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EXPERIENCE KITSThanks to a partnership with the Heinz Center Affiliates Program (HCAP), Allegheny County libraries are offering free admission for two adults and six children to several museums and historical sites around Pittsburgh. Participating historical sites include facilities such as the Senator John Heinz History Center, Fort Ligonier and the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Each pass can be checked out for up to one week at a time and comes with virtual access to educational information, itinerary ideas, and other fun content. The Experience Kit program is being coordinated through the Heinz History Center%u2019s Affiliates Program (HCAP), which includes more than 125 regional historical societies and organizations dedicated to preserving local history. The Affiliate Program members include history, genealogy, and library organizations located primarily within the counties of Western Pennsylvania. AMERICAN GIRL%u00ae DOLL LENDING LIBRARYSince 2014, the Allegheny County Library Association%u2019s American Girl%u00ae Doll Lending Library has been connecting children with history and creative play.Each doll kit contains the doll with accompanying outfit; a doll bed, pillow, and blanket; a corresponding book; hairbrush; journal; letter to the child; and a letter to the parent/guardian. The kit also contains a brochure, prepared especially for this project by the Senator John Heinz History Center, describing what Pittsburgh was like in the doll%u2019s time period.While some libraries in the county have dolls on-hand and ready to check out, children can also request dolls to be sent to any library location through the library catalog.The Lending Library was created with dolls that were either donated or purchased through monetary donations. THE HISTORYMAKERSThe Allegheny County Library Association is proud to provide library cardholders with access to The HistoryMakers, the nation%u2019s largest African American video oral history archive.A 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution, The HistoryMakers is committed to preserving, developing and providing easy access to an internationally recognized archival collection of thousands of African American video oral histories. By recording the stories of both the well-known and unsung African Americans from diverse backgrounds, The HistoryMakersseeks to preserve and elevate the cultural equity of the African American community to the level of its historical record, as well as to increase the cultural understanding of present and future generations.Institutions, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, community organizations, corporations, the media, and the general public, are all users of The HistoryMakers content.DIVE INTO HISTORY AT THE LIBRARYThe Allegheny County Library Association sponsors several history programs that connect our library patrons with the past. Users can visit a local historical site with an Experience Kit, connect to history through play with an American Girl%u00ae Doll, or hear the stories of Black leaders in their own words with HistoryMakers, and it is all free with your library card!