Program Overview
Libraries across Pennsylvania are developing innovative programs to build information, civic, social, health, and financial literacy skills in their communities. PA Forward helps libraries enhance and communicate about programs in these key literacy areas. An initiative of the Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA), PA Forward provides training and consults with library professionals across the state.
Rob Lesher is PA Forward’s program manager. Rob shared insights from his experience supporting library professionals with diverse needs and priority audiences.
Fast Facts
Name of organization: Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA)
Mission of organization: Strengthen Pennsylvania’s libraries through advocacy, education, and leadership; foster innovation and collaboration; nurture library leaders; and promote the value of libraries
Type of organization: State library association
Location of organization: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Size of organization: 4 staff members
Size of community: PaLA serves more than 1,200 personal, institutional, and commercial members affiliated with public, academic, special, and school libraries throughout Pennsylvania.
Funding: PA Forward has received over $100,000 in funding under a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Time period: PA Forward has supported Pennsylvania libraries since 2012.
Reach: On average, PA Forward works with 200 libraries and trains 300 to 400 library professionals per year.
Community Needs
What communities does PA Forward serve?
PA Forward works with public and academic library professionals across the state who are taking steps to foster information, civic, social, health, and financial literacy skills in their communities. In a typical year, we consult with about 200 libraries and train 300 to 400 professionals. We don’t facilitate programs for the public.
What needs does PA Forward address?
Library professionals are subject matter experts in acquiring, organizing, and providing access to information. But not every library professional has expertise in information, civic, social, health, and financial literacy. PA Forward provides training and connects libraries to organizations with subject matter expertise in these topics. This helps libraries provide deeper, more nuanced literacy programming to their communities.
Many libraries have well-developed community programs in place but need help promoting those programs. PA Forward provides a communication framework to amplify the library’s message and get the information out to the people of Pennsylvania that their local library offers these programs.
How do you tailor your approach to meet the needs of different types of libraries?
PA Forward will work with any library of any sort in Pennsylvania. I tailor my approach based on the conversation I’m having. When I’m speaking to a school library association, I focus on state curricular goals. When I visit a college or university library, I emphasize how the library can help students develop a more well-rounded skillset by focusing on these literacy areas. For example, if students learn financial literacy skills, they’ll know what to look for when signing an apartment lease. And when I speak with public libraries, I offer guidance on balancing services for youth, adults, and older adults.
Funding and Partnerships
How is PA Forward funded?
PA Forward receives funding from an LSTA grant through IMLS. One key to our program’s success is that we’ve had a dedicated program manager from the beginning — a hired staff member who acts as a single point of contact for the program. The grant funding helps to ensure that we can sustain the program manager position.
How does PA Forward promote knowledge sharing among libraries throughout the state?
Through the PA Forward Star Library Program, we recognize libraries that offer literacy programming and communicate about the literacy work they’re doing in their communities. We have about 160 Star Libraries right now.
We’ve also developed the PA Forward Commons, where Pennsylvania libraries have shared more than 300 examples of successful literacy-focused programs. Library professionals can browse the collection for inspiration and even search for programs related to specific topics, like equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Does PA Forward work with any partner organizations?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) invited PA Forward to help develop a financial literacy curriculum for public libraries. Six of our libraries across Pennsylvania, with different demographics and different levels of financial literacy, worked with CFPB to build that pilot curriculum.
Looking for Funding?
To find funding opportunities that align with your organization’s goals, search for “funding” in the Resource Database. For tips on building partnerships, download the Partner Engagement Tip Sheet on the Training Resources for Professionals page
Program Impact
What is the impact PA Forward program? How have you measured and evaluated success?
It’s been challenging to evaluate PA Forward’s impact on a macro level. How do you measure success at the state level when libraries are developing programs for their local communities? To address that challenge, last year, we launched a workshop about assessment and evaluation for library workers. We gave participants a feedback tool that they could use to evaluate their own literacy-focused programs. It’s a standardized evaluation form with 4 LSTA-related questions.
With this approach, PA Forward can collect feedback in the same format across participating libraries. This way, we can assess the impact that literacy programs are making in their communities — and aggregate that data across the whole state.