NEWS RELEASE

Carnegie, Pa., June 23 - The opportunity for young people to see two of the large telescopes, at the University of Pittsburgh's historic Allegheny Observatory, is one of the highlights of the 1999 Summer Reading Program at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library, 300 Beechwood Avenue in Carnegie Borough. Students, who register for the Program, will also be eligible to participate in a Miniature Golf outing and an end-of-Program party. Pittsburgh Pirates tickets, coupons for local restaurants, and tickets to the Pittsburgh Zoo and area museums are some of the prizes students can win, for full participation in the Program.

The Library's Summer Reading Program, "Route for Reading, Going Places at the LIBRARY, is free-of-charge to all students living in Allegheny County. The Program runs from July 1 through Aug. 4. Although registration will be accepted anytime during the Summer Reading Program, young people should register as soon as possible, to take advantage of all of the Program's activities.

Three age divisions comprise the Program. The "Read to Me Club" is for pre-schoolers; parents read to their children and report the books read on a simple form. In the "I Can Read " Program, young readers, in grades 1through 5, read ten juvenile books and provide a short oral book report to a member of the Library staff. In the "Teen Read" Program, students, in grades 6 and higher, read 5 young adult or adult books; they answer a library staff member's questions about each book. All young people who complete the Summer Reading Program will win a prize!

The tour of the Allegheny Observatory is free-of-charge to all young people enrolled in the Summer Reading Program, as well as their parents. Enrolled students, and their parents, will receive a discount to play miniature golf, at the Miniature Golf Night at Forsythe's Mini-Golf. Parents will need to provide transportation to these two events; directions will be provided, once the scheduling is complete. Contact the Library staff, if transportation is a problem.

At the Library, Summer Reading Program participants can obtain instruction, regarding how to use the Internet on Library computers, each Saturday morning from July 10 through August 21. There will also be a Bicycle Safety Talk at the Library, sponsored by West Penn AAA, on Thur., July 29 at 1 p.m. The party, at the end of the Summer Reading Program, will include a visit from the Old Country Buffet Bee.

The Library's Summer Reading Program is funded, in part, through a Federal grant administered by the State Office of Commonwealth Libraries. Area businesses and community organizations have donated many of the prizes and funding for some of the events.

Young people need to visit the Library to register for the Summer Reading Program. Summer Library hours are Tuesday through Thursday: 12 Noon to 8 p.m., Friday: 12 Noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call the Library at (412) 276-3456.