Pennsylvania Library Association recognizes libraries for PA ForwardTM Star achievements earned between October 1 and December 15, 2019
Mechanicsburg, PA (January 1, 2020) – The Pennsylvania Library Association just announced the 2019 fourth quarter PAForwardTM Star Library awardees. 14 Libraries achieved Gold Star Status in this quarter, this is a record number of libraries to achieve this status in any quarter of the three years the program has been in existence.
Additionally, more than 30 libraries from throughout the state earned their star status and are being recognized by the Association for their efforts to provide patrons with educational resources and opportunities.
“The PA Forward Star Library program spotlights libraries’ efforts to continue making intentional investments in literacy-aligned programs,” said Christi Buker, Pennsylvania Library Association Executive Director. “Our libraries continue to be community pillars, meeting citizen needs, helping businesses, government organizations and others connect with residents, sharing resources and information which have the potential to positively impact multiple lives.
“Yes, you can go to your local library and check out books, but these agile institutions demonstrate day in and day out they offer more than books,” Buker added. “Libraries offer the world to those who enter their doors. It is an honor to highlight those efforts with the PA Forward Star Library designation. Congratulations to all of our participating Star Libraries.”
PA Forward, which launched statewide in 2012, works through five key literacies – Basic, Information, Civic & Social, Health and Financial – to assist individuals in enhancing their overall quality of life. To continue helping libraries use PA Forward to demonstrate all their libraries offer, in January 2017, the Association kicked off the Star Library program statewide. The Star Library recognition offers support to libraries who participate and integrate PA Forward’s literacies in their programming activities. Program topics can include information such as retirement planning (financial literacy) to more physically active programs such as walking book club discussions (civic and social literacy and health literacy).
Libraries are recognized for meeting benchmarks within the bronze, silver and gold star levels of the program. While one star is awarded for both the bronze and gold levels, a total of five stars are awarded in the silver category – one silver star for each of the five literacies of PA Forward. For each silver star award, a number appears denoting the number of silver stars obtained to date.
Stars are awarded on a quarterly basis in the calendar year and the recognition is for the highest level attained in the program at the time of the award. The libraries noted below are those that earned a first-time star or a new star level between October 1 and December 15, 2019. For a full listing of PA Forward Star Libraries, visit http://paforwardstarlibraries.org/star-status/. The next round of awards will be announced after March 31, 2020.
The list of awardees, by county, follows:
Allegheny County
Brentwood Library – Gold Oakmont Carnegie Library – Gold
Cooper-Siegel Community Library – Silver, 2 CC Mellor Memorial Library – Silver, 5
Northern Tier Regional Library – Silver, 1 Robinson Township Library – Silver, 1
Berks County
Village Library of Morgantown – Gold
Bucks County
Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library – Gold
Cambria County
Cambria County Library – Gold
Cumberland County
Bosler Memorial Library – Silver, 5
Delaware County
Haverford Township Free Library – Gold Yeadon Community Library – Bronze
Lansdowne Public Library – Bronze
Erie County
Erie County Public Library– Gold Rice Avenue Public Library – Bronze
Lancaster County
Adamstown Area Library – Silver, 3 Lititz Public Library – Bronze
Lawrence County
New Castle Public Library – Gold
Luzerne County
Hazleton Public Library – Gold
Monroe County
Western Pocono Community Public Library – Bronze
Montgomery County
Perkiomen Valley Library – Gold Horsham Township Library – Gold
Lansdale Public Library – Silver, 5
Northampton County
Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity – Gold
Pike County
Pike County Public Library – Bronze
Somerset County
Meyersdale Public Library – Silver, 2
Washington County
Chartiers-Houston Community Library – Gold
York County
Paul Smith Library of Southern York County – Gold
Beginning January 2020, once a library achieves the Gold level of the PA Forward Star Library program, libraries will now be able to take steps to maintain their PA Forward Gold Star status. More information about that process, can be found at www.paforwardstarlibraries.org under the Getting Started tab.
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This project is made possible, in part, by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor.
Submitted by:
Rob Lesher |Interim PA Forward™ Program Manager |Pennsylvania Library Association | 220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10 Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 766-7663
http://www.paforwardstarlibraries.org/
