Mechanicsburg, PA (April 9, 2018) – Libraries continue to be strong community resources, demonstrating the power of literacy in action. During the 2018 National Library Week celebration, the Pennsylvania Library Association is thanking libraries throughout the commonwealth for their tireless resolve and for all they offer to their local communities.
National Library Week, observed April 8-14, puts a spotlight on the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers. Libraries aren’t just book repositories or places of quiet study, but also community centers that provide refuge and fuel creativity and civic engagement. Patrons and visitors can collaborate, use new technologies, acquire job-ready skills, access online classes, and connect with other community members.
PA Forward works through five key literacies – Basic, Information, Civic & Social, Health and Financial – to assist all residents in enhancing their overall quality of life. The Star Library recognition offers support to libraries who participate and integrate the literacies in their programming activities. Those libraries are recognized for meeting benchmarks within the bronze, silver and gold star levels of the Star Library Program. Programs range from story times, tying into Basic Literacy, to investment planning workshops, tying into Financial Literacy.
“Libraries everywhere are providing critical resources, services and programs to the communities they serve,” said Christi Buker, PA Library Association Executive Director. “It is only fitting that we take some time during National Library Week to thank our libraries, librarians, staff and volunteers for all they do daily. We also want to highlight Pennsylvania’s libraries for incorporating the PA Forward framework into their programming and for earning their libraries Star status. These programs are investments in our patrons and they in turn invest in their local areas. The five literacies of PA Forward help build stronger communities, a stronger economy and a stronger Pennsylvania.”
For more information about National Library Week events, visit http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek. For more information about the PA Forward Star Library program, visit http://paforwardstarlibraries.org/.
To date, more than 200 Pennsylvania libraries are registered in the Association’s Star Library program.
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“This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a listing of libraries recognized for their highest level of star status achieved between January 1 and March 31, 2018. Eleven gold stars; 20 silver stars; and 21 bronze stars have been awarded in the first quarter of 2018. A total of 48 libraries have achieved Gold Star status since the program’s initial pilot in 2016.
Allegheny County
- Baldwin Borough Public Library – Bronze
- Bethel Park Public Library – Gold
- Borough of Jefferson Hills Library – Bronze
- Braddock Carnegie Library – Bronze
- Bridgeville Public Library – Silver, Level 2
- Monroeville Public Library – Bronze
- Mt. Lebanon Public Library – Gold
- Oakmont Carnegie Library – Bronze
- South Fayette Township Library – Bronze
- South Park Township Library – Bronze
- Upper St. Clair Township Library – Silver, Level 1
- Whitehall Public Library- Bronze
- Wilkinsburg Public Library – Bronze
Beaver County
- Monaca Public Library – Bronze
Berks County
- Fleetwood Area Public Library – Gold
- Mifflin Community Library – Silver, Level 2
Blair County
- Bellwood Antis Public Library – Silver, Level 4
- Hollidaysburg Area Public Library – Gold
- Martinsburg Community Library – Bronze
Bucks County
- Free Library of New Hope and Solebury – Gold
Butler County
- Prospect Community Library – Silver, Level 3
Cumberland County
- Shippensburg University Library – Bronze
Columbia County
- Bloomsburg Public Library – Silver, Level 1
Fulton County
- Fulton County Library – Silver, Level 5
Huntingdon County
- Huntingdon County Library- Gold
Indiana County
- Indiana Free Library – Silver, Level 5
Jefferson County
- Punxsutawney Memorial Library – Bronze
Lancaster County
- Learning Commons, PA College of Health Sciences – Silver, Level 4
Lackawanna County
- Carbondale Public Library – Silver, Level 3
- Lackawanna County Library System Bookmobile – Silver, Level 4
- Valley Community Library – Gold
Lebanon County
- Annville Free Library – Bronze
- Myerstown Community Library – Bronze
- Palmyra Public Library – Silver, Level 1
Lehigh County
- Emmaus Public Library – Silver, Level 3
- Parkland Community Library – Gold
Lycoming County
- Madigan Library, Penn College of Technology – Gold
Mercer County
- Community Library of Shenango Valley – Bronze
Monroe County
- Pocono Mountain Public Library- Silver, Level 1
Montgomery County
- Ardmore Library – Silver, Level 2
- Bala Cynwyd Memorial Library – Bronze
- Ludington Public Library – Bronze
- Montgomery County Norristown Library – Silver, Level 2
- North Wales Public Library – Gold
- Perkiomen Valley Library – Bronze
Northampton County
- Easton Area Public Library – Gold
- Northampton Area Public Library – Silver, Level 2
Venango County
- Oil City Library – Bronze
Washington County
- Monongahela Area Library – Silver, Level 2
Westmoreland County
- Greensburg Hempfield Library – Bronze
Schuylkill County
- Frackville Free Public Library – Silver, Level 5
York County
- Paul Smith Library of Southern York County – Silver, Level 1
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submitted by:
Brandi Hunter-Davenport,
PA Forward Project Manager