The WPGS Library is housed in the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Branch, in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The WPGS collection does not circulate. Our thousands of volumes are focused on the records of the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania. Each year, we sort through our collection and weed out duplicates, older editions of current publications, volumes that are not related to Western Pennsylvania, and items that are outdated. This Online Used Book Sale now makes these books available 24/7, at reasonable prices. They can be ordered by credit card or check. Mail orders are subject to availability at the time of receipt of the order. Previously, we offered these volumes for sale at our annual meeting in June. However, the sale excluded many members and non-members who are not able to attend that meeting in person. Our Used Book Sale makes these books accessible to everyone at a reasonable price. Most books will have library identification markings, but they were in a non-circulating library so, other than that, most offerings are in very good condition. It is noted if they are not. Proceeds from this Used Book Sale go to the General Fund to provide additional services to our members.
NEW PAYMENT PROCEDURE: You can select the books you wish to order and mark your “Payment method” as Check payments, which will immediately remove the items from inventory once your order has been completed. You will need to print out your order form and submit it to the address listed with your check payment. If we have not received your payment wihin 14 days, the item(s) will be returned to the “store.”
If you prefer not to order your selections online, you can download and complete a Printable Order Form for each publication requested and submit a separate check with each item ordered. This procedure allows us to return your payment immediately if the publication has already been sold, rather than having to issue a refund, which can take up to one month to process. Please check the website to see if the volume you wish to purchase is still available. However, that doesn’t guarantee that it will be available when we receive your order and payment by mail. If you live in PA, don’t forget to add the 7% PA tax to your order. All transactions are FINAL and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the receipt of payment, then by the postmark date. As this is an all-volunteer effort and we are using USPS Media Mail rates for shipping, please allow at least two (2) weeks for order fulfillment.
We're creating a new online experience to quickly connect our members with the research and resources they need.
Over the next few days, there maybe some hiccups as we get everything in place. If you experience any issues, please check back after June 3rd. Thank you for your patience!