Community resources are places where people can go for replenishment and stimulation, and what two places satisfy those needs more efficiently than libraries and religious institutions? These establishments have long been at the center of Greater Hazleton life, helping to nourish the minds and spirits of all residents.

The Luzerne County Library System consists of 10 libraries throughout the area, and is further complemented by libraries on each of our local college campuses. The Hazleton Area Public Library is part of this county-wide system, as are the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre, the Hoyt Library in Kingston, the Back Mountain Memorial Library in Dallas, the Marian Sutherland Library in Mountaintop, the Plymouth Public Library, the Wyoming Free Library, the Mill Memorial Library in Nanticoke, the Pittston Memorial Library, and the West Pittston Library.

The Hazleton Area Public Library has an outstanding children's program with an entire wing devoted to chidren's books and literature for youth. Programs designed to help kids learn to read and keep them interested in books are held throughout the year.

Libraries on the campus of Pennsylvania State Hazleton offer a wide array of resources, and provide a link to other information in the vast Penn State library system. Information can also be found at libraries on the campuses of regional colleges, like Wilkes University and Kings College.

Other agencies give residents access to specialized information. In Greater Hazleton, the Hazleton General Hospital Medical Library has hundreds of medical and health-related publications, newsletters, and pamphlets which are sent to interested residents free of charge.

The architectural styles include Gothic, Romanesque, Eclectic, and Byzantine. A visitor's first view provides a glimpse of the many church steeples and bell towers which dot the skylines and lend a comforting presence of faith in the communities. These very visible places of worship in Greater Hazleton significantly represent the culture and traditions of people of all different faiths who came to our area.

A religious institution stands as a testament to the values of its worshippers and how they lived. Because the spectrum of faith is so wide and congregation membership is so diverse, most people don't have an opportunity to experience a visit to all the different places of worship in the area, even just to admire the architectural beauty of the structures themselves. Although the following paragraphs will highlight just a few of the places of worship in our area, the religious denominations in the area are numerous, representing the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.

Greater Hazleton is known as a region where there seems to be a church on every block, from small quiet chapels to large gothic-style churches. One, St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church, holds a Mass in Spanish every Sunday. Greater Hazleton is home to the largest outdoor shrine in the United States. The Sacred Heart Shrine, minutes away from downtown, is a pilgrimage spot for many.

All of these religious institutions are examples of the way faith not only moves mountains but makes landmarks as well. Each religious building in this area has a foundation that is as strong as its surrounding communities and congregation, with individual styles and histories that tell the tales of hundreds of thousands of people who sought for something more to life in Greater Hazleton. Each also represents the strong ethnic heritage of our communities and the harmony in which these groups have lived with each other throughout the years.

Diversity of the culture of Greater Hazleton, and depth of the faith of our people, are the landscape in every neighborhood of every municipality. Virtually every major denomination is represented, and some churches have national and international prominence for their historic significance. These religious edifices highlight the broad ethnic and cultural heritage of the people of Greater Hazleton. English, Welsh, German and Scots originally inhabited the communities which are Greater Hazleton. The mines brought an influx of Irish, Eastern Europeans, Baltics, Italians and others, while the melting pot of the late 20th century added African, Asian and others to the strong ethnic mix. This diversity serves to contribute to the strong ethnic and religious identities which prevail here.