Jeannette Public Library: Westmoreland County Libraries member serving Jeannette, PA. Operates within the same federated governance structure and serves a similar small-city population as GHAL.
• Monroeville Public Library: Suburban Pittsburgh public library serving a community adjacent to the Westmoreland County region. Similar in scale, community profile, and service mix to GHAL.
• Bethel Park Public Library: Suburban Pittsburgh public library serving a comparable municipal population. Operates a similar physical-plus-digital service model for a suburban Pennsylvania community.
• Sewickley Public Library: Suburban Pittsburgh public library serving a community of comparable size to GHAL's service area. Similar in physical footprint, programming model, and patron demographic.
• Scottdale Public Library: Member library of the Westmoreland County Libraries federated system serving a small Southwestern Pennsylvania community. Comparable in mission, funding structure, and patron base to GHAL.
• Adams Memorial Library: Public library in Latrobe, PA, and the only other Westmoreland County Libraries member with the Family Place Library designation. Same service scale, same county system, and similar community-library profile as GHAL, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Penn Hills Library: Suburban Pittsburgh public library of comparable size serving a similar municipal population. Operates a similar blend of physical collections and digital platforms.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ghalibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/ghalibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/ghalibrary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greensburg Hempfield Area Library