PA Forward® Star Library Program Celebrates One-year Anniversary

PA Forward ®Star Library Program continuing to help libraries meet needs of local communities

Mechanicsburg, PA (July 10, 2017) – A program conceived to enhance staff training and support libraries in their efforts to provide patrons with opportunities that yield investments in local communities continues to shine throughout Pennsylvania. The PA Forward® Star Library program has grown into a s tatewide phenomenon, with libraries in all reaches of the state advancing their community engagement and programming efforts, as they become recognized star libraries. 

“The reception the Star Library Program has received and continues to receive is mind blowing, yet humbling,” said Christi Buker, PA Library Association Executive Director. “Mind blowing because this program began as an idea from the work of one of our leadership academy cohorts in 2015 and I don’t think anyone involved in that initial discussion could have forecast how much the program would grow in two short years. It’s also very humbling because of just how much we’ve grown in such a short time frame. 

“When you think of the Star Library Program, you see a library’s intentionality in offering community engagement opportunities to help meet the needs of the residents in the area,” Buker added. “You see the staffs going through training and development to ensure they are equipping themselves with the skills needed to develop quality programming. You see the library as a beacon of light in an area, helping that area find its own shine. We’re just so proud to be a part of a movement that is changing lives.”   

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 incorporate 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.
 
A repository of the types of programs that qualify libraries for Star Library status can be found in the PA Forward® Commons found at http://www.palibraries.org/members/group_content_view.asp?group=117296&id=670180. 

The following is a listing of libraries and the star status achieved between April 1 and June 30, 2017. 

Gold Star Level

• Abington Community Library – Lackawanna County
• Allentown Public Library – Lehigh County
• Altoona Area Public Library – Blair County
• Grove Family Library – Franklin County
• North Pocono Public Library – Lackawanna County
• Osterhout Free Library – Luzerne County 
• Peters Township Public Library – Washington County
• Pittston Memorial Library- Luzerne County
• Reading Public Library – Berks County
• Upper Merion Township Library – Montgomery County 

Silver Star Level

• Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls/3rd Silver Star – Beaver County
• Claysburg Area Public Library/2nd Silver Star – Blair County
• Easton Area Public Library/2nd Silver Star – Northampton County
• Free Library of New Hope and Solebury/2nd Silver Star – Bucks County
• Madigan Library at Penn College/1st Silver Star – Lycoming County
• Muhlenberg Community Library/4th Silver Star – Berks County
• S.W. Smith Memorial Public Library/2nd Silver Star – McKean County
• Tyrone-Snyder Public Library/2nd Silver Star – Blair County
• Warminster Township Free Library/5th Silver Star – Bucks County

Bronze Star Level

• Beaver Area Memorial Library –  Beaver County
• Bethel Park Public Library – Allegheny County
• Fleetwood Area Public Library – Berks County
• Fulton County Library – Fulton County
• Horsham Township Library – Montgomery County
• Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library – Bucks County
• Marian Sutherland Kirby Library – Luzerne County
• Mengle Memorial Library – Jefferson County
• Nancy Kay Holmes Library – Lackawanna County
• Northern Cambria Public Library – Cambria County
• Scranton Public Library – Lackawanna County
• Valley Community Library – Lackawanna County
• Western Allegheny Community Library – Allegheny County

Libraries working toward their star status can submit their documentation by visiting www.paforwardstarlibraries.org.  Follow the prompts to create an account and review the submission instructions. More information about PA Forward® and the Star Library Program is also available at www.palibraries.org. Once there, click on the “Get Involved” tab and then click on “PA Forward®.” Also feel free to contact Brandi Hunter-Davenport, PA Forward® Project Manager, at 717-766-7663 or [email protected]