Libraries Blazing Star-Aligned Trails Throughout Pennsylvania | STAGING Compendium

Pennsylvania Library Association recognizes libraries for PA ForwardTM Star achievementsearned between July 1 and September 30, 2019

Mechanicsburg, PA (October 7, 2019) – The Pennsylvania Library Association just announced the 2019 second quarter PA ForwardTM Star Library awardees. More than 30 libraries 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 local 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 July 1 and September 30, 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 December 15, 2019.

The list of awardees, by county, follows:

Allegheny County

Carnegie Library of Homestead – Bronze                               Brentwood Library – Silver, 2

Oakmont Carnegie Library – Silver, 3                        Plum Borough Community Library – Silver, 3

Armstrong County

Ford City Public Library – Gold

Worthington West Franklin Public Community Library -Bronze

Berks County

Exeter Community Library – Gold                              Boyertown Public Library – Bronze

Oley Valley Community Library – Gold

Butler County

Butler Area Public Library – Gold

Cambria County

Cambria County Library – Silver, 5

Chester County

Tredyffrin Public Library – Gold

Cumberland County

Bosler Memorial Library – Silver, 1

Delaware County

Haverford Township Free Library – Silver, 5

Elk County

Wilcox Public Library – Bronze

Lancaster County

Ephrata Public Library – Bronze                                 Manheim Community Library – Silver, 2

Adamstown Area Library – Silver, 1

Lawrence County

New Castle Public Library – Silver, 4

Luzerne County

Hazleton Public Library – Silver, 5

Montgomery County

Belmont Hills Public Library – Bronze                       Horsham Township Library – Silver, 3

Huntingdon Valley Library – Bronze

Northampton County

Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity – Silver, 5

Somerset County

Somerset County Library – Gold

Warren County

Warren Library Association – Gold

Westmoreland County

Mount Pleasant Public Library – Silver, 1

York County

Red Land Community Library – 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.

Rob Lesher |Interim PA Forward Program Manager
Pennsylvania Library Association | 220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

http://www.paforwardstarlibraries.org/