By Elizabeth Kavanaugh
Just to the west of New Jersey, academic librarians across Pennsylvania are promoting information literacy throughout their campus communities. With the backing of the Pennsylvania Library Association (http://www.palibraries.org/), which has proudly supported members since 1901 and currently boasts more than 1,500 individuals from academic, school, public, government, and special libraries, librarians from all regions are supported through professional development opportunities each year. Along with its many local chapters, roundtables, and committees that sponsor local events, each division connects librarians regionally based on shared or local interests. More recently Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward initiative (http://www.paforward.org/) was developed to highlight and frame efforts for
libraries across Pennsylvania to champion literacy in five areas: basic, information, civic and social, health, and financial; as well as to create greater connections for libraries in their communities. Under the new leadership of Christi Buker (Pennsylvania Library Association’s Executive Director) and Brandi Hunter-Davenport (PA Forward Project Manager) it is truly an exciting time to be involved with Pennsylvania’s efforts to improve literacy at all ages. Whether in Pennsylvania or a neighboring state, all librarians are encouraged to participate in, submit proposals to, and attend upcoming events to share ideas, set best practices, and standardize priorities in our academic libraries.
The Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference
The Pennsylvania Library Association provides multiple workshops, conferences, and summits to allow librarians across the state to engage with best practices in their fields, connect with other librarians of similar interests, and bring statewide attention to the role that librarians play in university and college settings. The 2016 Annual Conference took place October 16-19 at the new and exciting Kalahari Resort in the Poconos. Hundreds of librarians from across the state and varied disciplines gathered for four days of networking, demonstrations, presentations, posters, and panels. More than 70 educational sessions complemented the 48 poster sessions, including opportunities to speak with presenters from all walks of library life and engage with one another from across the state. Many sessions were sponsored by the Association’s divisions, such as College & Research, and focused their attention on topics of academic interest and information literacy.
Upcoming Chapter Workshops
Among the several, near end-of-year events still to come include the 2016 Northwest Chapter Fall Workshop on November 18, and the Southeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association (SEPLA) Annual Workshop on December 6. The Northwest Chapter Fall workshop will be in Warren, PA, and focus on the theme of “Funding for Impact.” Guest speakers Jessica Lasher, Teresa Gregory, and Trenton Moulin co-present a session geared at helping librarians fundraise, friendraise, and demonstrate how to present data that garners both supporters and potential donors.
The SEPLA Annual Workshop, taking place in King of Prussia, PA, has an overarching theme of, “The Future is Here! Millennials in Public & Academic Libraries.” Presented as a panel, moderator Nancy Dunleavy of Dunleavy and Associates will guide attendees through conversations on how libraries can appeal to millennials via space, services, and their psychological needs. Alison Novak, Rowan University Assistant Professor of Public Relations and author of Media, Millennials, and Politics: The Coming of Age of the Next Political Generation, will speak on “Millennial Psychological Myths and Realities.” Brittany Alba, Project Manager of Fundraising, Development, and Communications at Dunleavey and Associates, will discuss “Millennials as Volunteers, Donors and Board Members.” James Keller, Architect at JR Keller, LLC and Co-Author of Designing Space for Children and Teens in Libraries and Public Places, will share his thoughts on “Re-designing Space to Appeal to Millennials.” Please visit http://www.palibraries.org/events for more information and to register for these upcoming events!
PA Forward Commons
In 2016 the PA Forward Commons (http://www.palibraries.org/page/PaFwdCommons) was relaunched as a collaborative space of crowd-sourced literacy and library events that highlight the interests of the Pennsylvania Library Association and PA Forward. In the Commons, librarians can search and browse for programming ideas related to each of the five literacies or audience interests; similarly, all are welcome to share their event ideas for others to use. This “leave a penny, take a penny” format encourages use and participation in sharing the good work of Pennsylvania libraries when resources or best practices need a new creative influence.
More to Come in 2017!
Looking ahead to the New Year, the Pennsylvania Library Association and PA Forward both have events to look forward to in 2017. In January 2017 the PA Forward Star Library Program initiative will encourage libraries to specifically identify and incorporate basic, information, civic and social, health, and financial literacy component in their events and marketing. In designating programs with each of these literacy components, libraries collectively demonstrate their support of literacy to community members, collaborators, elected officials, and other libraries in a unified voice. Libraries that add the Star Library tag visibly show their dedication to literacy and statewide initiatives like PA Forward, which leave a meaningful impact on communities of all ages.
The College & Research Division (CRD) Spring Workshop is slated for May 25, 2017, at Bucknell University, which will focus on digital scholarship and the academic library. Keynoting the workshop will be Laurie Allen, Assistant Director for Digital Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Additional breakout sessions will be added to highlight the work of PA librarians in the field of digital scholarship.
The fifth annual PA Forward Information Literacy Summit will take place on July 19, 2017, at the Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA). Highlights of past summits have been the impact of the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and its implications for pedagogy in academic settings in Pennsylvania and beyond.
When planning for professional development activities, keep Pennsylvania in mind by visiting the Pennsylvania Library Association homepage at http://www.palibraries.org/ for more information on upcoming events, news, and networking opportunities! More information can also be found in Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice, a peer-reviewed OA journal sponsored by the CRD and recipient of the DOAJ’s seal of approval, and the PaLA Bulletin, the Pennsylvania Library Association’s quarterly publication.
Elizabeth Kavanaugh is the Information Literacy and Assessment Librarian at Misericordia University in Dallas, P.A. She can be reached at ekavanau@misericordia.edu.