Expansion

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: The PCL is officially Re-opened

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 4PM, South Whitehall Township and Parkland Community Library held a joint ribbon-cutting ceremony. Held on the grounds of the newly completed South Whitehall Township Campus in Allentown, PA, it marks the expansion project’s end. Parkland Community Library’s director, Debbie Jack, and PCL Board President Barry G. Cohen gave speeches that officially welcomed the community and thanked supporters for the long-awaited project completion.

We are open to the public. The expansion addressed spatial issues, including housing books in storage, additional parking, and enlarging and modernization of the library floor plan. In addition, the renovation added a new meeting room to accommodate our program attendees. Download the press release here. 

Lehigh Valley Environmental Innovations Nonprofit Award

On April 28, Parkland Community Library was honored at the 2023 Lehigh Valley Sustainability Summit. The library received the 2023 Lehigh Valley Environmental Innovations Nonprofit Award for the expansion and renovation of our existing building and overall commitment to sustainability within our facility, organization, and community. 

The upgrades included higher energy efficiency, use of low emissions products and/or recycled content building materials when available, use of renewable energy and/or more efficient fuels, made use of prior building and/or Brownfield site, establishing a recycling, re-use program for waste and new products, kept supply chain for goods and services local or other measures. 

The Lehigh Valley Environmental Innovations Awards recognize innovative and impactful achievements in the environmental community and are presented to businesses and organizations which exemplify best green practices here in the Valley. 

Click here to take a Virtual Tour!

11/12/2020 Since closing in February 2020, renovations to the library have continued through the summer and fall seasons. The exterior walls were put up, and new windows were installed. Concrete has been poured for the new front porch. 


On December 18, 2019, South Whitehall Township commissioners approved the expansion and renovation of Parkland Community Library. The footprint of 5,400 square feet expanded to 10,200 square feet. It included a new extension towards Walbert Avenue with a first and second floor. One feature of the enlarged first floor is a larger community room that can be divided into two smaller rooms. This new community room side of the building has additional restrooms, per the request of our patrons. Parkland Community Library staff will be relocated to the second floor.

The renovation features a new children’s wing! Our former staff offices will be opened to make space for the Children’s collection, a program space, window seating, and a play area.

Lastly, the library will also receive additional parking. This expansion will allow us to continue serving the Parkland community at our current location while providing much-needed parking and space.

2020 Groundbreaking Ceremony

On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Parkland Community Library held a groundbreaking ceremony on the grounds of 4422 Walbert Avenue, Allentown, PA. The Library’s director, Debbie Jack, and Barry G. Cohen, PCL Board President, gave speeches and announced officially that the long-awaited library expansion is well underway. 


PCL Partners with South Whitehall Township to Explore Library Expansion

As of 2019, Parkland Community Library’s (PCL) building capacity was 5,400 square feet. While the population of Parkland School District has grown to 55,000 community members, the library has remained the same size since 1981. PCL Executive Director Debbie Jack said, “It’s time to expand, so we can continue to serve the community at the high level it expects and deserves.”

On Wednesday, February 1, 2019, the Parkland Community Library Board of Directors went before the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners and received the go-ahead to explore expanding their current location. An additional 2,000 to 7,000 square feet, subject to space and budget constraints, was proposed. Expansion features may include more space for community events to serve more children at storytime while providing adult workshops and groups simultaneously. Potential expansion costs will be bolstered with $3M saved for a new larger building. Jack said, “The Parkland Community Library Board of Directors is excited to partner with South Whitehall Township to make this project a success.”

Questions? Contact: Debbie Jack, Executive Director 610.398.1361, jackd@parklandlibrary.org 

Make a donation to the project. Click here

Trees have been removed for the new extension. Interior construction began in June 2020.

Ready, Set, Library!

What’s Happening at Your Library: April 2024 Cheers for Fifty Years! On Saturday, April 13th, 2024, the Parkland Community Library (PCL) is celebrating its 50th anniversary during National Library Week! Join us for a day of music, food trucks, balloons, and more. Read more here: Cheers to 50 Years Celebration. Theme The theme for National Library…

Continue Reading Ready, Set, Library!

Seed Library

Attention all library patrons! This year, we have an exciting new addition to our services – the Seed Library! With your library card, you can get up to three free seed packets per checkout. From artichokes to zucchinis, we have a wide variety of seeds available for you to choose from. Unlike books or DVDs…

Continue Reading Seed Library

March News 2024

What’s Happening at Your Library If you stopped by the library in February, thank you! We hope you picked up a heart-shaped stress ball for Library Lover’s Month! Just a little cheer for our patrons this winter from your library! With Winter Reading complete on February 24, we hope the program helped you start your…

Continue Reading March News 2024